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INTRODUCTION.
I. HISTORY.
Kuttanimatam was well known to ancient authors, as we find that they have quoted from it so often (vide appendix ). Then it some how passed into obscurity and remained so for a long time till again Dr. Peterson lighted upon this poem 'buried' in the Śântinátha Temple Bhândâr at Cambay. There he discovered a palm leaf Ms. of the poem during his research for Sanskrit Mss. in 1883. In this Ms. which is incomplete, the title of the poem is mentioned as Shambhalimatam, and under that name Dr. Peterson took notice of it in his report.*
Next in 1886 Pandit (afterwards Mahâmahopadhyâya) Durgâprasad of Jeypore was fortunate enough to get two Mss. of the poem. Though the Mss. were incomplete and inaccurate in many places, yet the poem was published in 1887 in the Kavyamâlâ Guccha III with a view that this ancient and beauti. ful poem may be preserved even in its incomplete form. In these two Mss. the title of the poem is mentioned as Kuttanimatam and it was published under that name.
After editing Tarkasangraha in the G. 0. Series Mr. Tana: sukharam thought of rescuing rare Sanskrit works from oblivion by editing and publishing them. Many of his friends pressed him to carry out this idea and to give to the public the full benefit of his vast knowledge acquired by years of close study and research. For this purpose he took up several works. Kuttanimatam was one of them as by the courtesy of Babu Govindadas, Mr. Tanasukharam had already acquired a transcript of a complete Ms. of this very ancient Sanskrit poem. As the poem is written in a terse classical style, Mr. Tanasukbarâni thought that in order to make the Sanskrit poem accessible to ordinary student, it would be better to publish it with a conmentary; so his ever obliging friend, Babu Govindadas, supplied him with a tippani, prepared by a Sastri under his owu super
* See Dr. Peterson's report on the Search for Sanskrit Mss. in the Bombay Circle 1883-84. page 23.
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
