Bhoj Patra – The Paramount Reason why Ved Vyas Wrote the Mahabharata at Badrinath

Before the invention and prevalent use of paper, writing was an arduous process, accessible to only a few, and to those few also, it was time-consuming and onerous. Hence, availability of writing material was of paramount importance for authors and playrights, such as Kalidas and Charak. Bhoj-patra, the bark derived from the Himalayan Birch tree, is a suitable writing material, but available only at great heights in the Himalayas. It is obvious, that to write huge fables and scriptures, the Bhoj-patra was the most suitable material in ancient times. Hence, to pen down the voluminous Mahabharata epic, easy access to Bhoj-patra was a prerequisite, and must have formed an important reason for Sage Ved Vyas to put down his thoughts into words in the high Himalayas near Badrinath.