Translating Enlightenment: Lakshmi Holmström's Rendering of Buddhist Philosophy and Tamil Cultural Identity in Manimekalai

Abstract

Manimekalai is one of the five great Tamil epics. It occupies a distinctive position in Tamil literary history because it combines poetic imagination with Buddhist philosophy and ethical reflection. Although the epic has attracted attention for its religious and literary significance Holmström's translation is particularly significant because it introduces a classical Tamil Buddhist text to an international readership while attempting to preserve its linguistic, cultural, and philosophical identity. This paper analyses her translation through Lawrence Venuti's concepts of domestication and foreignization. It pays particular attention to the translation of Buddhist concepts, culturally specific terminology, symbolic imagery, place names and the representation of women. The study argues that Holmström does not privilege one translation strategy over the other. Instead, she negotiates between cultural preservation and linguistic accessibility. While the narrative is rendered in contemporary English, culturally significant expressions, religious vocabulary and indigenous concepts remain largely untranslated. It allows the readers to experience the text within its original cultural framework. The paper further argues that Holmström functions not merely as a translator but as a cultural mediator who enables cross-cultural understanding without erasing the historical and philosophical distinctiveness of the source text