2026-03-03 05:32:13 by ambuda-bot
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8
Portuguese had established in Cochin". If Matṛdatta
is referring to this we will have to assign the work to a
date later than the 16th century A. D.
19
As to the authorship of the poem the Colophons
clearly state that it is the work of one Mātṛdatta. The
difficulty is to identify this Mātṛdatta since there were
in Kerala at least three poets by the name Mātṛ-
datta. Melputtur Nārāyaṇa Bhattatiri's father was
named Matṛdatta; he had as well a brother by name Mā
trdatta. Again, Nārāyaṇan Nambutiri of Tolanur, au_
thor of the Tantra works Tantraprayaścitta and Anus
ṭhānasamuccaya, refers to a Mātṛdatta as his teacher."
All these Mātṛdattas lived close to the period during
which the Kamasandesa might have been written. There
fore it is difficult to determine with any certainty the
identity of the author of the present work. It is also
equally possible that the author might be a fourth Mātṛ-
datta different from the three that we have noted.
Anyhow the problem still awaits a solution.
18. Cochin State Manual; C. Acyuta Menon; Ernakulam, 1911
P. 52.
19. Sri. Venkatasubramonia Iyer identifies the author of the
present work with the father of Nārāyaṇa Bhattatiri. See
Matidatta", Summary of papers submitted to the All
India Oriental Conference, Lucknow session.
r
20. See E. V. Raman Nambutiri, Introduction to Tantrasamu-
ccaya, Part III, p. 115.
97
Portuguese had established in Cochin". If Matṛdatta
is referring to this we will have to assign the work to a
date later than the 16th century A. D.
19
As to the authorship of the poem the Colophons
clearly state that it is the work of one Mātṛdatta. The
difficulty is to identify this Mātṛdatta since there were
in Kerala at least three poets by the name Mātṛ-
datta. Melputtur Nārāyaṇa Bhattatiri's father was
named Matṛdatta; he had as well a brother by name Mā
trdatta. Again, Nārāyaṇan Nambutiri of Tolanur, au_
thor of the Tantra works Tantraprayaścitta and Anus
ṭhānasamuccaya, refers to a Mātṛdatta as his teacher."
All these Mātṛdattas lived close to the period during
which the Kamasandesa might have been written. There
fore it is difficult to determine with any certainty the
identity of the author of the present work. It is also
equally possible that the author might be a fourth Mātṛ-
datta different from the three that we have noted.
Anyhow the problem still awaits a solution.
18. Cochin State Manual; C. Acyuta Menon; Ernakulam, 1911
P. 52.
19. Sri. Venkatasubramonia Iyer identifies the author of the
present work with the father of Nārāyaṇa Bhattatiri. See
Matidatta", Summary of papers submitted to the All
India Oriental Conference, Lucknow session.
r
20. See E. V. Raman Nambutiri, Introduction to Tantrasamu-
ccaya, Part III, p. 115.
97