Acknowledgements

This study is carried out under the guidance of Dr. P.V. Rajee, Associate Professor, Department of Sanskrit Sahitya, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Main Centre Kalady, Ernakulam. I wholeheartedly acknowledge my thankfulness to Dr. P.V Rajee, whose inspirational supervision and continuous encouragement enabled me to make this study possible.

I express my gratitude to Dr. P.K. DharmarajAdat, the ViceChancellor of the University and former Head of the Department of Sanskrit Sahitya, for his support in doing PhD and valuable suggestions in selection for this topic. I am thankful to Dr. P.V. Narayanan, Professor and Head of the Department of Sanskrit Sahitya, for the valuable suggestions about this topic. I would also express my sincere thanks to Dr. V.R. Muralidharan, Professor, former Head of the Department Sanskrit Sahitya, Dean of Faculty of Sanskrit Literature, SSUS Kalady for the academic support and suggestions given during this time. I express my deeply indebtedness to Dr. K.M. Sangamesan, Associate Professor, Department of Sanskrit Sahitya for his unconditional motivation and valuable directions in this thesis.

I am extremelygrateful to Dr. C. Rajendran, Retired Professor, Department of Sanskrit, University of Calicut for his inspirational suggestions related to this topic. I express my extreme gratitude to Dr. S.A.S Sarma (Ecole Francaise d’Ext¯rme Orient), for giving me innovative suggestions and lend a hand to improve my thesis. I also express my sincere thanks to Prof. R Vasudevan Potti, the Renowned Sanskrit scholar, for sharing his memories about the stage performance of Annadatricarita.

I would also express my wholehearted thanks to SenthilBabu D. (Researcher, Social Science) and Prakash V. (Researcher, Indology), French Institute of Pondicherry, for their valuable suggestions and help in this topic. I express my gratitude to Dr. Jayamole S., Guest Lecturer, Department of Sanskrit General, SSUS Kalady for her unconditional co-operation given during this time.

I am extremely thankful to the authorities and staffs of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit Central Library, Government Sanskrit College Library Thrippunithura, the Hill Palace Archaeological Museum Library Thrippunithura, Kerala university Library Thiruvananthapuram, Government Sanskrit College LibraryThiruvananthapuram, Calicut University Sanskrit Department Library, The AdayarTheosophical Society Library and Research Centre Chennai, Connemara Public Library Chennai, the KuppuswamiSastri Research Institute library Chennai, French Institute of Pondicherry, Ecole Francaise d’ Extreme-Orient Pondicherry, Visvabharati Central University Library, Santiniketan West Bengal and the Royal Asiatic Society Library, Kolkata, West Bengal.

I express my heartfelt gratefulness to all the faculty members and staff of the Department of Sanskrit Sahitya. Most of all, I am grateful to all my family members and friends who helped me for the successful completion of this work. I record my gratitude to the authorities of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit Kalady for providing me all the required facilities for the completion of this work. In the framework of this thesis, I received encouragement and directions from different corners, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the forerunners, whose works I have utilized in my research.