The Perunkurinci (Kurincippattu): A Critical edition of the text, with the commentary of Naccinarkkiniyar (Tamil, with an introduction in English)

This book is traditionally counted among the Ten Songs (Pattuppattu), one of the two main subdivisions of the old Tamil Cankam corpus. Taking the form of a long monologue in which the female character's confidante addresses the foster mother, it deals at the same time with all aspects of the Akam theme of kurinci, the hilly landscape that provides a backdrop for the lovers's union. The text, newly edited on the basis of all surviving manuscripts, is published here along with its critical commentary by the great 14th-century scholiast Naccinarkkiniyar. An introduction presents the standards for the critical edition, and a complete word-index follows the presentation of the texts. Another special feature of this book is the extensive discussion and illustration of the ninety-nine species of flowers mentioned in the poem, which appear so pervasively in ancient Tamil literature but are often difficult to identify.