Manimekalai
Also known as: Manimekhalai, Maṇimēkalai, Manimekalai — The Jeweled Belt
A Buddhist sequel to Silappatikaram, Manimekalai follows Kovalan and Madhavi’s daughter as she renounces worldly life, receives a miraculous alms-bowl, and journeys across South India and the sea, offering compassion and debating doctrine.
Description
Manimekalai centers on the courtesan-dancer’s daughter who turns from courtly desire to Buddhist renunciation. Guarded by the sea-goddess Manimekhalai, she gains the inexhaustible alms-bowl (Amudha-Surabhi) to feed the hungry. Moving through Puhar, Madurai, Kanchi, and the isle of Manipallavam, she encounters kings, monks, and philosophers while evading the advances of Prince Udayakumaran. The poem interweaves narrative with expositions of Buddhist ethics, karma, and liberation, alongside critiques of rival schools. As Manimekalai embraces monastic life, the epic reframes the tragic world of Silappatikaram through compassion, non-violence, and social charity, marking a distinctive Buddhist voice in classical Tamil literature.
Historiography
Preserved in palm-leaf manuscripts from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, the poem reached modern readers through 19th-century recoveries and editions, notably by U. V. Swaminatha Iyer. Its language and doctrinal strata suggest accretions and redaction over time. Lacking a full ancient commentary, interpretation relies on intertext with Silappatikaram and comparative Buddhist sources. Modern scholarship debates its sectarian leanings and its portrayal of rival traditions.
Date Notes
Post-Sangam Buddhist epic likely composed after “Silappatikaram”; chronology debated; extant text reflects later redaction layers.
Symbols
Major Characters
- Manimekalai
- Madhavi
- Kovalan
- Udayakumara
- Aravana Adigal
- Manimekala Devi
Myths
- Manimekalai’s Vow and Chastity
- The Magic Bowl of Plenty
- Conversion and Teachings of Compassion
- Pilgrimage and Miracles
Facts
- Traditionally attributed to the poet Sattanar of the post-Sangam period.
- Composed in akaval meter, continuous narrative verse typical of Tamil epics.
- Functions as a Buddhist response and sequel to the largely Jain-inflected epic Silappatikaram.
- Centers on Kovalan and Madhavi’s daughter choosing monastic life over royal marriage.
- Introduces the miraculous Amudha-Surabhi, a bowl that never exhausts food.
- Locates key episodes in Puhar, Madurai, Kanchi, and the offshore isle of Manipallavam.
- Interleaves narrative with doctrinal expositions on karma, rebirth, and liberation.
- Depicts sectarian debates with Brahmin, Jain, and Ajivika interlocutors.
- Highlights women’s agency through renunciation and public charity.
- Survives via palm-leaf manuscripts; edited and printed in the late 19th century.