13 welcome. This is a work of the entire country, and so is the responsibility too. In a way, the first volume is also a model volume. We hope that the revision aspect of the forthcoming volumes will be improved in the light of the criticisms to be ofifered with regard to the revision and display of the present volume. A few errors have crept in inspite of our best care. An errata is appended at the end. Readers are requested to kindly refer to this.
This scheme has come into being with the generous help of the Government of Mysore and its love of culture. But for the personal interest of Sri Veerendra Patil, Sri K. V. Shankara Gowda and Sri Ramakrishna Hegde, the then Chief, Education and Finance Ministers respec- tively, this great scheme could not have obtained the approval of the Government so easily. This is one of those ambitious schemes which these three eminent men undertook out of their love of language and literature and their farsightedness. I am very happy to reinember them now with gratitude. We are gratefully indebted to the present government which has evinced interest in not only continuing such schemes of the erst-while Government but in launchlng new schemes also. Several decisions taken by the Government under the dynamic leadership of the Chief Minister, Sri Devaraj Urs, are of unique importance from the point of view of the development of Kannada language, literature and culture. The people of Karnataka are ex- tremely happy to note that the Finance Minister, Sri M. Y. Ghorpade and the Education Minister, Sri A. R. Badrinarayan, are evincing specia! interest in such matters. This government which has taken far-reaching decisions capable of changing the very history of the state, will no doubt shape its future gloriously. Sri K. R. Ramachandran, who was formerly the Secretary for Education, and Sri Samue) Appaji, the present Secretay for Education, have fully co-operated in the revision and reprint scheme of the Epigraphia Carnatica. Sri S. R. Rao of the Archso- logical Survey of India, lent enthusiastic support to the scheme, when I piaced the scheme for the first time before the committee. Dr. A V. Narasimha Murthy, Head of the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, has helped me from the beginning in the implementation of the scheme. In a way, he himself pioneered this scheme. It is a matter of deep regret that Dr. M. Seshadri, who was the Head of the Department of Ancient Indian History and Archao- logy and was guiding me in many respects passed away before the publication of the first volume. Dr. G. S. Gai, Chief Epigraphist to the Government of India, and his colleagues haye helped me at every step wilh their valuable advice. Dr. Gai and Dr. K. V. Ramesh have helped me with solutions whenever I was confronted with problems. They have gone through some of the portions of this volume. It is a matter of good fortune for a scheme of this type to be able to utilise the services of such eminent scholars. The members of the Advisory Committee have helped me with their expert guidance marked by experience and scholarship. The Director of the Univer- sity Press. Sri H. Narasanna, and his staff have extended their full co-operation in printing this work, which is none too easy a task. Sri K. R. Sunderraj, Photographer of the Institute of Kannada Studies, has evinced keen interest in making this volume illustrative. The officials of the University and my collegues in the various sections of the Iiistitute have co-operated with me and lightened the burden of my responsibility. The Director General of the Archaelogical Survey of India has kindly permitted us to bring out a revised edition of this volume. My thanks are due to all of them. A special reference to Prof. D. Javare Gowda, Vice-Chancellor of our University, is neces- sary in this connection. He has been a tower of strength to me in carrying on the activities of the Institute of Kannada Studies, and in the implementation of this scheme since its very inception. But for his support and assurance, I would not have come forward to shoulder the responsibility of a big scheme as this. He has evinced in this scheme also the same love and
