Patrick Olivelle - 14 Feb

Given the centrality of Dharmastra in the Hindu tradition for over two millennia, this is a book that had to be written. Left to our own devices, however, this is a book that we would never have undertaken. The daunting task of writing a history of Dharmastra under the shadow of the pioneering and encyclopedic work of P. V. Kane would have made us hesitate. So, thanks are due in the first place to Gavin Flood, who, as the general editor of the new Oxford History of Hinduism, invited us to write this as a volume in the series, and to Tom Perridge, the editor at Oxford who, along with Gavin, launched the series.

It was clear from the start that this was a book the two of us could not write on our own, at least not within stipulated timeframe. Our foremost thanks, therefore, go to the eighteen colleagues from around the world who generously agreed to write chapters of this volume, drawing on their own expertise: Mikael Aktor, Adam Bowles, David Brick, Richard Davis, Ariel Glucklich, Jonardon Ganeri, Andrea Gutierrez, Maria Heim, Knut Jacobsen, Stephanie Jamison, Timothy Lubin, Mark McClish, James McHugh, Axel Michaels, Christian Novetzke, Ludo Rocher, Matthew Sayers, and Gregory Schopen. They were all busy scholars and teachers, and yet they generously accepted our invitation and agreed to devote considerable time and energy to this project. It would not have been possible without their contributions. Our great regret is that our teacher Ludo Rocher passed away before this volume could be completed; his contribution on inheritance, in , will stand as a monument to his vast knowledge of Dharmastra. We thank Rosane Rocher for her assistance with Ludos chapter.

Patrick Olivelle

Donald R. Davis, Jr.

Austin, Texas

March 31, 2017