Abstract

Khutlou Manuscripts are one of the important illustrated manuscripts of Meitei society. It reflects the rich literary and artistic traditions of early Manipur. Among the different forms of Khutlou manuscripts, the present paper attempts to explore one of the Khutlou manuscripts, which was collected from Yumnam Chaoba Meitei (b.1957), an old puya (old manuscripts) custodian in Manipur. The manuscript has 55 folios, compiled from unbound loss sheets. There were 10 folios with pictures or illustrations, only written text on 29 folios, and 16 folios were blank. The size of the manuscript is 12 x 7.2 c.m. and it was made up of agar-bark. The study examines illustrations, visual language, symbols, line drawings, their relationship with accompanying text, and embedded symbolic meanings in manuscripts. In fine arts, an approach to studying a work of art fundamentally starts with formal analysis; the same applies to studies that focus specifically on one of the main elements of art, i.e., line. How lines, as main elements of art, are used in the drawing of this Khutlou manuscript. Line-drawing and its representation of forms and objects are often conveyed through ornamental motifs and visual symbols in the visual art of early Manipur culture. To achieve the aim of the study, the content of the written text and its corresponding illustrations were comparatively analysed, examined in their context, and assessed for how the visual language of the illustrative narration complements the text, and the study examines their writing style. The Khutlou manuscript's expressive line drawings convey movement, emotion, and symbolism, while documenting indigenous artistic techniques and visual vocabulary that enrich understanding of early Manipur's cultural and artistic heritage. It highlights the significance of illustrated manuscripts as valuable sources for the study of traditional art, manuscript production, and Meitei cultural heritage. The findings also establish the manuscript as a distinctive example of indigenous visual communication in which line drawing serves as both an artistic and narrative medium.