The subject matter of this palm leaf manuscript from Sri Lanka is unusual in that it deals largely with black magic (huniyam or kodivina in Sinhala). It contains recited stanzas, better known as mantras, which invoke destructive spirits with the intention of causing harm to others. It also includes instructions on how to carry out rituals or offerings to deities and demons with a similar purpose. Written in the late Sinhala script, used mostly in Sri Lanka during the 18th and 19th centuries, the language is a mixture of Sinhala, Tamil, and Sanskrit. Each of the 35 pages, made of dried and smoke treated palm leaves, has a gilded edge, and the manuscript is enclosed by two wood covers secured with cord and a bronze decorative toggle. The tradition of using dried palm leaves to produce written records probably originated in South Asia, possibly as early as the 5th century AD, before spreading to Southeast Asia.
