EAP810/22/28

Title in original script: தலைப்பு இல்லை (மாயாஜாலம் மற்றும் மருந்துகளின் வேதியல் குணம்)

The manuscript is formed by a text of 100 palm leaves numbered from 8 to 107 with two first leaves, broken and without a number. The text is written both in prose and in verses. The manuscript is in good condition, even though it was damaged by strings of insects’ eggs and it is very dark due to old age; the leaves 8, 9 and 107 are broken.

The text deals with magic and esoteric subjects. It describes a mantiram used to confine (kaṭṭu) a spirit (tēvatai) within a limited area (ellai), a mantiram allowing for visualising the goddess Kāḷi (Kāḷi mukanteriya) and another to worship the god Vīrapattiraṉ. It informs on the methods to prepare black pastes (mai) to increase the power of mantiram, notably, to change the appearance (uruvam māṟa) and provides two methods to prepare a black paste used as eye liner (añcaṉa mai) against certain diseases, and to perform magic (koṭikāra cīttu). It mentions the ability and skills to count innumerous things in a fraction of second (eṇṇikkai vittai), an art to visualise things without seeing them (tericiṅki) and the method to pacify the goddesses (cānti aṭṭavaṇai).

The text presents the formulations of Cavukkāra cuṇṇam, Turucu kuru and Racamaṇi kaṭṭu. It provides information on the method to prepare a pungent product, ceyavīram, used in medicines and to extract a salt from Indigofera tinctoria (avuri), and on fuller’s earth (vaḻalai).

Size of the manuscript: 26.0cm x 4.0cm. The palm leaves of the manuscript are numbered from 8 to 107; the two first leaves, broken, have no number. The manuscript is in good condition, even though it was damaged by strings of insects’ eggs and it is very dark due to old age; the leaves 8, 9 and 107 are broken.