EAP810/1/1/51

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: நட்சத்திர காண்டம்நூல் 2: காலி ஓலைகள்நூல் 3: தலைப்பு இல்லை (மருந்து செய்முறைகள்)நூல் 4: கிறுச நிதானம்;

The manuscript is composed of four texts, numbered from 1 to 122, dealing with diverse topics: astrology, rituals and ethics, and medicine. The second text called Kāli Ōlaikal is formed of blank leaves, and the texts 1 and 3 are incomplete. The manuscript is in excellent condition.

Text 1 – The text contains palm leaves numbered from 1 to 56. It is written in verses. It concerns astrology and provides the name of the stars (naṭcattiraṅkaḷ), of the nine planets (navakirakaṅkaḷ), of the zodiac signs (rācikkaḷ) and of the pakkaṅkaḷ (not identified). It describes various types of hōmam: āti alaṅkāra hōmam, akkiṉi hōmam, akōra hōmam, valiya hōmam and tampaṉa hōmam. It explains the ways which are harmful for a pandit. It lists the name of 18 cittarkaḷ, yogis recognised as being perfect or having supernatural powers, some of them being considered as the authors of the siddha knowledge. The text presents also some medicinal formulations using elaborated iatrochemical processes, among them Nāka kaṭṭu, Porikāra kaṭṭu and Kaṟpūra kaṭṭu, Appiraka paṟpam and Turucu paṟpam, Aya cempu, Cātiliṅka centūram and Raca kaṭṭu centūram, Turucu veḷḷai, Maṉōcilai meḻuku, Nīlakaṇṭa vālai, as well as raca kuḷikai and racamaṇi, two products highly valued by cittar alchemists.

Text 2- The text consists of blank palm leaves numbered from 57 to 65.

Text 3- The text consists of palm leaves numbered from 66 to 82. It is partial. It is written in prose. It describes medicinal formulations for treating fever (curam) among them a talam (poultice applied on head), ikkiḷuku kavaḷam (not identified), eczema in ears (kātil karapāṉ), scabies (paṭai), a nasal medicine (naciyam)for killing intestinal worms (puḻu), pills for treating periodical fever (malai curam) and fevers which are fatal (vica curam). It also details the preparation of Akattiyar kuḻampu, Kuriñci kuḻampu and Carvāṅka racāyaṇam.

Text 4- The text named Kiṟuca nitāṉam (mental illnesses; also kiṟukai) contains 22 palm leaves numbered from 101 to 122. It is complete. It described different types of kiṟucaṉ (mental illness) among them those caused by humour imbalance: aṇal kiṟucaṉ, pitta kiṟucaṉ, vāta kiṟucaṉ and cileṟpaṉa kiṟukai; caused by deficiencies in body constituents (tātukkaḷ): nāta vintu kiṟukai; or caused by deities: pūta kiṟukai and Kalleṟi kiṟukai. The other types of mental disorders which are described are: taṇṇīr kiṟukai; meḷaṉa kiṟukai; kumpiṭu kiṟukai (saluting insanity), muṉakka kirikai (muttering insanity), maruṭṭu kirikai (menacing insanity), nīrkuṭi kiṟukai (water drinking insanity), and mūṭu kiṟukai and vali kiṟukai (not identified).

Size of the manuscript 25,2cm x 3,0cm. The palm leaves of the texts are numbered in Tamil and Arabic from 1 to 122. The leaves which form the text 2 are blank. The leaves 20 and from 83 to 100 are missing; there are 2 leaves numbered 20. The manuscript is in excellent condition.