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enlarged version, ably succeeds in narrating the glorious contributions made by Jaina scholars in the field of Tamil literature not only during the period of Jaina ascendancy in Tamilnādu but also in the subsequent centuries. Dr. A. N. Upadhye, who had rightly felt that the work, published more than three decades ago, would be much useful as a source book if it is made up-to-date and if neccessary references are provided, kindly entrusted the pleasant task to me at the instance of my vocational teacher and guide Dr. G.S. Gai, Chief Epigraphist, Archaeological Survey of India, Mysore. I am greatly indebted to Dr. Upadhye and Dr. Gai for the confidence they have reposed in
me.
In providing references, I have not merely confined myself to those source books which the late Professor might have consulted at the time of writing his book but have also referred to subsequent publications. I have also given detailed information in the footnotes on some works, not mentioncd by the author, which had subsequently been dicided upon as the creations of Jaina authors. At the instance of Dr. Upadhye, I have also provided, as far as possible, exhaustive lists of different publications and editions with regard to each of the works discussed by Prof. Chakravarti.
An important feature of this second edition is the inclusion of the texts of Tamil Jaina inscriptions. All of them are already published in different publications and are brought together here for the first time. These epigraphs are not only an index to the antiquity and
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