Writing Materials Associated with the Modi Script: Ink-Making Techniques, Paper Manufactories, and the Physical Preservation of Records

This paper analyzes the material culture, physical mediums, and preservation technologies that supported the administrative bureaucracy of the Maratha Empire through the cursive Modi Script. Moving past purely textual or linguistic histories; this study evaluates the specific physical elements of pre-colonial documentation. Utilizing primary historical sources—including the administrative karkhana accounts from the Selections from the Peshwa Daftar, the Adnyapatra, and regional record bundles—this paper explores the chemical composition of indigenous black inks (Shahi), the manufacturing of specialized hand-made papers like Junnari paper, and the precise physical methods utilized by the state record office (Daftarkhana) to preserve documentation.