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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
the earliest type of literary activity and this inscription. But unformatunately Timc has hopelessly erased it. From 450 A. D., the date of this inscription, to the middle of the 9th century A. D., the date of Kavirajamārga, the earliest available Kannada work, Kannada literature is found so far in the form of inscriptions alone. At this context it is so very interesting to know that the earliest available and decipherable epigraphic records in India, including those in Karnatak are written in Prakrit alone. Hence it is just possible that the literary form of the carly Parkrit inscriptions in Karnatak, might have served as a model to or influenced the early Kannada inscriptions in Karnatak, a number of which surely have not come down to us. A comparative and intensive study of the Asokan edicts and other Prakrit inscriptions in Karnatak, including those found at Sannathi and Belvadgi, on one hand, and the available early Kannada inscriptions, on the other, would yield some tangible result. I could, however, note some Parakiit terms in some of Śravanabelgola inscriptions of c.700 A.D. : moni (S.B. 8,20), risi (S.B.13) saddhamma (S.B.29)
etc: 5
The Kavirajamärga is the first available Kannada work and is supposed to have been composed by Nrpatunga (814-877 A.D.), the Rāstrakūta King and disciple of Acarya Jinasena. It is a work on rhetorics and, hence, pre-supposes earlier forms of literature. It tells us that prior to the 9th cent. A.D. Kannada posscscd rich varied literary forms in prose, poetry and mixture of both by eminent scholars like Vimala, Udaya, Nagarjuna, Durvinita, Srivajaya, Kavisvara, Lokapala ctc.
The works of these scholars, unfortunately, have not come down to us. It is possible that some of their works were influenced by the prior Prakrit literature or some of the authors were also Prakrit schloars. It is interesting in note that of these literary figures viz, Durvinīta (c.600 A.D.), a king of the Ganga dynasty, is said to have rendered the Paisací Bphatkathā of Gunādhya into Sanskrit. Now it can be conjectured that this eminent Kannada
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