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XCVI
Kavyanusasan
ended every canto of his poem with the word 'Srí' for which he is called 'Srayanka' with a view to commemorate his city Srimāla in his epic.
While describing the surroundings of Bhinnamāla Mr. Jackson refers to a large area rough with heaps of bricks which is said to be the site of an old Vidyāsālā or Samskrta College.
According to S. Purāņa there were one thousand Brahmasālās and four thousand mathas where the different branches of learning were taught.+ It says :
प्रत्यूषे ब्रह्मघोषेण देवशङ्खस्वनेन च । गवां हुंकारशब्देन वत्सानां वासितेन च ॥ श्रीमालमभवद् भूप बाह्याभ्यन्तरं शुचि ॥ ४ धर्मशास्त्राण्यनूच्यन्ते सरहस्यानि सर्वतः ।
pelo faqet aaret 21%.Tota alt 21. Y?. And in A. 71 v. 9:
चतुर्वेदाः साङ्गाश्च त्वुपनिषत्सहितास्तथा । सर्वशास्त्राणि वर्तन्ते श्रीमाले श्रीनिकेतने ॥
This tradition of Srimāla being a great centre of learning is corroborated from other sources also. We saw that the great poet Māgha flourished in this city. We also know that the great astronomer Bhillamallakāchārya Brahmagupta completed his treatise on artronomy known as Brahmasphutasiddhānta in Saka 550 (=628 A. D.). Albureni (A. D. 1020) says that 'the Brahmasphutatasiddhanta was composed by Brhamagupta the son of Jishnu from the town of Bhinnamāla between Multan and Anhilwada.'
Srīmāla was also a great place of Jaina learning. The famous Upamitibhavaprapanchākathā of Siddharshi was finished in V. S. 962 (906 A. D.) at Bhinnamāla.
+ See S. Māhātmya A. 12. v. 22; and also A. 71.
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