Dravidian Manuscripts as a Part of Indian Collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of RAS

Abstract

This article is the first review of all manuscripts in the Dravidian languages kept in the IOM, RAS. The survey is incomplete, and many categories studied remain unidentified. Nevertheless, the survey provides verified information on the presence and number of the Dravidian manuscripts and forms a space for the future research. The article gives valuable information about the provenance of the manuscripts, their cataloguing and processing. This is the first time when the data relating to manuscripts in the Dravidian languages has been brought together. A brief description of all the manuscripts under consideration is given according to certain parameters, which allow an insight look on the peculiarities of the works, the collections, the authors and the languages.