"The Kavirajamargam (The Way of the King of Poets), the first extant work of early Kannada, was composed in the ninth century by poet-scholar Srivijaya in the court of King Nrpatunga of Manyakheta. The Kavirajamargam magnificently defines and illustrates poetic ornaments of sound and sense (alankaras), elucidates important features of early Kannada grammar and prosody, and offers us a glimpse into the early history, geography, and aesthetic tastes of the Kannada region and its people. It is therefore, a work of monumental importance for understanding the development of a regional poetic consciousness within the contexts of classical cosmopolitan structures of thought and aesthetic taste." \n