Sri Lanka, July 31 -- A programme to blacken palm-leaf manuscripts (Puskola Poth) was held at the historic Dutugemunu Rajamaha Viharaya in Baddegama on July 29.

Historically, the preservation of palm-leaf manuscripts, which were written under royal patronage, was considered a sacred ritual. Historical records refer to this as the "Puskola Poth Nethra Mangalyaya" (eye-opening ceremony of palm-leaf bBooks), a ceremonial process involving the "blackening and whitening" of the leaves performed with the intervention of kings.

Until the introduction of the printing industry during the Portuguese colonial period, palm-leaf manuscripts were the most prevalent medium for writing in Sri Lanka. The majority of these manuscripts contain Dhamma (rel...