Lilatilakam (IAST: Līlā-tilakam, "diadem of poetry") is a 14th-century Sanskrit-language treatise on the grammar and poetics of the Manipravalam language style, a blend of Sanskrit and early Malayalam used in the Kerala region of India.

Lilatilakam
Original titleLīlā-tilakam
LanguageSanskrit
SubjectGrammar and poetics of Manipravalam
Publication placeIndia
Media typeManuscript


Date and authorship

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Lilatilakam is an anonymous work, generally dated to the late 14th century.[1] It is attested by two (possibly three) manuscripts and is not referenced by any other surviving pre-modern source.[2] In 1909, Appan Thampuran published a translation of the first part of Lilatilakam in the Malayalam magazine Mangalodhayam. Later, Atoor Krishnapisharadi translated and published the entire treatise.[3]

Contents

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Lilatilakam (literally "diadem of poetry"[4]) calls itself the only disciplinary treatise (shastra) on Manipravalam, which it describes as the "union" of Sanskrit and Kerala-bhasha (the regional language spoken in Kerala).[5]

The text is written in Sanskrit language, in form of a series of verses with commentary; it also features examples of Manipravalam-language verses.[5] The text is divided into eight parts called shilpam.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Eva Maria Wilden 2014, p. 347.
  2. ^ Rich Freeman 2003, p. 443.
  3. ^ a b E.S., Vishnu (March 2024). "Lilathilakavum Thadeshiyathayum" (PDF). keralamuseum.org. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  4. ^ Rich Freeman 2003, p. 442.
  5. ^ a b Rich Freeman 2003, p. 448.

Bibliography

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