The Mānasollāsa, also known as Abhilashitartha Chintamani, is an early 12th-century Sanskrit text composed by the South Indian king Someshvara III of the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. It is an encyclopedic work covering topics such as polity, governance, ethics, economics, astronomy, astrology, rhetoric, veterinary medicine, horticulture, perfumes, food, architecture, sports, painting, poetry and music. The text is a valuable source of socio-cultural information on 11th- and 12th-century India.
The encyclopedic treatise is structured as five sub-books with a cumulative total of 100 chapters. It is notable for its extensive discussion of arts, particularly music and dance. It is also notable for including chapters on food recipes and festivals, many of which are a part of modern Indian culture.
Another medieval era Sanskrit text with the title Mānasollāsa also exists, consisting of devotional praise hymns (stotra), and it is different from the encyclopedic treatise.
Cut fishes into pieces and wash them well.
Cook along with tamarind juice.
Sprinkle well with wheat flour. Fry in heated oil till brown.
Add rock salt. Sprinkle powdered cardamom and pepper.
The title Manasollasa (मानसोल्लास) is a compound Sanskrit word, consisting of mana (मन) or "mind" and sollasa (सोल्लास) or "rejoicing, delighting". It means "the joy, delighter or entertainer of the mind". Alternatively, the compound word can be broken as manasa and ullasa, which mean "happiness of mind".
The work is divided into five sub-books suffixed as Viṁśati (vinshati, विंशति) which means 20 and refers to the 20 chapters in the sub-book. In modern scholarship, it is referred by IAST spellings "Manasollāsa", and "Mānasollāsa".