An AI project at Varanasi Hindu University has successfully reconstructed and translated several fragmented palm-leaf manuscripts written in an early Proto-Nandinagari script. The texts, dating to the late 7th century, represent a lost branch of Vrikshayurveda (the science of plant life) specifically dedicated to the structural properties and sustainable harvesting of tropical hardwoods like Teak, Rosewood, and Ebony.
The deciphered treatises provide detailed protocols for seasoning timber using specific mineral baths and identify the optimal seasonal cycles for cutting wood to ensure long-term durability in maritime construction. According to the research published in Asian Heritage Science, these texts likely served as the foundational engineering manuals for the great naval expansions of the South Indian dynasties, detailing how to select and treat timber for deep-sea voyaging vessels.