भोजनकुतूहल: प्रथम भाग (रघुनाथ नवहस्त - आहार-रसायन, पाकशाला-व्यवस्था व विरुद्धाहार)

PREFACE
Bhojana Kutūhala, the present publication, is a work
of very great value, both as a treatise on dietetics and as a
work bearing on some aspects of Āyurveda. It contains
invaluable information about several articles of food, and
incidentally the diet that was prevalent during the period,
viz 17th century. A perusal of the contents of the book
will convince any one of the importance of this work.
Its author is Raghunātha Gaṇeśa Navahasta, a
Mahrāṭṭa scholar who flourished in the 17th century A D.
He was a friend of saint Rāmdās and enjoyed the patronage
of Queen Dīpa Bai, wife of Ekoji Bhose of Tanjore. A few
facts about his life and works are given in the succeeding
Note
We have in our collection two manuscripts (Nos.
P I No 1020 and 1021) of the treatise, and in view of the
importance of the work, we took up the responsibility to
bring out an edition In editing the work we have taken ad-
vantage of collating our manuscripts with the manuscripts
of the Sarasvatimahal Library, Tanjore, and the Research
Institute, Poona.
Our thanks are due to the authorities of the Sara-
svathimahal Library, Tanjore and Bhandarkar Oriental
Research Institute, Poona. We are grateful to Prof: P. K.
Gode of the Research Institute, Poona, for his good offices
in securing a manuscript. We have also been greatly bene-
fited by his contributions on Raghunātha in the issues of the
Journal of the University of Bombay, September 1491,
September 1944 etc. The late Pandit R. Ananthāchar
and Sri M. Madhavan Unni of this Library attended to the
scrutiny of the manuscript
The succeeding volumes of the work will be publi-
shed without delay.
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