EAP810/16/1

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: பல திரட்டு- 500நூல் 2: பூரண சூத்திரம்- 200;

The manuscript is composed of two texts containing palm leaves numbered from 1 to 169. It is in good condition, lightly damaged by rodents and fungus.

Text 1- The text, entitled Irāmatēvar Pala Tiraṭṭu- 500, contains 523 verses written on leaves numbered from 1 to 116; there are 23 additional verses which do not belong to the text. The text, which is complete, documents formulations of medicines and iatrochemical products as well as materia medica belonging to the vegetal and mineral kingdom.

The medicinal formulations are: Kantaka meḻuku and Pācāṇa meḻuku; Karuvaṅka centūram and Aṣṭalōka centūram; Nāka kaṭṭu and Veṅkāra kaṭṭu; and Taṅka paṟpam. The iatrochemical methods concern the production of tirāvakam (acid) and ceyanīr (ammonium chloride). The documented plants are: red species of Aloe vera (cenkattāḻai), Ocimum gratissimum (karumpaccilai), Ocimum sanctum (karuntuḷaci), Nelumbo nucifera (talatāmarai), Dendrophthoe falcata (pulluruvi), Agave americana (pēykaṭṭaḷai), Strombosia ceylanica (kal avarai), Drosera peltata (aḻakaṇṇi), Sphaeranthus indicus (veṇkarantai), Saraca asoka (cūta mūlikai), Indigofera asphalathoides (civaṉār vempu), and two other plants, mayilārai kaḷḷi and tārcaṉiyaṉ, not identified. The documented minerals are: ayaṉākam (combination of iron and magnet), pūvaḻalai (Fuller’s earth), kapāla vaḻalai (a type of Fuller’s earth), mūppuviṉ vaḻalai (combination of salts including Fuller’s earth), veṭiyuppu (salt petre) and aṣṭamāṉciṅki (lead monoxide).

The text presents the methods to diagnose diseases (nōyaṟittal) and the specialties used by certain practitioners to earn money such as providing treatment against bites of snakes (pāmpu) and scorpions (tēḷ, naṭṭuvākaḷi), mesmerizing kings and people in the context of war (aracaṉ-cēṉai-taṉam-vaciyam), showing fun games with chameleon (paccōnti cākaca vittai), not known (āvarai vittai), medicine to poison human (puruṭarukku iṭumaruntu), medicine to get rid of toxins (maruntīṭu tīrkka), art of using bow and arrow (vilvittai), showing fun games with monkey (tēvāṅku vittai) and art of using poison (viṣa vittai). It describes also the eight stages to practice magic (aṣṭakarmā).

Text 2- The text, entitled Pūraṇa Cūttiram - 200 contains 216 verses written on leaves numbered from 117 to 169; there are 16 additional verses which do not belong to the original text.

The information provided by the text concerns the combination of esotericism and ascetic exercises. The text describes the 32 types of initiation of knowledge (tīṭcai); the techniques of breathing (vāciyōkam, pirāṇāyāmam-itaṟkāṉa tīṭcaikaḷ), of self purification (cavukkāram), and of meditation (tiyāṉam) on the gods Vairavaṉ and Civa; salvation (camāti); and the method to get rid of curse (cāpa nivartti). Lastly, it provides the formulation of a decoction prepared from Cynodon dactylon (mūtaṇṭa), and also the index of a text (nūl tiṟavukōl). The processes of preparations of medicines written in other texts or manuscripts are also listed in this text.

Size of the manuscript: 26.0cm x 3.5cm. The palm leaves of the 2 texts are numbered in Tamil and partly in Arab, from 1 to 116 and from 117 to 169. The first leaf of the manuscript is blank. The manuscript is in good condition, slighly damaged by rodents (leaves 70-76) and darkened by fungus.