ஞான சௌந்தரி அம்மானை

Title in original script: ஞான சௌந்தரி அம்மானை The manuscript is formed of a text whose the palm leaves are numbered from 1 to 155. Despite it was dirty and highly affected by fungus, the manuscript is in good condition for reading. Many leaves, however, are missing. The text, entitled Ñaṉa Cauntari Ammāṉa, is written in prose. It deals with the Christian literature. It relates the story of princess Ñaṉa Cauntari, the daughter of the king Tarumarācaṉ who ruled Romāpuri (Rome) and of the first of his two wives. One day, profiting that the king had out for hunting, the second wife ordered the soldiers to kill Ñaṉa Cauntari. They took the girl to a remote place and cut her arms. They went back, keeping her severely injured but still alive. A Christian saint who passed there, found the girl, treated her and accommodated her in a safe cave. Returning from hunting, the king requested about his daughter. As he received no response, he scolded his second wife who was in charge of the girl. Depressed about her bad action, she went to her room where she lived confined. Later, the king of the forest married Ñaṉa Cauntari to a king. She gave birth to twins, but immediately after delivery, her husband threw her out of the forest. While she was very hungry, Mother Mary and Lord Jesus appeared to her and offered her an appam (thin pancake made of rice flour mostly eaten in Kerala). They blessed her and disappeared. Desperate, she decided to visit her father for relating her story and sought help from him. After hearing her story, the king punished his wife and his son-in-law and promoted Ñaṉa Cauntari’s children to the rank of kings of Rome. He devoted the end his life to do charitable acts. Size of the manuscript: 40.0cm x 3.5cm. The palm leaves of the text are numbered in Tamil from 1 to 155; the leaves 4, 5, 13, 32, 38-41, 43, 44, 49, 58, 59, 64, 68, 74, 77, 79, 84, 93, 103, 105, 107, 108, 111, 117, 119, 121, 122, 124-129, 133, 138-145 and 151-154 are missing. There are two blank leaves and 10 broken leaves. The manuscript, which was very dirty, is damaged by rodent and insects, notably from the leaf 136. The leaves were found in three different manuscripts.