About Inscriptions PDF
About Inscriptions PDF
About Inscriptions PDF
1.2. Nature
1.3. Scope
1.4. Importance
1.10. Palaeography
Chapter - 1
What is an inscription ?
Nature:
Scope:
Importance:
uaarMUurx UqrqirvZ U
i. Royal or official
Format of Inscriptions -
Cf.??
AaqpSlmimUlr mju ||
mO u iqmOO u xuqSmUciq |
Introduction to Indian Epigraphy 18
miaWmUqh SlcNSmuhl |
1. Initiation:
2. Invocation:
3. King//Donor:
4. Date
5. Donee:
uS uSa uSlimUar
relrelxukrrkrmlSlmiaWZrwOMqlUir |
6. Donation:
7. Benediction :
Slmslrqkr SlcNrlmslq |
Sli xuaqumli mslScri mSq ||
q pS TsvM u mUSi mju |
xuSi Tsqllir mUSlmsl ||
wuwx Wxh xua ii pqS ||
8. Imprecation :
can very easily see that the signs and letters are formed
alm ost in a uniform manner as in the Sindhu Valley
2. Direction of writing:
right to left.
3. Line :
5. Punctuation:
6. Pagination :
(pattras) but not the pages (pr/ s/t/h as). In the north, there is
the page numbered on the second page called S~ankha-pr/s/t/ha,
while in the south they are found from the first page of the
leaf itself.
7. Corrections :
8. Abbreviations :
Du=taka - Du
S~uddha/S~ukla - S~u
Pan/a - Pa
Introduction to Indian Epigraphy 28
10. Omissions :
Seals (Anka):
country and also for som e tim e after the period of As` oka
and Sanskrit replaced Prakrit in the inscriptions by about
the end of the third century A.D. in North India and by
about the fourth century A.D. in South India.29 During this
intervening period, some records are seen written in Prakrit
influenced by Sanskrit in the earlier period and some
written in Sanskrit influenced by Pra=krit in the later period.
And, in exceptional cases, some later inscriptions like the
Ghat/iya=la inscription 30 of Pratiha= ra Kakkuka dated 862
A.D. is written in Prakrt language. The Dhar (in Madhya
Pradesh) inscription of the time of Bhoja (c. 1000-1055
A.D) contains the text of the Prakrit poem Ku=rm asataka
ascribed to Bhoja.
Writing materials:
2. Ta=da
/ patra - The Buddhist Jatakas refer to leave (panna)
as a writing material. The Ta=d/apatra (Palmyra leaves) were
originally indigenous of southern India and becam e
com mon in the south and then gradually in spread to the
other parts of India.
mem orial stones like hero- stones, m aha= sati stones and
nishidi stones etc, also contain engraving along with the
sculptures.
2. Earthern Objects :
baked and burnt. Clay seals and sealing, both burnt and
unburnt, have been discovered in various sites of north
4. Metallic Objects -
1. Paleographical problems:
2. Chronology / Dating :
4. Linguistic Dimensions: -
Paleography :
In c en tr al I nd ia i .e i n M a hd ya P ra de sh , th e
inscriptions of the Va=ka=t/akas, Sharabhapuriyas and Kosalas
were written in what are known as box-headed characters.
And in the inscriptions of Sa=t avahanas and Cut/us, nail-
headed characters are used.