I have great pleasure in writing a Foreword to this work on the Manuscripts Collection of Desamangalam Variyam in Kerala by Dr. K.V. Sarma, an assiduous and indefatigable scholar who has been specializing in the fields of manuscriptology and Indian astronomy and mathematics for more than half a century now. In this volume Dr. Sarma has edited seven Lists of manuscripts, containing 1640 codices, which belonged to the Desamangalam Variyar family near Triprangot on the banks of the Bharatappuzha river. Unfortunately, the manuscripts are no longer with the family. Most of the manuscripts had been washed away during a flood in 1907. From what has been spared Dr. Sarma has been able to trace (127) +146) 273 manuscripts which remain deposited in the various libraries in India. Many rare titles are found in these lists. Records show that prior to the flood several manuscripts had been pledged with the rich Kutallur Namputiri family for monetary consideration. This accounts for the saving of at least a part of this valuable collection.
It is possible that some more manuscripts of the collection might have been saved by having been passed on, before the floods, to the Kottakkal Variyam and the Panniyampalli Variyam, both at Kottakkal, and with both of which Desamangalam Variyam was closely related by family alliances. It would also seem that the manuscripts of Lilatilakam and Candrotsavam which had been made available by the late Vaidyaratnam P.S. Variyar for publication and study to Kerala scholars, had been directly or indirectly based on the manuscripts of these texts available in the Variyam Collection. Still other possible sources where Variyam manuscripts are preserved are the different Kovilakam-s ('royal households') of the Zamorins of Calicut, including the one at Kottakkal.
It is to be noted that the Desamangalam Collection contained a large number of hitherto unknown, rare and important texts. And, researchers on Sanskrit literature will find in the Desamangalam Lists edited and annotated by Dr. Sarma, an authentic basis for instituting a search for more Desamangalam manuscripts in private and public repositories.
Manuscripts Collection of the Desamangalam Variyam, published as No. 2 of the Madras Indological Series, forms an 'Annotated Catalogue of 1640 palmleaf manuscripts, carrying about 5000 to 6000 texts, which belonged to the scholarly family of Desamangalam Variyam in Central Kerala. The Variyam had, during the Middle Ages, been functioning as a 'College of learning (Vidyabhyasa khalurika), specialising in grammar and the belles lettres in Sanskrit. One of the largest private libraries of Kerala, this manuscripts collection is no more intact in the Väriyam. Most of the manuscripts have been lost and much of the rest have disintegrated. Dr. K.V. Sarma, the indefatigable manuscriptologist, has, however, been able to recover six old Lists of the collection and has added one of his own, and has edited these Lists with a highly useful annotatory translation. These annotations relate to four matters, viz., (i) Ascertainment of the full titles of the texts included in the Lists, but given only in summarised or abbreviated forms in the lists or inscribed on the flyleaves; (ii) identifying the authors; (iii) supplying relevant correlatory details in the case of commentaries; and (iv) indicating the subjects of the several texts.
What is more, Dr. Sarma has, as a result of extensive examination of manuscripts libraries, been able to locate as many as 285 manuscripts which once belonged to the Collection. Such identification has been made primarily on the basis of the special Desamangalam logos mudra inscribed on the flyleaves of the respective manuscripts themselves. The manuscripts so identified have been noticed in the footnotes against the relevant manuscripts with their accession numbers in the respective libraries.
The Desamangalam Collection is particularly important, in that it had contained manuscripts of a number of hitherto unknown texts besides unique and important manuscripts. Dr. Sarma has identified some of the important texts and it is very much worthwhile to search for texts whose titles are made known by the Desamangalam lists, while the manuscripts themselves have perished. To be sure, one of the uses to which the present Catalogue can be put to would be to look for, in extant collections, manuscripts of the said rare and important texts, for study and research.
The Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute (Adarsh Sanskrit Shodha Samstha) is extremely grateful to Dr. Sarma for producing this work and placing it at the disposal of the Samstha for its publication. The thanks of the Samstha are due to Dr. K.K. Raja, Director, Adyar Library and Research Centre for providing this volume with his valuable Foreword and to Vijaya Graphics, Madras, who are responsible for the nice printing and get-up of this volume.
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist