. vil was no doubt done in the Ahom language, but soon after their language was replaced by the Assamese, and the • Buranjis began to be written in that language. Although these Buranjis have greatly enriched Assamese literature and constituted the chief glory of our language, it is a matter of great regret that they do not contain the name of their authos and the dates on which they were written. As far as we are aware these writings have not yet been examined by any expert with a view to ascertain their dates on the paleographic grounds. But it must be admitted that the regular literature of Assam begins from the time of Sankar Dev who flourished in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is true that a few writers of note like Madhava Kandali and Mahendra Kandali appeared in the field before Sankar Deva, and translated the whole of the Sanskrit Ramayana into metrical Assamese, and that Sankar Deva has acknow- ledged himself to have written into Assamese in imitation of Madhava Kandali and others; but it must be admitted that it was Sankar Deve who gave the greatest impetus to the cause of Assamese literature by his voluminous and varied writings. His contemporaries, Madhava Deva and Rama Saraswati, also contributed very largely for the improve- ment of Assamese literature by their numerous writings. A list of the chief Assamese authors with their works was published by the Society for the Improvement of the Assa | T is not always true Beveral Buranjis contain the name of their anbor and the date of their compilation, or the name of sovereign under who patrona hoy a ritten, ঘূhe general tendancy 4, however, towards anonymity, A chronicle had to grat deads which aa not always bring credit to their perpetraor, in which case the writer an the risk of retribution in the hands of the partie aggrieved. Vid2 Prof. s, A, Bhuya Nato light a loga indiaow As Sources, pub, in the file gular forgotr, 1988, pp. 84-88.59. A, B The cf-quotঞd lins wherein Sankar Deva acknowledged his indebtednes to Ma Kandolf and others in the treatment of the Brikrishna And Mom theme, mb quoted; পূৰ কৰি আমাৰী, মাধব শী আদি, তেছে বিচি কৃষ্ণ কথা, তান পদক চাই, লে। পoিw and again পূৰ কৰি ধৰা, গাধা পীলি, বিক্তি পায় আয়। দেখিয়া লা, এ কে ফাৰ মা, মোৰ লৈ তে Es. k. ৪.
