''Mattakkalappu Maanmiyam'' (; ''The Glory of Batticaloa'') is a

Tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...

historical book concerning the history of

Batticaloa Batticaloa ( ta, மட்டக்களப்பு, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu''; si, මඩකලපුව, ''Maḍakalapuwa'') is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the B ...

. It was compiled by F. X. Nadarajah from the collections of

palm-leaf manuscript Palm-leaf manuscripts are manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed ...

s, copper plate inscriptions and

inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

s and it was published in August 1962. The authors of the original manuscripts and other forms of documentation are unknown. The book records the history from ancient Batticaloa to the Dutch colonial era. It gives information about such matters as the kings who ruled the Batticaloa, the caste system, and the temple system. Historians say that the book has perplexity and mythical story as it written by various authors in various durations. However, it is considered a rare and important book for understanding the history of Batticaloa. Mattakkalappu manmiam

According to anthropologist Dennis B. McGilvray, the book records the only known ethnohistorical document that presents the lineage of the early rulers of the Batticaloa region. He notes that this 18th-century palm leaf record, called the ''Mattakkallappu Purva Carittiram'', is "a bewildering list of royal names, events and social groups which has yet to be systematically corroborated and placed in the larger Sri Lankan historical context."

References

External links

Ebook of ''Mattakkalappu Maanmiyam''
{{in lang, ta 1962 non-fiction books Sri Lankan Tamil literature Batticaloa