________________ Introduction great search succeeded in finding out Shripala to be exactly such a man as they required. Dhavala again obtained the permission of the king and sent his soldiers to capture him. They tried to do so but on hearing the roaring noise prduced by the prince, they ran away. The army sent by the king, being impelled by Dhayala, was also defeated by the prince in no time. Here ends the portion edited in this volume 16. The form and style of the story are like those of epic poetry and remind Form, style and us of Mahabharata and such author of Sirivalakaha compa- other stories. Its diction is sired with thosem ple, lucid and easy to grasp, of Kummaontta, and adds to the beauty of the .: story. The author has woven his story in such a beautiful and charming manner that the interest of the reader is sustained throughout from beginning upto the end. The language that he has used in composing most of his verses is simple and reminds us of the verses of Anantahansa's Kummaputta. However, the excellent literary and didactic qualities which Ratnas'ekhara's Sirivalakaha possesses are not to be met with in Kummaputta. Though the verses are simple and easy
