Temples of Kumbhariya

Author(s): M A Dhaky, U S Moorty
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Introductory
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the assistance of the photo-artist Shri Samir Pathak and his companions. Dr. Jitendra Shah, who is also the Director of the L.D. Institute of Indology, next sent Shri Lakshmanbhai Bhojak and Shri Amrut Patel, both in charge of the manuscripts section of the L.D. Institute and experts on epigraphy, for reading the newly discovered inscriptions. We are grateful to Sarvashri Bhojak and Patel for providing us the relevant transcripts.
We also intend to record our thankful appreciations of Sheth Anandji Kalyanji, the custodian of the Kumbhāriyā temples, for not only granting us the permission to document the temples but also allowing us to use their guest house for camping. Their local managerial staff very cordially had extended all the assistance we had needed.
At the AIIS's level, Shri D.P. Nanda, the Chief Photographer, prepared excellent photo-enlargements, most of which are included in the monograph. Some 59 from the several fine photo-enlargements made by Samir Pathak on behalf of the Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre from their recent documentation also find place in the illustrative section. And three photographs long ago acquired from the Department of Archaeology, Government of Gujarat likewise have been included. We are thankful to both the aforenoted Institutions and acknowledge their kind courtesies. Shri A.T.P. Ponnuswamy (former draftsman), Shri S. Pandian, and Shri N. Ravi (both for long years the draftsmen at the AIIS) prepared accurate floor plans and in a few cases also the elevational details of the temples. Figs. 5, 6, and 8 are included here (with some additions of details) by courtesy of the Department of Archaeology, Government of Gujarat: the rest are from AIIS's collection. Our indebtedness to the earlier writers in English as well as Gujarātī of this century, particularly on the historical and epigraphical sides, must also be acknowledged. Shri V.K. Venkata Varadhan dedicatedly and diligently prepared the camera-ready copy of the English text and Shri Akhilesh Mishra of the SCERC, Ahmedabad, did the same with the Nāgarī section that figures as Chapter 7, namely 'Inscriptions'. The last corrections to that section were introduced by AIIS's new Computer Operator, Shri Raju Prasad. The authors wish to express their special thanks to all of them for their neat and accurate laser printing and for meticulously adhering to the stipulated layout. Shri Naranbhai Patel of the SCERC earlier had carefully proof-read the herein printed text of the inscriptions.