EAP810/15/13

Title in original script: மனையடி சாஸ்திரம்

The manuscript is formed of a text, written in verses, which concerns the ideal qualities of a land devoted to the construction of a house. It is in excellent condition. The text, entitled Maṉaiyaṭi Cāstiram, comprises 67 palm leaves numbered from 1 to 67. The last one has a text accompanied by a figure.

The characteristics of the land which are notified concern the orientation of the plot: which direction the land is facing in order to establish the main entrance of the house; the zodiacal details of the land which have to match with those of land owner’s wife; the dimension of land adjusted according to the position of the planets at the moment of the buying in order to fit to the horoscope of the land owner. The text explains the method of calculating, correcting or adjusting the dimensions of the land according to the need. It indicates the months (Tamil months) during which the construction of a house may start (cittirai, vaikāci, āṭi, āvaṇi, aippaci, kārtikai, tai, māci) as well as the day and the time defined by the pañcāṅkam of the year. It provides also basic information regarding the selection of the plot and its size and the rules to construct a house fixed by the treatise Maṉaiyaṭi Cāstiram. The breadth of the land has to be of 16, 18, 22, 24 or 26 feet (aṭi). The length and breadth of the doors and windows, as well as the places to fix them in the house are also explained.

Size of the manuscript: 39.4cm x 3.8cm. The palm leaves of the text are numbered from 1 to 67; there are 1 leaf with the name of the text and 4 blank leaves. The manuscript is in excellent condition.