Nanmanikkatigai contains one hundred songs written by the poet Vilambi Naganaar.
This poetic work is famous for its clarity and easy readability and is often a prescribed text for schools in Tamil Nadu.
The poems of Nanmanikkatigai are written in the Venpa meter.
The name Nāṉmaṇikkaṭikai denotes this fact comparing the four ideas to four well-chosen gems adorning each poem.
The following poem describes four different groups of people who cannot sleep well at night, namely, a thief, a lovelorn person, someone who hankers after money and a person who wishes to guard his wealth: கள்வம்என் பார்க்குந் துயில் இல்லை, காதலிமாட்டு உள்ளம்வைப்பார்க்கும் துயில் இல்லை, ஒண்பொருள் செய்வம்என் பார்க்கும் துயில் இல்லை, அப்பொருள் காப்பார்க்கும் இல்லை துயில்.