Alain Danielou (1907-1994) was a French historian, intellectual, musicologist, Indologist and a convert to and expert on Shaivite Hinduism. In 1991, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.
The Manimekhala� is one of the great classics of Indian culture. A second-century Tamil verse epic, it is a sequel to the Shilappadikaram, which was also masterfully translated into prose by the acclaimed musician and scholar of Hinduism, Alain Dani�lou. Rich with details of the period?s arts, customs and religions, the Manimekhala� provides an extraordinary picture of an age that suddenly comes back to life. It is the story of a beautiful young dancer who decides to forego her looming career as a courtesan in order to dedicate her life (with the aid of gods, demigods and a magic bowl called the Cow of Abundance) to charity and to attaining the ?bright light of knowledge?.
