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Sri Lankan Tamil Palm-Leaf Manuscripts

EAP1056: Survey and digitisation of individual manuscript collections in Northern Sri Lanka – Pilot project
EAP1260: Digitisation and Cataloguing of Sri Lankan Tamil Palm-Leaf Manuscripts – Major project
This collection of digitized documents from public libraries and private collections contains palm-leaf manuscripts that range from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, although many are copies of older works. Most texts are in the Tamil language, but many are also in Sanskrit written with the Grantha script. These items include astrological texts (including personal birth charts), grammatical works, land records, and medical treatises from the Ayurveda and Siddha traditions, including multiple copies of Cekarācacēkaram—one of the earliest extant Tamil works composed in Sri Lanka. There are also many religious works including mantras, mythology, temple histories, and ritual instructions (including for weddings and funerals). This part of the collection reflects the diversity of Hindu traditions in Sri Lanka. In addition to texts about Siva, Murugan, and Ganapati, there are several works related to the Shakta and Tantric traditions of goddess worship, as well as some relevant to Vishnu.