English: The Vedas are scriptures of Hinduism. The Rigveda samhita is dated between 1500 to 1200 BCE, while the others to between 1200 and 1000 BCE. Each Vedic samhita consists of books.

These texts are in the archaic Sanskrit language and include four layers of texts, samhita being one layer of the Vedic literature.

They contain hymns that cover a wide mix of topics: benedictions, mythologies, questions and riddles, the methodology for yajna sacrifices, potions and incantations, drama and poems, samskara (rites of passage verses), philosophy and mystical speculations. The hymns are set in the form of dialogues, dramatic play, or pedagogic style.

The corpus of Vedic texts, as well all post-Vedic texts, are generally accepted to have been orally transmitted from generation to generation for over a millennium, till about the start of the common era. In Sanskrit, they were written in many Indic scripts. The scripture was written on palm leaf manuscripts, copied for preservation in Hindu temples and monasteries. Later paper and cloth versions were produced, where the page size was similar to the heritage palm leaf-like long pages.

The palm leaf manuscript was bought by C.M. Whish in 1836 in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The manuscript shows much damage and decay, likely from natural causes.

Language: Sanskrit

Script: Grantha script (Tamil Nadu, Kerala)

The photo above is of a 2D artwork of a text that is over 2,500 years old, from a manuscript that was produced decades before 1836 CE. Therefore Wikimedia Commons PD-Art licensing guidelines apply. Any rights I have as a photographer is herewith donated to wikimedia commons under CC 4.0 license.