"…we have numerous Kannada inscriptions both in and outside Mysore which are excellent specimens of poetical composition though their authors are unknown. These, too, deserve the attention of the Kannadigas. They only have to be brought to their notice to be appreciated by them. Being however imbedded in bulky volumes such as the Epigraphia Carnatica…Epigraphia Indica, the Indian Antiquary…these records are not easily accessible to the people… [Moreover] few can afford to spend the time and labour involved in wading through them…I have therefore put together…extracts from some selected inscriptions in order to give to the Kannadigas a taste of the style and beauty of these compositions of their own countrymen, which cannot but arouse a feeling of pride in them… The importance of the inscriptions is not merely confined to their literary merit. They… throw considerable light on the political, social and religious condition of the times to which they relate. The historical information…is of great value. The references to certain customs and practices in vogue in that [period] are full of interest."