A nearly 150-year-old Tamil translation of the Valmiki Ramayana, etched on palm leaves, has been discovered near Tirupattur in Tamil Nadu. In the state, poet Kavi Kambar had translated the epic—originally written by Sage Valmiki in six volumes—into Tamil and launched it at the Srirangam temple during the Chola regime. This discovery reaffirms that both texts have been read in Tamil Nadu for generations.
Tirupattur Circle Inspector Narasimhamoorthy discovered five bundles of ancient manuscripts hidden in the Rajagopuram of the Sri Kalahasteeswarar temple during renovation work. The finding of the palm leaf bundles was duly reported to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE). Haripriya, the Joint Commissioner overseeing the scroll project, deputed a team to examine and take possession of them.
A very significant discovery at a time when the connection between Ramayana and Tamilagam is being questioned by ignorant weeds. https://t.co/Ln1qVuwQhf
— Ethirajan Srinivasan 🇮🇳🚩 (@Ethirajans) March 26, 2025
Scroll project coordinator Thamarai Pandian told the media that the five bundles contained 2,075 palm leaf manuscripts. The bundles include Bala Kanda, Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkinda Kanda, and Sundara Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana. However, Yuddha Kanda is missing, likely consumed by termites, white ants, or fungal infections.
This discovery further establishes that the Valmiki Ramayana has been as popular in Tamil Nadu as the Kamba Ramayana and was recited in households. The revelation comes just a week before Sri Rama Navami.
According to graphologists, after analysis of stylistic elements and closer examination, the texts are believed to follow the ‘Vazhi Suvadi’ tradition and were transcribed approximately 125 years ago. However, the original source material is estimated to date back nearly 300 years. The manuscripts, titled Sri Ramayana Katha, present a highly detailed retelling of the Valmiki Ramayana in a dialogue format, making it easier for natives without much expertise in Sanskrit.
A bunch of manuscripts, containing the translation of Valmiki Ramayana, was discovered during the renovation work of Sri Kalahasteeswarar temple at Tiruppatur.
This contain 2075 palm leaves and has Bala Kanda, Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkinda Kanda & Sundara Kanda of… pic.twitter.com/8JR1J6HulS
— 𑀓𑀺𑀭𑀼𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀷𑁆 🇮🇳 (@tskrishnan) March 26, 2025
Experts say many pages have deteriorated over time due to fungal growth from prolonged storage. However, they assured that restoration and preservation efforts, including chemical treatment and cleaning, will be undertaken. They urge the HR&CE Department to grant permission to copy and publish the texts for public access, as it is a rare collection.
Last November, another rare and remarkable discovery of ancient Ramayana manuscripts, believed to be 250 years old, was made near Vaniyambadi in Tamil Nadu. During a field survey, these palm leaf manuscripts reinforced the widespread cultural reverence for Lord Rama across the region, debunking claims that he is exclusively a North Indian deity.
Dravidian parties have often dismissed the Ramayana as fiction, claiming that Rama is not a god and merely a mythical character, asserting that he belongs to North India. Karunanidhi, during the Sethusamudram project controversy, mockingly questioned in which college Rama studied engineering. For them, all gods are supposedly imports from North India—a narrative that has very few takers. In contrast, Kerala observes an entire month dedicated to reading the Ramayana in every household. This reinforces that the Ramayana is not only national but universal. Even today, the Ramayana is followed in many countries outside Bharat, including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, and Malaysia. The Ramayana remains a vital part of the cultural heritage of many Southeast Asian nations.
In Bharat, the Ramayana has been translated into several languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Odia, Telugu, Tulu, Bengali, and others, besides languages of Southeast Asia. Tamil Nadu itself is home to numerous places associated with the Ramayana, including Rameswaram, Mariyur, Vallinokkam, Jambhavan Odai, Thadagai Malai, Villuikeeri, Vijayapathi, Guganparai, Thirumalai, Koonthalur, Valangaiman, Poimankaradu, Vanavasi, Varatikuppam, Thudaiyur, Padagacherry, Iragucherry, Kazhugathur, Vellaikkaradu, Vanaramutti, Ramanathapuram, Ramar Patham, Uppur, Kenda Mathanaparvatham, Devipattinam Navabhashanam, Thirupullani, Ram Sethu, Sethukkarai, Srirangam, and Alwar Thirunagari, to name a few.
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