In ancient times, information was passed down orally. The written word came 3000 years after that.

That is when scribes started to record much of India’s literary, scientific, spiritual and astrological heritage of over thousands of years.

Granite slabs, thin copper plates, and tree bark were some of the mediums used for recording information, but for the Nadi information, leaves of palm were the choice.

The Rishis had special scribes carefully etch each letter of your story into the dried leaf with a special tool or stylus. This was done all by hand to avoid splitting the leaf. The writing was almost always continuous, without any space between words. This is one reason why the reading of the leaves requires training, as well as an understanding of the ancient languages of Tamil or Sanskrit. When the etching was complete, lamp black or turmeric was applied to increase contrast and make it readable, and oil was rubbed in to help preserve them. A bundle of leaves in the same thumbprint category, or soul grouping, were then bound with a cord between two wooden covers.