EAP810/22/1

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: கர்ப்ப சிந்தாமணி (பிரதி)நூல் 2: கர்ப்ப சிந்தாமணி (மூல நூல்)நூல் 3: மருந்து வாகடம்நூல் 4: பூத நாடி;

The manuscript is composed of 4 texts whose two deal with astrological predictions and two with medicine. The manuscript, slightly damaged by larvae, is in excellent condition.

Text 1- The text is composed of palm leaves numbered from 1 to 22 and 2 palm leaves without number. Entitled Kaṟppa Cintāmaṇi, treatise on pregnancy, the text, incomplete and written in dialogue form, concerns puberty. It defines the astrological predictions of girls based on time, star and day, regarding the occurring of first blood at puberty. At the same time, it describes the significance of each star, day and night time.

Text 2- The text contains palm leaves numbered from 5 to 35. The text, entitled Kaṟppa Cintāmaṇi as well, is a partial copy from an original text. It is written in verses, but the verses are not ordered in continuation. The topic developed in this text is similar to the previous one: astrological predictions regarding puberty.

Text 3- The text, which is complete, is composed of 27 palm leaves with diverse writings organised in three sets numbered from 36 to 46, 27 to 34, and without numbering. The text, entitled Maruntu Vākaṭam, concerns medicinal preparations for treating diseases, preparation of Iṭu maruntu and Aritāra paṟpam, and mentions some mantiraṅkaḷ.

The medicines which are mentioned aim at treating: venereal diseases (veṭṭai taṭukka), menorrahagia (perumpāṭu), dysmennorrhoea (cūtakavāyu and cūtakaṭṭu), infertile women (piḷḷai peṟa māṭōtaru, piḷḷai illātōru), maruntu women after delivery (piḷḷaipeṟṟavaḷukkum lēkiyam) and at facilitating delivery (piḷḷai piṟakka). Medicines for treating urinary tract infection (mēkatukku maruntu), and rat bites (eli kaṭi).

The mantiraṅkaḷ which are exposed are related to magic: how to perform witchcraft (ceṇpaka vittai) including strange types of sorcery (viṉōta vittai), and how to ward off witchcraft (cūṉiyam teṟikka) and evil spirits (picācu oṭipōka). The text presents a mantiram and a yantiram to make a dog dumb (nāi vāi kaṭṭu), and describes a collyrium used in magic called kuruvi mai.

Text 4- The text, entitled Pūta Nāṭi, contains 7 leaves; it is complete. It concerns pulses (nāṭi), their site of origin and their characteristics. This is a complete text.

Size of the manuscript: 22.0cm x 3.2cm. The text 1 is composed of palm leaves numbered in Tamil from 1 to 22 and 2 additional leaves without numeral. The text 2 is formed by leaves numbered from 5 to 35; two leaves are numbered 18. The text 3 is composed of 27 palm leaves numbered from 36 to 46, 27 to 34, and without number. The text 4 contains 4 leaves numbered from 29 to 33 and 3 additional leaves without number. The manuscript is in excellent condition, slightly affected by larvae.