Acknowledgement

It gives me immense pleasure to express my deep sense of gratitude and indebtedness to my revered guide Professor Manjula Devi, M.A., Ph.D., Head of the Department of Sanskrit, Gauhati University, for her untiring guidance and invaluable advices towards eventual completion of the thesis. Her proper guidance and great enthusiasm have helped me a lot to attain this position of the work, without any difficulties. I am extremely grateful to extend my heartiest thanks to her.

I offer my sincere gratitude to my revered teachers, Dr. Rajendra Nath Sarma, Prof. Department of Sanskrit, Gauhati University, Dr. Nalini Devi Mishra, Prof. Department of Sanskrit, Gauhati University, Dr. Sujata Purkayastha, Prof. Department of Sanskrit, Gauhati University, Dr. Mukta Biswas, Prof. Department of Sanskrit, Gauhati University, Dr. Shrutidhara Chakravarty, Prof. Department of Sanskrit, Gauhati University, for their encouragement and valuable suggestions to bring out this work.

I convey my heartfelt thanks to all my respected teachers of the Dept of Sanskrit, Gauhati University for their help, kind cooperation and invaluable suggestions rendered to me during the course of this study.

I am highly indebted to the officials of the K.K. Handiqui Library, Gauhati University, Guwahati, ICHR NERC Library, Tripura University Library, for their help and co-operation in collecting data for the preparation of the thesis and other library works.

I remain ever grateful to my parents Sri Bani Kalita and Smti. Yamuna Kalita for their constant encouragement and support in all respect for completing the work.

I offer my heartiest thanks to my sister Smti Nibedita Kalita and all my family members for their whole-hearted support during the course of my studies. I extend my heartful thanks to Mr. Biswajyoti Purkayastha, Miss Mili Devi for rendering the laborious service of typing the thesis with utmost care, and to Miss Mridusmita Devi for her help during the course of preparation of my work.

I am very much obliged to the authority of the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, for awarding me an ICHR, Junior Research Fellowship for two years to carry on my research work.

Last, but, not the least, I bow down to the God, for whose grace, the situation remains favourable to me, and this work has been completed without much difficulty.

(Nabanita Kalita)

Date: 13/02/2018
Place: Gauhati University