Question

Which of the materials given below was/were used for writing on in ancient India?

• A. Coconut Leaves
• B. Palm Leaves
• C. Bamboo Leaves
• D. Birch Bark

Hint:

Remember the two classics for Indian manuscripts: palm leaves in the peninsula and birch bark in the northwest/Himalayan belt.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B, D

Palm leaves (tālapatra/ola) were widely used across the subcontinent for manuscripts; letters were incised with a stylus and the sheets strung together.
Birch bark (bhūrja-patra), especially from Himalayan birch in Kashmir, was another common writing support.
Coconut leaves are fibrous and not known as a manuscript medium; likewise “bamboo leaves” were not used—bamboo culms can be carved but leaves are unsuitable.
Hence, the historically attested materials here are \(\boxed{(B)\ \text{and}\ (D)}\).