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Modern research has warranted safe, the position of Dandin, as the first of a series of prose-writers, whose writings have more or less completely come down to our times. Tradition affirms the contemporary existence of Dandin and Bhoja Deva of Dhar, of the tenth century renown. The Dasa-kumara-charita, a prose romance of Dandin's authorship describes both the political and social condition of India at a period anterior to the Muhamadan conquest and no mention is made of them but as merchants or navigators. But the jpseners delineated are unmixedly Hindu and the political divisions of Central India are with undisturbed perfection pre^ served—which data warrant the assignment of an earlier date. The fact, that the last of the stories of the Charita relates ta a prince, said to be a member of BhojVs race—implying of course the anterior existence of that prince—impares the strength of tradition—which carries the ingenuity too •, far Further data:
(i) Keilhofn points out that in Kavyadarsa II. 51,. Dandin seems to criticise part of Vamana's rule. Bhamaha in the place of Vatnana would be a correct statement.
(ii) Mr. Lewis Rice has brought to light an inscription from Belgola, in which a verse from Dandin in praise of a Jain writer Sri Vardhana deva is quoted and the date given is Saka 1050 (1128 A.D.}, Perhaps this Dandin is a different writer, (iii) Most reliable of all, is an Alankara work in Kanarese,. Kaviraja-vijayam, ascribed to Amogha-varsha,, which shows that it waswritten about the end of the 8th century and alludes to Dandin's Kavyadarsa. (iv) Tradition ascribes three works to Dandin : Of these-the Dasakumaracharita and Kavyadarsa are well-