Traditional Paper and Documentary Practices in Early Bhutan: Dhey-sho and Druk-sho

Yeshi Lhendup (National Library & Archives of Bhutan)

Asian highland manuscripts are important forms of documentary heritage that preserve religious, historical, administrative, linguistic, and cultural knowledge across generations. In Bhutan, early manuscript traditions were closely connected to indigenous papermaking, particularly Dhey-sho and Druk-sho, whose production involved skilled processes of preparing plant fibres, forming sheets, pressing, drying, and finishing. These techniques embody generations of indigenous knowledge, craftsmanship, and environmental understanding and form an important dimension of Bhutan’s intangible cultural heritage. The resulting papers provided the material foundation for Buddhist scriptures, religious manuscripts, administrative and legal records, correspondence, and other documentary materials. Thus, traditional papermaking and manuscript production represent an interconnected system through which material knowledge facilitated the creation, preservation, and transmission of textual heritage. Understanding and safeguarding Bhutanese manuscripts therefore requires attention not only to their textual and physical contents but also to the traditional materials, skills, and practices that enabled their production and continued transmission.