Translation
Manimekalaiமணிமேகலை
By Cīttalai Cāttaṉār. Translated by Muriel M. Morrow and John Bateman, 1928. Public domain.
One of the Five Great Tamil Epics (Aimperumkappiyangal). Dating is unsettled: proposals run from the 2nd–3rd century CE (Daniélou) to the mid-6th (Zvelebil, endorsed by Richman as the best-argued case), with Aiyangar arguing for the 5th century at the earliest. A sequel to the Silappatikaram, following Manimekalai — the daughter of Kovalan and the courtesan Madhavi — as she rejects the courtesan's life and embraces Buddhist teaching. The poem is a major source on Buddhist doctrine in Tamil literary tradition. The Tamil original runs to 30 cantos; Morrow & Bateman's 1928 English prose retelling, published by The Indian Publishing House (Madras), covers the narrative in 26 chapters. It entered US public domain on 2024-01-01.
Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter I — The Birth of Manimekalai
Chapter 2
Chapter II
Chapter 3
Chapter III — The Festival of Indra
Chapter 4
Chapter IV — The Grove
Chapter 5
Chapter V — Manimekalai Enters the Grove
Chapter 6
Chapter VI — The Prince Seeks Manimekalai
Chapter 7
Chapter VII — The Meeting with the Prince
Chapter 8
Chapter VIII — The Burial Ground
Chapter 9
Chapter IX — Manimekalai Leaves Her Friend
Chapter 10
Chapter X — Manimekalai Learns Her Past
Chapter 11
Chapter XI — The Holy Grail
Chapter 12
Chapter XII — Aravana the Sage
Chapter 13
Chapter XIII — Aputhra and the Holy Grail
Chapter 14
Chapter XIV — Revenge of Indra
Chapter 15
Chapter XV — The Story of Athirai
Chapter 16
Chapter XVI — The Story of Kayachandika
Chapter 17
Chapter XVII — Chitrapathi Plots
Chapter 18
Chapter XVIII — The Prince Pursues His Love
Chapter 19
Chapter XIX
Chapter 20
Chapter XX — The Murder of the Prince
Chapter 21
Chapter XXI — The Fate of Kayachandika
Chapter 22
Chapter XXII — Manimekalati Sees Into the Future
Chapter 23
Chapter XXIII — Manimekalai Is Set Free
Chapter 24
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 25
Chapter XXV — The Visit to Manipallavam
Chapter 26
Chapter XXVI — Manimekalai Melts Her Friends