Udayana University receives 26-palm-leaf manuscripts

The manuscripts were generously donated by Dr. David J. Stuart-Fox, an Australian scholar residing in the Netherlands. On this occasion, he stated that the donation was part of a collaborative effort to support the preservation of Balinese cultural heritage and the advancement of education and research.

He expressed his hope that the lontars would be carefully preserved and beneficial for future generations of scholars.

All manuscripts will be safely stored and conserved at the Lontar Library of the Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University. 

Rodney Westerlaken who attended the ceremony writes:

Seeing these manuscripts formally transferred into a structured archival environment, catalogued, preserved, digitised, and made accessible to Balinese scholars and future generations, was deeply meaningful.

Courtesy Tribun Bali

Courtesy Rodney Westerlaken

In an era where discussions around cultural heritage, repatriation, and knowledge sovereignty are increasingly urgent, this moment demonstrated something important:

Responsible custodianship is not about ownership. It is about ensuring knowledge is safeguarded within its cultural ecosystem.

The ceremony at Universitas Udayana was not symbolic. It was methodical, archival, and forward-looking, combining conservation, digitisation, and academic stewardship.

Heritage protection requires collaboration between scholars, institutions, and communities. Today was an example of that collaboration in action.