The papers have been arranged in five sections, based on their contents. The use of diacritics has been standardized as far as possible. In a few cases, however, where it did not seem so crucial to have them given the nature of the paper, they have not been inserted. Bibliographical references have been standardized as much as they could be given, the circumstances and the varying styles of referencing in use in India and abroad.
Information about the institutional affiliation and official title of each contributor is to be found in the list at the beginning of this volume. In the articles only the name is given, without any prefixed title.
In one case, the illustrations have been included within the article and reproduced in black and white. In all other cases, they are collected together at the end of the volume.
Neither the editor nor the publisher is responsible for the views expressed by the authors of the articles. Every author is ultimately responsible for his contribution.
I am extremely grateful to Mr. Jérôme Petit (Paris), one of the contributors to this volume, whose expertise has been invaluable for the preparation of this manuscript. Indirectly, I also thank Dr. Gerd J.R. Mevissen (Berlin): I have derived a lot of inspiration for the layout of SVASTI from Prajñādhara, a felicitation volume which he has magnificently edited (with Arundhati Banerji, New Delhi, Kaveri Books, 2009).
We are all thankful to Dr. Byregowda for his kind cooperation in bringing this book out within a very short time.
N.B.
