Buddhist palm leaf manuscripts are 66 cm long and 48 cm wide. They are made from the leaves of the banyan tree (of the palm family), with wooden lacquer and gold inlay on the upper and lower panels. They are painted with natural mineral pigments. The scriptures are engraved with iron pens and then colored; the panels are lacquered, gold-embossed, and adorned with jewels, and are bound with leather strings to form a volume. They are preserved for thousands of years without decay. They date from the 18th-19th centuries (or earlier). Palm leaf manuscripts are important classic carriers of Southern Transmission Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. This piece is rich in illustrations and exquisite in design, and is a core physical object for studying the spread of Buddhism and the craftsmanship of Southeast Asia.