Garden of Malabar, Vol. 1

The following text is an attestation in an early form of Konkani (using the Devanagari script) by the Brahmin scholars regarding the collection of botanical samples.

In the auspicious year of the Shaliwahan era 1597, in the Rakshasa year, on the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, we, Ranga Bhat, Vinayak Pandit, and Appu Bhat, physicians of Cochin, at the command of the Commander of Cochin, Hendrik van Rheede, have sent men to the villages of this Malabar country to identify trees, vines, and shrubs, and to bring back their fruits, flowers, leaves, and seeds. We have verified these at the proper seasons and recorded them. Furthermore, we have verified the medicinal virtues of these plants as per our medical treatises and based on our own experience. We have written this in the language of the land and have signed our names to confirm the truth of this.

Ranga Bhat Vinayak Pandit Appu Bhat

From the year 1597 of the era called by the Brahmins Palivanapaco the Shaliwahan era (which for us is the year 1674) up to the tenth of April of the year called Requeçao (which for us is the year 1675), I, Ranga Botto, Vinaique Pandito, and Apu Botto, all three of the Brahmin nation and religion and ancient Gymnosophists a term used by Europeans to describe Indian ascetic philosophers in the district of Cochin, by the mandate of the Noble Mr. Henric van Rheede, Commander of the Malabar lands and the City of Cochin, have taken care—through our servants who had knowledge of trees, plants, herbs, and vines—to bring them from the Malabar land with their flowers, fruits, and seeds to the aforesaid City, so that they might be delineated and described. Their names are written in our book called Manhaningattnàm, in which are also contained their medicinal virtues and powers, and in addition to these, we have added what we have learned and observed about them through our long experience and great labor and sweat,