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Sweet, sweet language: Prakrit and MaṇipravÄ á¸·am in premodern Kerala

Author

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  • Sivan Goren-Arzony

    (Harvard University)

Abstract

This paper studies the connections between Prakrit and early MaṇipravÄ á¸·am literature from premodern Kerala. MaṇipravÄ á¸·am (literally, ‘gems and corals’) is the emic term for a dominant part of Kerala’s premodern vernacular literature, binding together Kerala’s local language and Sanskrit. As a highly Sanskritised register of a Dravidian language, MaṇipravÄ á¸·am has generally been viewed as having been inspired and influenced by either Sanskrit or Tamil literature, grammar, and poetics. This paper, however, highlights a rarely discussed aspect: the role of Prakrit in shaping both MaṇipravÄ á¸·am literature and theory. I discuss the relation between Prakrit and MaṇipravÄ á¸·am in two connected ways: first, by considering the similarities between the practices themselves, especially in terms of their themes and aesthetics; and second, by examining the implicit ways in which MaṇipravÄ á¸·am theory, as it is presented in the LÄ«lÄ tilakam, Kerala’s first grammar and work on poetics, is structured on Prakrit materials or on Sanskrit materials dealing with Prakrit.

Suggested Citation

  • Sivan Goren-Arzony, 2021. "Sweet, sweet language: Prakrit and MaṇipravÄ á¸·am in premodern Kerala," The Indian Economic & Social History Review, , vol. 58(1), pages 7-27, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:indeco:v:58:y:2021:i:1:p:7-27
    DOI: 10.1177/0019464620980905
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