MIRA · Manipravalam: Insight, Research, and Analysis

Manipravalam (“pearl and coral”), a blend of Sanskrit and local languages, emerged as a predominant language in the Tamil region during the 2nd millennium. Its unique linguistic character facilitated its role as a bridge-language that transmitted religious knowledge and united multiple religious traditions, inter alia. This language played a crucial role in shaping South India’s linguistic, religious, and cultural landscape during the medieval period. Although primarily associated with medieval Srivaisnavas (Visnu-worshippers adhering to the school of Ramanuja, a 12th-c. Hindu philosopher) in the Tamil land, Manipravalam was also employed by people belonging to other belief systems, such as Jains and Saivas, at various points in history. Its use varied across groups, but its mediating role between traditions underscores its intercultural significance. Manipravalam, in this sense, becomes more than a literary phenomenon: it emerges as a cultural intermediary that preserves diversity and pluralism, sustaining cultural and linguistic richness by bridging cultures and traditions. Despite its significance, the rich and diverse Manipravalam literary heritage remains largely overlooked and understudied. Through an interdisciplinary approach, MIRA will address the knowledge gap by exploring the literary and linguistic significance of Manipravalam within historical and intellectual contexts, uncovering new insights into the transmission of religious knowledge, Tamil literary development, language interactions, and inter-religious dynamics that shaped medieval South India's intellectual history. The project will seek to uncover what the defining characteristics of Manipravalam in the Tamil context are; how different religious groups in medieval South India used Manipravalam and what factors influenced their choice of language; how Manipravalam contributed to the evolution of the Tamil language, and what specific linguistic and literary features it introduced or influenced.