________________
sons Simhavisno,* Manoratha and Atilobha, all of whom became great scholars. Four sons by name Damodara, Bhavadasa, Simhavisnu and Viradatta were born to Manoratha. Viradatta married Gauri belonging to Mathara Gotra and as a result got several daughters and finally a son by name Dandin.
At the age of seven the Upanayana ceremony was performed to Dandin, but soon he lost his father. It was a time when Kancipura was attacked by enemies and so Dandin was forced to leave that place. He wandered about in different places studying under different teachers and when peace was restored in Kanci he
returned there.
Once a renowned architect by name
Lalitalaya
came to see Dandin at Kancı People assembled there introduced him to Dandin as a great architect who was proficient also in magic and who had written, in Dravidian Language (Tamil), a work by name Šūdrakacarita. Lalitalaya then told Dardin that he had jointed a broken forearm of the idol of Visnu in Mahamallapuram on the sea coast and requested him to see if it was done correctly. On hearing this the Commander-in-chief's son Ranamalla who was the
". In the reading adopted by Sri Kavi the expression स च तथानुगृह्यमाणः cannot be satisfactorily construed. So स: should be taken as denoting Damodara. Therefore Gandhamadana can be taken to be the work of Damodara.
It may be that it was out of respect for the king that he gave his first son the name of the king himself.