10
11
யெசுக கிறிஷத்துனாதரை யெப்படி பின செல்ல வெணு மெனகிறததின பெரிலெ தொமஷ தெ கெமபிஷ யென்கிறவா யெழுதி வைத்த ரெண்டாம் ஞானப பொஷத்தகம்
நமமுடைய கத்தராகிற யெசுக கிறிஷத்துனாதரை யெப்படி
yecuk kiristtunatarai yeppati pin cella venumenkirattin perile tomas te kempis yenkiravar yeluti vaitta rentâm ñânp posttakam
nammutaiya katta
râkira yecuk kiristtu
பின செல்ல வெணுமெனகிற nātarai yeppati pin ததின பெரிலெ தொமெஷ தெ cella venumen கெம்பிஷ யெனகிறவா யெழுதிkirattin perile
வைத்த மூணாம் ஞானப்
பொஷத்தகம்
tomes te kempis
yenkiravar yeluti vaitta münâm ñânp posttakam
B. Schultze 1740 35
B. Schultze 1741 224
Conclusion
The Tamil palm leaf manuscripts in Halle/Saale are an example of the negligence of Tamil heritage lying unheeded for nearly three hundred years. A joint net work is necessary to get at least microfilm copies of these important documents to us. For this very purpose the Lutheran Heritage Archives at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute at Madras entered into a partnership agreement with the Francke Foundations at Halle/Saale to depute three research scholars to Halle/Saale to make a detailed catalogue of these documents. We hope that one day we could get some important documents as microfilms to Madras. This will enhance our research projects by bringing out the significance of a neglected aspect of our heritage. Besides Tamil palm leaf manuscripts there are several Telugu palm leaf manuscripts mostly by Benjamin Schultze. The author of this essay discovered them and identified temporarily. In the mission archives of the Francke Foundation there are about 1500 manuscript files and treaties pertaining to Tamil Nadu and Tamil Culture during 1706-1845. Several doctorates could be earned using these basic research materials. The Francke Foundation is only one place in Europe where there are Tamil palm leaf manuscripts. The author of this essay discovered about fifty five bundles of Tamil palm leaf manuscripts in the Royal Library at Copenhagen in Denmark. There is evidence that there are many till now unknown Tamil palm leaf manuscripts in the museums of Jerevan in Armenia. All who are proud of their cultural history will find a challenging task in bringing to light what has been hitherto neglected and forgotten.
காகிதச்சுவடி ஆய்வுகள்
127
