Sanskrit Manuscripts : Pirativiṟali

Unknown

Sanskrit Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'> As indicated by the title and by the typical formula found at the end (<i>viṟalī</i> [[i.e. <i>viṟali</i>]] <i>nī tutu</i>), this text appears to be an example of the subgenre of poetry, popular between the 15th and the 19th centuries, known as <i>viṟaliviṭutūtu</i>, in which a dancing girl (<i>viṟali</i>) acts as a messenger. The overarching genre of <i>viṭutūtu</i> is the Tamil adaptation of the Sanskrit <i>sandeśakāvya</i>. The date and authorship of the present text are unknown. The manuscript is apparently an autograph by Percy McQueen, who donated it to the Library. The title indicated on the front cover and on the top of the recto of first folio simply states that the text is a <i>viṟali</i> copied from an old palm-leaf manuscript. </p>