Hathigumpha Inscription of Kharavela and Bhabru Edict of Asoka

Author(s): Shashi Kant
Publisher: D K Print World

Page 11

Preface to the Second Edition
It is indeed gratifying that the book has attracted notice of reputed scholars in the field. It has been extensively reviewed both in India and outside. It has also found a place in the curriculum of several universities. The compliments of Prof. Jes P. Asmussen that it is a fine piece of work, of Prof. A.L. Basham that he found it a very impressive study, of Prof. N.S. Ramaswami that it is a lucidly argued and fairly presented attempt to set out the problems and to find the answers, of Dr. Krishna Deva that the book is indeed very well written and documented, and of Dr. Mahesh Kumar Sharan that the book for the first time tackles some of the very complicated problems of Indian history from every conceivable angle, as well as the appreciation by the learned reviewers, are highly encouraging. I am grateful to all these savants for having bestowed so much thought on my book and for making some valuable suggestions, as also the editors and publishers of the Journals for sparing space for the reviews.
To make the work more useful, I have added further annotations, as also Section III on the genesis of the Prakrit languages and the ancient Indian scripts. Some controversial issues, e.g., the Himavanta-Theravali, the era of dates given by Khāravela, the dates of the Buddha's parinirvana and Mahavira's nirvana, identification of Asikanagara and Kamhabemna, interpretation of coyatha, and problems relating to Satakamni and Bahasatimita, Kalinga Jina, Schism and Khāravela, the Schism, Kalinga and Jainism, Nandas and Jainism, and Aśoka and Kalinga, have been discussed in Appendix III. The bibliography has been updated.