Lilatilakam
Treatise on grammar and poetics of Manipravalam language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lilatilakam (IAST: Līlā-tilakam, "diadem of poetry") is a 14th-century Sanskrit-language treatise on the grammar and poetics of the Manipravalam language style, a blend of Sanskrit and early Malayalam used in the Kerala region of India.
| Original title | Līlā-tilakam |
|---|---|
| Language | Sanskrit |
| Subject | Grammar and poetics of Manipravalam |
| Publication place | India |
| Media type | Manuscript |
Date and authorship
Lilatilakam is an anonymous work, generally dated to the late 14th century.[1] It is attested by two (possibly three) manuscripts and is not referenced by any other surviving pre-modern source.[2] In 1909, Appan Thampuran published a translation of the first part of Lilatilakam in the Malayalam magazine Mangalodhayam. Later, Attoor Krishna Pisharody (A. Kṛṣṇa Piṣāraṭi) translated and published the entire treatise:[3] in 1916, he edited the Sanskrit sutras with a Malayalam translation of the original Sanskrit commentary.[4]
Contents
Lilatilakam (literally "diadem of poetry"[5]) calls itself the only disciplinary treatise (shastra) on Manipravalam, which it describes as the "union" of Sanskrit and Kerala-bhasha (the regional language spoken in Kerala).[6]
The text is written in Sanskrit language, in form of a series of verses with commentary; it also features examples of Manipravalam-language verses.[6] The text is divided into eight parts called shilpam.[3]
