Question

What is manipravalam? Name a book written in that language.

Answer 1

Hint:Manipravalam is a macaronic language that is a mixture of languages prevalent in some manuscripts of South India. It is written in “Granth script”which combines Sanskrit and Tamil, making it a hybrid language. We will see more about it in the complete answer below.

Complete answer:
Let us discuss more about the language manipravalam and the name of the book written in this language. Manipravalam means ‘ruby-coral’. It played a very significant role in the emergence of Malayalam language from Sanskrit and Tamil. It also led to the emergence of Malayalam script from Tamil Brahmi. Manipravalam is different from patti, as the former is influenced by Sanskrit and the latter is predominant by Tamil. Manipravalam has been used in poetry manuscripts that are a combination of Sanskrit and Malayalam. The languages like Kramadeepikas and Attaprakarams have been influenced by the literary dialect of Manipravalam. The 14th century book “Lilatilakam” has been written in Manipravalam which is an apt example of the blend of Malayalam and Sanskrit like ruby and coral. Various hagiographies on the life of Vaishnava saint Ramanuja are also in Manipravalam.

Note:Lilatilakam means diadem of poetry, it is an anonymous work dated the 14th century. Dramatic performances given in Koothbalama also known by the names of Koothu and koodiyattam, often used Sanskrit and Tamil and exhibited the use of manipravalam. It is an ancient language that has significantly influenced many south Indian literary dialects.