EAP810/22/52

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: ஆதி சாஸ்திரம்நூல் 2: தலைப்பு இல்லை (மருந்து செய்முறைகள்)நூல் 3: நூல் விபரம்நூல் 4: பல சரக்கு நிகண்டு;

The manuscript is composed of 108 palm leaves on which 4 texts written on only 52 leaves. The rest of leaves, numbered, are blank, attesting that the manuscript was used by the author as book note. The manuscript is in excellent condition.

Text 1- The text, entitled Āti Cāstiram, is formed by palm leaves numbered from 1 to 11; the leaf 9 is blank. The text, written in verses, concerns medical practice, rules of conduct of patients and anatomy. It explains how to examine a patient and his/her pulse and to identify a disease according to clinical characteristics. It informs on dietary regimens according to diseases, and on the type of bed and bed sheets and sweaters that the patients have to use. It describes female anatomy and diseases related to her reproductive system.

Text 2- The text is formed of palm leaves numbered from 21 to 32; it is incomplete. The text, written in prose, explains the preparation of Raca kaṭṭu, as well as medicines (maruntu; not named) for treating anemia caused by pitta imbalance (pittapāṇṭu), delirium (cakala caṉṉi), diabetes Mellitus (nīriḻivu) and jaundice (mañcal kāmālai) and a black paste (añcaṉam) for treating eye diseases (nēttira nōy). The text presents the method to extract (vittai) pure copper from blue vitriol (turucu cempu), and lead (kārīya) and arsenic (pāṣāṇa) from ores, and describes the pure form of mercury (vāla racam). It provides some information on the way to increase longevity (kāyakaṟpam).

Text 3- The text, entitled Nūl Viparam, is made of 3 palm leaves numbered 63, 64 and 65; it is complete. The text is a bibliographical index of the 32 texts which were in possession of the creator of the present manuscript. The list of texts is: Akattiyar- 40, Akattiyar-80, Akattiyar Kāviyam-1000, Maccamuṉi- 800, Maccamuṉi- 800il māntirikam, Rāmatēvar Karukkiṭai- 523, Rāmatēvar Vāta Cūttiram- 80, Rāmatēvar Paṭcaṇi- 51, Rōmariṣi- 500, Nēttiracālam- 42 and Pala Tiraṭṭu.

Text 4- The text, entitled Pala Carakku Nikaṇṭu, contains 22 palm leaves on which 180 verses are inscribed; it is complete. The text describes the medicinal uses and properties of plants: Zingiber officinale (iñci), Brassica juncea (kaṭuku), Cuminum cyminum (cīrakam), Trigonella foenum (ventayam), Trachyspermum ammi (omam), Allium sativum (veḷḷuḷḷi), Allium cepa (īruḷḷi), Curcuma longa (mañcal), Curcuma aromatica (kastūri mañcal), Coscinium fenestratum (maramañcal), Nigella sativum (karuñcīrakam), Piper longum (tippili), fried Piper longum (varuta tippili), root of Piper longum (cevviyam), Coriandrum sativum (malli), Glycyrrhiza glabra (atimaturam), Magnolia champaka (ceṇpakappū), Nardostachys jatamansi (caṭāmāñci), Salacia reticulata (kaṭaluṟuñci paṭṭai), Syzygium aromaticum (lavaṅkam), Ailanthus excels (perumara paṭṭai), Thalictrum foliolosum (pītarōhiṇi), Anethum graveolens (catakuppai), Rhus succedanea (kaṟkaṭakaciṅki), Aconitum heterophyllum (ativiṭayam), Trachyspermum ammi (kurucāṇi) and Acorus calamus (vacampu). The text specifies the time requested to digest dairy products such as curd (tayir), milk (pāl), butter milk (mōr) and ghī (ney).

Size of the manuscript: 25.5cm x 3.8cm. The palm leaves of the text 1 are numbered from 1 to 11 (leaf 9 is blank); of the text 2 are numbered from 21 to 32; of the text 3 from 62 to 65; and of the text 4 from 67 to 88. There are many blank leaves among them those numbered from 12 to 20, 37 to 44, 46 to 62 and 89 to 107 are not digitised. The last leaves with some scrips is numbered 108. The manuscript is in excellent condition.