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PRE FACE
The L. D. Institute of Indology has great pleasure in publishing the Mallikāmakaranda, a Sanskrit play by Ramacandra, a pupil of A:. Hemacandra and author of several works. The work is edited by a great scholar Late Munirāja Shri Punyavijayaji probably on the basis of that solitary manuscript the photocopy of which is preserved in the Muni Punyavijayaji Collection in the L. D. Institute of Indology. This text edited by Muni Shri Punyavijayaji was printed for the first time in our Research Journal SAMBODHI Volume VII.
When we thought of issuing the work in book-form, we requested Dr. V. M. Kulkarni, Director, B. L. Institute of Indology, Patan, to write an Introduction and Critical Notes to the text. He gladly accepted our request and fulfilled the task as perfectly as possible. His introduction is illuminating. It gives succinct account of Rāmacandra's life, date and works, summarises the plot, examines how far Rāmacandra is successful in creating convincing realistic characters, constructs his personality as revealed by his works, brings out salient features of his style and evaluates him as a dramatist. Dr. Kulkarni has no doubt taken great pains in the preparation of Critical Notes. They bear testimony to the meticulous care with which he has done his work and the range of his scholarship. Moreover, he has prepared ten appendices, thus enhancing the value of the edition,
We are most grateful to the Late Munirāja Shri Punyavijayaji and Dr. V. M. Kulkarni for this excellent edition of the Mallikamakaranda. We hope students and scholars of Sanskrit Literature will enjoy the work.
L. D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad-380 009. 15th January 1983.
Nagin J. Shah
Director
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