Seevaga Chinthamani - Tamil - Vol 3

Seevaga Chinthamani, one of the five well-known Tamil epics and colloquially referred to as the "book of marriages," was written by "Tirutakka Thevar," a Jain monk from Madurai. The plot of the story is about indulgence in worldly pleasures by the King and a treacherous coup by his minister. The King then embraces Jainism and renounces his materialistic pleasures. Since there are many sensual words in the epic and Jainism requires five great vows, one of which being abstention from sex in words, deeds, and thought, the literary work becomes a tool to undermine Thirutaka thevar's credibility as a Jain ascetic. The Chola emperor was a patron of Seevaga Chinthamani because of its theological message, poetic structure, and storyline.