EAP810/2/1/7

Title in original script: கந்தபுராணம் வசனம்

The manuscript is composed of a text whose the palm leaves are numbered from 61 to 161. The text, very incomplete, has only 49 leaves. The manuscript, slightly affected by fungus, is in good condition of reading.

The text, entitled Kantapūrāṇam Vacaṉam, concerns Murukaṉ, a Tamil god born from Civaṉ and Pārvati. It portrays himself in the form of Cakti (power). The text is written in form of a dialogue (vacaṉam): the demons (acura, from sanskrit asura) were created to exploit the Tēvar-s (Tamil middle caste) and to rule them. Ciṅkamukam, Cūrapatmaṉ and Tārakaṉ were three acura brothers who tortured people and Tēvar-s. They started to burn the earth. The Tēvar-s prayed Lord Civa for protection and asked him to kill the acurakkaḷ. This is to fulfill this mission that Civa gave birth to Murukāṉ. The text mentions that Murukāṉ killed Cūrapatmaṉ and married his wife, Tēvacēṉai, who was the daughter of the god Intiraṉ (from sanskrit Indra) of Tirupparaṅkuṉṟam (hills near Madurai). Murukaṉ, then, married Vaḷḷi who belonged to a hunter family residing in Vaḷḷimalai. The text relates that Murukaṉ was seen in Tirutaṉi with his two wives, blessing all the devotees who approached him.

A leaf of the manuscript informs that the original text is in Sanskrit. The present Tamil version was written by Kacciappa Civācāriyār. He related this story at Kumarakoṭṭam temple located at Kāñcipuram, Tamil Nadu. This event would occurred in the 13th or 14th century.

Size of the manuscript: 41,0cm x 2.8cm. The palm leaves which compose the text are numbered from 61 to 69; 109 to 112; 115 to 118; 124 to 139; 146 to 155 and 157 to 161. The manuscript, in good condition, is lightly affected by fungus.