Agartala, Aug. 28: Scholars have stumbled upon almost a century-old collection of books bound by animal hides that have been zealously preserved and protected by the Chakmas for decades.

The books were displayed before a group of thrilled scholars in the Pecharthal area of North Tripura district.

The group had travelled to Chakma-dominated Pechar-thal for a two-day seminar and exhibition at the Town Hall. The pro vice-chancellor of Tripura University, B.K. Agarwal, and director of the university’s manuscript centre, Satyadeo Podder, and others, including ADC’s executive member of social education department, Sandhyarani Chakma, who had jointly organised the seminar and exhibition were all pleasantly surprised.

“When we set foot in Pecharthal Town Hall to attend the seminar organised by the university’s history department and manuscript centre, we found 100-odd hide-bound books in the original Chakma script,” Agarwal said. The books are bound in skins of deer, leopard, bear and python, he added.

Intrigued, Agarwal enquired about the content of the books and realised that if understood, they were wide and potentially enriching. “We have come to know through discussions with the local Chakmas that the themes on which the books were written range from Chakma history, culture, music, herbal medicine, Hinayana Buddhism and a few ballads. All the books were composed on indigenously manufactured paper at home from barks of various trees.”

Sandhyarani Chakma said more than 300 Chakmas who participated in the seminar had brought along these manuscripts. “We have come to know from elders of our community that papers for writing these manuscripts were manufactured at home from barks of tree while the ink was brought from China across Myanmar. There are around 3,000 such manuscripts in the possession of the community members though only 300 have been brought to the exhibition. These manuscripts were prepared about 50-85 years ago.”

Agarwal told this correspondent over phone that more than 100 manuscripts, mostly on Buddhist scriptures, indigenous medicine, music and culture, were handed over to the university authorities for conservation in the university’s manuscript centre. “Many others refused to hand over the manuscripts but we are trying to convince them. Hopefully they will also come forward with the manuscripts for conservation for posterity,” he said.

Agarwal hailed the Chakma community for its efforts at preserving its culture, tradition and old books despite the truncated existence in divergent areas of two countries — India and Bangladesh.

Reduced to a minority in their original homeland in the Chittagong Hill Tracts — from 97.5 per cent during Partition down to around 50 per cent in the last census in Bangladesh — hostile discrimination in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram have left indigenous Buddhist Chakmas with only one safe sanctuary — Tripura.

The seminar, which commenced yesterday, discussed the importance of preserving traditions, books and culture of the indigenous people.

Chakmas from Dashda, Kanchanpur, Shantipur, Nalkata and Machhmara areas of North Tripura attended the seminar and exhibition.