Preface/Sudha Gopalakrishnan. Foreword/Ulrich Schneider and Stephan Von Der Schulenburg. 1. Introduction : the word is sacred; sacred is the word: the Indian manuscript tradition/B.N. Goswamy. 2. Das Wort ist geheiligt; geheiligt ist das wort: Die tradition der indischen manuskripte. 3. The catalogue: Der katalog. 4. From caly to copper: Von ton zu kupfer. 5. The making of a manuscript: Die entstehung eines manuskripts. 6. Fields of learning: Wissensgebiete. 7. Veneration, submission, worship: Verehrung, Unterwerfung, Anbetung. 8. Word and image: Wort und Bild. 9. Royal commands and plain records: Konigliche Dekrete und historische Aufzeichnungen. Glossary. Acknowledgements.

"The Word is Sacred; Sacred is the Word : The Indian Manuscript Tradition and the exhibition it accompanies set out to demonstrate the wealth and diversity of India's manuscript traditions and to communicate a lasting impression of India as a multifarious and multicultural society that holds knowledge and knowledge systems in high regard. Some one hundred precious manuscripts, books, and related documents introduced in this book span a timescale of almost two millennia of Indian cultural history. Often lavishly illustrated, the works come from the sub-continent's most important public and private collections. The project is a presentation of India as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt book fair 2006. The exhibition has been organized by the national mission for manuscripts, New Delhi and the museum of applied Arts, Frankfurt.

The national mission for manuscripts was set up by the ministry of tourism and culture, government of India, in 2003 to document, conserve and provide access to the vast manuscript wealth of India spread in thousands of public and private repositories across the country and abroad.

The museum of applied arts, established in 1877, has from its early days explored artistic traditions of Europe and Asia. With its new building, designed by Richard Meier and opened in 1985, it is today one of the most beautiful museums in Europe." (jacket)