BURMESE MANUSCRIPT]. - [BURMESE MANUSCRIPT]. KAMMAVACA (Official Act of the Sangha, or Buddhist Order). Burma (Mandalay), probably the later part of the 19th century.

. Palm leaf. Complete with 16 leaves (13 cm x 59 cm) of text in Pali, written in Burmese "square" script. The leaves consist of cloth, the fabric of discarded monk's robes, which has been lacquered to provide a rigid surface. (Copper is also used and more rarely ivory). The lacquered surface is gilded and the design is painted in red lacquer and finally the script applied in black laquer. Within wooden covers, similarly gilded and decorated, bevelled edges. A beautiful copy.The Kammavaca is a collection of extracts from the Pali Vinaya, the monastic code of discipline, outlining rituals and observances of the Buddhistic order. It was customary for a Burmese family to commission a copy of the Kammavaca on the occasion of their son entering the monkhood. This kind of manuscript was produced at Mandalay in the latter half of the 19th century. John Guy, "Palm-leaf and Paper. Illustrated Manuscripts of India and Southeast Asia", no. 37. p.61.