Handmade paper was also a popular medium that had been used for writing Jain texts. Even today it is used to write contemporary Jain manuscripts. This paper is made from natural ingredients, without the use of any machines, hence the name ‘Handmade Paper’. Such manuscripts are found all over the country.

Paper was prepared from naturally available materials like Jute or Bast fibres, cotton and so on. The pulp of these materials are poured onto a rectangular mesh like tool, in order to make thin sheets of paper. No chemicals are used during the process to bleach the paper, this retains the creamish yellow look of the paper. The crooked edges of the paper are trimmed before they are used for writing. Handmade paper tends to have a rough surface because of its fibrous texture; this texture interrupts the movement of the pen strokes. Therefore, the paper is then smoothened with the घूंटो /अकिक (stone). This stone is used for smoothing the paper's surface before writing.

Earlier paper manuscripts were long and narrow in height like the palm-leaf manuscripts, later they became much broader due to the introduction of varied paper sizes. The size of a paper manuscript was around 26 x 9–10 centimeters. Jain manuscripts that were made after the 14th century, mostly used paper as a surface for writing.




Manuscript sizes.