Neel-patra – Sheets of Black Paper

Black ink is used while writing on harital paper. However, if the text is to be written with gold or silver ink, sheets of dark or black paper, locally called neel-patra, are used. The beautiful, black, and glossy surface of the neel-patra provides a dramatic backdrop for the writing in gold or silver ink.

PROCESS
In order to produce the black colour, a proportion of wax and lamp-black is added to the mixture of manasila and harital, and the whole mixture is well stirred and applied over specially chosen, high quality sheets of Daphne bark paper. The rest of the process is the same as followed in making the harital sheets. These black sheets of paper become soft and pliable when exposed to the sun.