EAP810/15/15

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: தலைப்பு இல்லைநூல் 2: சோதி மனோன்மணி மாலைநூல் 3: மனோன்மணி மீது விருத்தம்நூல் 4: சிராமணக்குளம்சிவசுப்ரமணியர்பாடல்;

The manuscript is formed of a principal text on medicine and 3 short texts related to Hindu gods. The palm leaves are numbered from 1 to 98; the leaves 9, 59, 87 and 94 are missing. The manuscript is in excellent condition.

Text 1- The text numbered from 1 to 91 describes formulation of medicines:

dried plant powder: Pañcamūlāti cūraṇam

medicated oils: Rācāṅka tailam, Pācāṇā tailam, Cantaṉa tailam, Cantaṉāti tailam and Mayil tailam

electaries: Pācāṇāti lēkiyam, Mataṉa kāma lēkiyam, Aṉupāṉa lēkiyam and Pūrnāti lēkiyam

wax-like medicines: Kenti meḻuku

pills: Koṭori pataṅka māttirai and Curatāka māttirai

black paste used in sorcery: Añcaṉa mai

calcinated medicines based on metal and minerals: Apraka paṟpam, Pavaḷa paṟpam, Tāmira paṟpam, Taṅka paṟpam, Veḷḷi paṟpam, Veḷḷiya paṟpam, Kārīya paṟpam, Nāka paṟpam, Liṅka paṟpam, Tāḷaka paṟpam, Kenti paṟpam, Kauri paṟpam, Mirutāraciṅki paṟpam, Cemputoṭṭi paṟpam, Vīra paṟpam, Cūṭam paṟpam and Cempu paṟpam

calcinated red medicines based on metal and minerals: Aritāra centūram, Aintu cempiṉ centūram, Veḷḷīya centūram, Apraka centūram, Tirivaṅka centūram, Maṇṭūra centūram, Turucu centūram and Loka centūram

stone-like medicines based on metal and minerals:Nāka kaṭṭu, Uppu kaṭṭu, Veḷḷīya kaṭṭu, Karuvaṅka kaṭṭu, Aritāra kaṭṭu and Vaḻalai kaṭṭu

medicinal product obtained by sublimation: Veṅkala pataṅkam

special medicines with high efficacy: Nāka kuru

The text describes a not topical application for attaining blissful state (parama kailāca nilai ariya); stampaṇam, a salt obtained from juice of plantain pith (amuriyuppu); a method to ward off curse of cittar (cittar cāpa vimocaṇam); process of combining magnetite and copper which developed by Tirumūlar (kenti cempu); all types of metals (cakala lōkam); copper (cempu); combination of iron and copper (ayacempu); combination of magnetite and copper (kenti cempu); purification of copper(tāmira cutti); alchemical processes (racavāta viparam), process of preparation of calomel, copper sulfite and mercuric chloride (pūra vaippu, turucu vaippu and vīra vaippu), and of kauri pācāṇam; a small vessel (crucible) made up of the herb cāraṇai (cāraṇai kukai); a small vessel made up of iron (vajira kukai karu) and the medicinal plant kaltāmarai.

Some medicines are mentioned to cure certain disease conditions. They are: all types of urinary tract infection (cakala mēkam), colic pain (cūlaikaṭṭu), mūla vāyu (not known), fever (cura vāyu), leprosy (peruṅkuṭṭam), pill for all types of fever (cakala curatukum uruṇṭai), medicine for kids (kuḻantaikaḷukku maruntu), intestinal worms (kirumikaḷ), and to improve potency (tātu valu, tātu puṣṭi kuḷikai).

Text 2 – The text, entitled Cōti Maṇōṉmaṇi Mālai, is formed by the palm leaves numbered 92-93. It describes the method of worshipping the goddess Maṇoṉmaṇi by singing a form of songs called mālai. Mālai is one of the types in prapantam (minor literature). There are different types of mālai in Tamil literature: maṇimālai, iraṭṭai maṇimālai, mum maṇimālai and nāṉ maṇimālai.

Text 3- The text, entitled Maṇōṉmaṇi Mītu Viruttam, is composed of the palm leaves numbered 95 and 96; it is incomplete. It provides an invocation, written in verses, to the goddess Maṇoṉmaṇi. The cittarkaḷ (yogis supposed the authors of siddha texts) use the term Maṇoṉmaṇi to worship the goddess Parācakti.

Text 4 – The text, entitled Cirāmaṇakkuḷam Civacupramaṇiyar Pāṭal, is constituted of six palm leaves not numbered. It evokes the glory of the god Murukaṉ who resides in a village called Ciramaṇakulam (South Tamil Nadu).

Size of the manuscript: 31.5cm x 3.7cm. The palm leaves of the texts 1, 2, and 3 are numbered 1 to 91, 92 to 93 and 95 to 96 respectively; the leaves of the 4th text are not numbered. The leaves 9, 59, 87 and 94 are missing. The manuscript is in excellent condition.