Seethalai Sathanar is the author of the book Manimekalai. The book is a poem in 30 cantos. Its story is a sequel of an epic ‘Silappatikaram’ that tells the story of the conversion to Buddhism of the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi. The epic gives much information on the history of Tamil Nadu, Buddhism and its place during that period, contemporary arts and culture, and the customs of the times