The Colas c3: Preface to the Second Edition
The Cōḷas c3
- Language
- English
Preface to the Second Edition
c3.1
This book has been out of print for many years now and I am grateful to the Vice-Chancellor and Syndicate of the University of Madras for the invitation they extended to me to revise it for a second edition. The first edition appeared in two volumes in 1935 and 1937, each volume accompanied by an appendix of select inscriptions containing abstracts of unpublished inscriptions. This appendix has been omitted in the present edition partly to save space, and partly because the evidence is now fairly familiar to the reader. There is also another valid reason. The Central Advisory Board of Archaeology has adopted a resolution advising the Union Department of Archaeology to bring out at an early date an up-to-date Topographical List of South Indian Inscriptions similar to the well-known list of *The Inscriptions of the Madras Presidency* by Prof. V. Rangachari, and I understand work on these lists is being undertaken, besides steps for speeding up the publication of the texts of these inscriptions.
c3.2
The promise of a separate study of Cōḷa Art held forth in the Preface to the first edition has not materialised; difficulties in the way of a comprehensive treatment are unfortunately still too many. These will disappear only if the Archaeological Department or a South Indian University undertakes a systematic survey and description of the monuments with photographs, plans, and elevations on the model of what has been done for Kambuja, Annam and Java by the French and Dutch archaeologists working in these countries. This work is beyond the resources at the command of the present writer who has therefore, with the permission of the authorities of the University of Madras, added a fresh chapter to the book giving a summary account of the main features in the history of Cōḷa Art with adequate illustrations. In the preparation of this chapter he has received considerable aid from Mr. K. R. Srinivasan, Superintendent for Archaeology, Southern Circle, and Dr. S. Paramasivan, Archaeological Chemist in the South—both from their writings and from personal discussions with them.
c3.3
The whole text has been carefully revised, and in part rewritten in the light of recent discoveries and interpretations. Some ancillary matter on feudatory dynasties which seemed unduly to hamper the narrative has been omitted, and the foot-notes collected at the end of each chapter instead of being distributed at the foot of the pages.
c3.4
My obligations to previous writers will be evident from the notes. For the new chapter on Art I have availed myself of the writings of the late Jouveau-Dubreuil and of Mr. Percy Brown in particular. The sources of the illustrations are indicated in the description of plates, and it will be noticed that I owe most of the illustrations to the courtesy of the Director-General of Archaeology. Mr. K. R. Srinivasan has allowed me to reproduce some photographs in his private collection. Mr. N. Lakshminarayana Rao, Government Epigraphist for India, not only extended ample facilities for consulting texts of inscriptions, but furnished some valuable references, placed his transcript of the Karandai Plates at my disposal, and also permitted me to reproduce the excellent seal of these plates, the better preserved of the two seals on them; this now takes the place of the seal of the Tiruvālaṅgāḍu plates included in the first volume of the first edition.
c3.5
Dr. A. Aiyappan, Superintendent of the Madras Museum, and Mr. P. R. Srinivasan, his archaeological assistant, as well as the numismatic assistant of the Madras Museum, very readily enabled me to consult the Coins of the Dhavalesvaram hoard, though it entailed a considerable inroad on their precious working hours on more than one occasion; Mr. P. R. Srinivasan also kindly undertook the detailed description of the illustrations which is appearing under his name. Lastly Mr. H. S. Ramanna, Lecturer in Indology in the Mysore University, kindly undertook the task of indexing the book.
c3.6
To all these friends I tender my most grateful thanks. The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliyar, has been evincing a personal interest in the proper and speedy production of this book, and I do not know how adequately to thank him for this. The Registrar, Mr. R. Ravi Varma, has also earned my gratitude by his prompt help on several occasions in speeding up administrative decisions and otherwise. Mr. G. Srinivasachari, Proprietor of the G. S. Press, has spared no effort to print the book very quickly and in excellent form quite worthy of the high reputation he has established for himself as Printer. My thanks are also due to him.
c3.7
Mysore, 22nd January, 1955. K. A. N.