An Analysis of Challenges in Character Recognition on Palm Leaf Manuscripts, and Their Solutions

Abstract

Information was recorded and transmitted through the use of many traditional methods in ancient times using naturally available material like palm leaves, tree barks etc. which were found suitable for long-term storage. With passage of time, these materials are increasingly prone to deterioration from many internal and external agents, and we are at a risk of losing the valuable information inscribed on them. Digitization is a feasible and available solution preservation of such content. Scanning and digitizing these manuscripts facilitates making it visible and readable for the users. The process of Knowledge retrieval from these manuscripts begins with the first step of Character Recognition. This primary step itself is a very complex task due to the variety of scripts and handwritings on the palm leaf manuscripts. This paper provides an overview about different challenges faced by global researchers pertaining to palm leaf scripts and the solutions proposed by them.