'Parshing' is the Tibetan word used for wooden block used in Tibetan prayer flag and manuscript printing process. It is a printing process for making manuscripts, banners, booklet and diagrams, which perhaps the only tradition of printing existing in India which did not appear with the advent of European traders or Christian missionaries. The modern printing press was first established in India by Portuguese Jesuit missionaries in south India. They printed book in Tamil script ‘Dyutrina Christa’ was published in 1578 A.D.. Later with the spread of colonial rule the printing press began to used widely all over the India. From the upper Chitpur road on Goranhata area of the city Kolkata many books on medieval ballads, mythology, folklore, fairy tales etc. were published in the 19th century The style of illustration of these books later become famous as `Battola’ school . Hence with the development of printing system introduced by European missionaries and rulers, some local trends also developed and enriched our cultural tradition. But what made the traditional Tibetan printing process distinct from those trends is that this process came via Tibet from the land which is the birth place of printmaking — China. After the invention of woodblock printing it had spread to a number of East Asian Countries. Tibetans received this Technology and nourished it as a part of their cultural life. From them this process was introduced to Himalayan kingdom, and still now practiced. This printing practice which has a continuous flow down the centuries, definitely demands our attention.
   It should be particularly noticed that unlike other printing methods (Which uses oil based inks) this process widely uses water based ink. This use of water based ink is quite common in Chinese and East-Asian process, but in India (whose entire development in the field of printing was influenced by the Western world), the use of water based inks was comparatively unknown. The indigenous painting tradition of India is firmly water based where oil painting tradition was introduced only after the establishment of the Art institution by the British rulers. Yet interestingly enough due to the absence of a tradition of printing manuscripts or books any experiment or knowledge about printing ink was unknown. Only in this process such water based ink is used, and they have their own formula of making this ink, though now inks available in market is used side by side.
    Here ,the practice of printing has a cult value in its very essence! the whole culture of printing here has being encouraged for ritualistic purpose. the advancement of printing technology accelerates the spread of education in any society. yet beside the printing of sacred texts which is an inseparable part of their monastic education system, belief or faith in rituals is acting as an incentive for the continuation of the traditional printing process. And may be in future also this faith will be able to keep this tradition alive.
    As in their root six syllable mantra ‘OM MANI PEME HUM’, which means that ‘the jewel in the lotus’ or ‘the existence of wisdom inside the compassion’, here also we see such faith or a wish for well being (which may be collective or individual) became the generating force for pursuing an old technology and tradition. In the next few pages the unique features of this particular style of printmaking is illustrated .

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This site has been made upon the content of my dissertation paper at my post graduation study of printmaking at Government College of Art & Crafts,Kolkata.
I am grateful to my teachers Prof. Proloy Chakroborty and Prof. Pradip Bhattecharya.Under their guidance I did this work.
For this work I am indebted to Dr. Swati Bhattacharya for her immeasurable help for proof correction with great tolerance and valuable suggestions for making the manuscript .
I am indebted also, to Mr. Tenzin Samphel, general librarian of Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok : After reaching Gangtok who guided me at every steps of my work.
I owe special thanks to ms. Pubali Mukherjee, librarian of Government College of Art & crafts, Kolkata, Ajit Kumar Bhanja, Shantanu Mitra, Naryan Ch. Poddar, Mr. Sonam Gyatso, Assitant director Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology, Mr. Sonam Thinlay, librarian of Tibetan library, Sikkim Research Intitute of Tibetology, Dr. Rinjin N. Bhutia, Research officer, Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology, Lama Nawang Rimpoche, Lama Jamdor, Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok, Lama Samdrup Norbu of Deorali Chorten Gompa, Gangtok, Lama Sangyae Rapsal, Karma Kon Buddhist monastory Bhawanipur Kolkata, Prof. Kamalaksha Ganguly, Ms.Ballari Bannerjee, In charge, Asutosh Collection, National Library, Kolkata, Chayan Roy, Nilotpal Sinha, and all the printers of ‘Sun Grub Nyam So printing house’, 
Rumtek monastery , and ‘ Dhaja and flag printing unit, Gangtok'.
                                                                                                                              -Santanu Mitra.

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