Standardized Version of Vessantara Typewritten Manuscripts in Luang Prabang

The use of typewriters in Luang Prabang helped shorten the preparation time for copying the Vessantara Jātaka manuscript, which was copied specifically for the annual Bun Phavet festival, where the Vessantara Jātaka is chanted. A new standardized version necessitated both a unified production pattern and a single group of production agents. The single font size and style of the modern Lao script provided in the typewriters resulted in standardized manuscripts with a uniform pattern in terms of both visual organization and verbal characters. Whereas previously the manuscript had been written in Dhamma script—meaning it was only accessible to those literate in Dhamma—the new standardized version was written in modern Lao script, thus allowing the manuscript to reach a wider audience, namely newly ordained preachers, musicians, event organizers, and other laypeople who played different roles at Bun Phavet. The details associated with chanting performances imply that the manuscript was intended to facilitate the Bun Phavet chanting festival.