Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c10.17

c10.17

As we go through these inscriptions we meet at every step with the Purāṇic mythology and legends, and the allusions, alliterations, and similes usually found in Sanskrit literature in India. Special attention may be drawn to the Vat Thipedi Inscription (No. 78) which has a distinct style of its own, the chief characteristics being the use of long compounds, *atyukti*, *i.e.* exaggeration, and *anuprāsa*, *i.e.* the repetition of the same syllables in the same line. According to Sanskrit rhetoricians, these characteristic features mark the Gauḍa style of Sanskrit poetry. The great French savant Coedés thinks that the author of the inscription was probably trained in the Gauḍa country.