Palm leaves were the most frequent writing medium in old India before commercially made paper became widely accessible.
Palm leaf books featured a top and bottom constructed of
strips of wood to preserve the leaves, and these covers were frequently
ornately painted.
The delicate nature of these palm leaves necessitated
repeated copying in order to preserve manuscripts, even if this resulted in
mistakes.
Due to degradation induced by the temperature and damage by
a kind of termite known as "white ants," which fed on palm leaves, a
manuscript's life expectancy was at most fifty years if left unattended.
Also see pustaka.
