Kundalakesi was composed before fifth century. Originally there are ninety nine verses but only nineteen verses are available. Some historians believe that it was destroyed because it had Buddhist content. However the 19 recovered verses do not reveal the plot of the epic and are mere suggestions. The first verse and the fifteenth verse refer to Buddhism.

Kundalakesi is a story of the Buddhist Bhiksuni Kundalakesi from the Dhammapada. Kundalakesi was the leading character and was born in a merchant family in Puhar. Initially she was known as Bhadra. She lost her mother at a young age and lived a sheltered life. One day she saw a thief being paraded in the streets and falls in love with him. His name was Kaalan and he was sentenced to death. Obsessed with Kaalan, she begs her father to save him. Her father appeals to the king for the release of the thief. In order to release Kaalan he pays Kaalan`s weight in gold and 81 elephants to the treasury. Kundalakesi and Kaalan are married. One day in a light vein she refers to him as a thief. This enrages Kaalan and he decides to kill his wife. Trickily he brings her to the summit of nearby hill. Once they reach there, he announces his intention to kill her by pushing her off the hill. She is shocked to hear this and asks him to grant a final wish - she wishes to worship him by going round him three times. He agrees and when she gets behind him, Kundalakesi pushes him, thereby killing him. She repents her action and becomes a Buddhist monk and spends the rest of her life spreading the teachings of Lord Buddha.

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