South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

NANDSA YUPA INSCRIPTIONS

stroke for the medial vowel is similarly attached at the centre to the left of the letter, cf. anuttamēna in B, l. 5. In the case of jā also the medial ā-mātrā is attached to the centre of the letter, but it develops into an ornamental curve ; cf. Prajāpati- in A, l. 3 and B, l. 8, prajā- in A, l. 4 and B, l. 10, etc. Short medial i is denoted by an ornamental curve opening to the left, and the long one by a similar curve opening to the right ; cf. siddham and pūrṇṇamāsī in A and B, l. 1, etc. Medial ṛi is denoted by a short curve or stroke attached to the left of the letter usually at its bottom ; the subscript ra differs from it only in being a little longer ; cf. sattra in A, l. 3 and chandra in B, l. 2, with pitṛi- and samuddhṛitya in A, l. 2 and B, l. 4 ; see also vipraghṛishṭa, A, l. 6. In the case of kṛi, this stroke is attached however, at about the middle of its vertical in order to distinguish it from the tail, which the letter has developed, cf. kṛi in Kṛitayōr=, A. l. 1. Medial au is denoted by a curve above the letter with a horizontal line on its either side ; pautrasya in A, l. 5 and B, l. 15. The curve is attached at the end of the right hand stroke in the case of mau ; cf. bhūmau and kām-augha- in A, l. 3 and B, l. 7. The stop m occurs in siddham at the beginning of the inscription A ; it is denoted by a smaller form of the letter ma, but written below the line.

Most of the palæographical peculiarities noted above occur also in the Girnar rock inscription of Rudradāman I, dated in the [Śaka] year 72. Our inscription is only 76 years later than this record. As will be presently seen, Nāndsā was under the Śaka rule for a fairly long time. The palæographical resemblance, therefore, need not cause any surprise. It may also be pointed out that many of the palæographical characteristics of this record also recur in the Kushāṇa inscriptions of the 2nd and the 3rd centuries A. D.

Numerical symbols for 200, 80, and 2 occur in both the records in the opening line. The symbol for 200 is exactly similar to that occurring in the inscriptions on the three yūpas at Baḍvā.^[1] Symbols for 80 and 2 are the normal ones for the period.

As regards the orthography, the following points deserve to be noted :―The usual symbol for upadhmānīya is used in inscription A, l. 4 ; of. prasaṅgaih purāṇa-. In the corresponding place of the inscription B, however, the visarga has been engraved ; of. l. 11. But the most interesting orthographical peculiarity of the records is the surmounting of the anusvāra by a concave semicircle, when it is followed by a va or a śa or a ra ; cf. dhārāṁ vasōr= in A, l. 3 and B, l. 7 ; vaṁśē Mālava-vaṁśē in A, l. 5 and B, l. 14 ; purāṇaṁ rājarshi- in A, l. 4. In the last case both the anusvāra and the concave semicircle above it are midway between ṇa and rā ; but there can be no doubt that they were intended to be engraved above the ṇa in purāṇaṁ. In siddhiṁ vitatya, A, l. 3 and B, l. 7 we expect this concave semicircle above the anusvāra, as it is followed by a va ; but it does not occur. The medial i mark has, however, a natural concave semicircle in it, and the anusvāra has been engraved under it ; this may possibly be the reason for an additional semicircle not being engraved over anusvāra. It is difficult to give a satisfactory explanation for this concave semicircle mark in the above cases. One is tempted to think that it may be possibly the Vedic- mark, which is common in the text of the Yajurvēda. Such, however, does not seem to be the case. This mark is used in the Yajurvedic text when an anusvāra is followed by śa, sha, sa, ha, and ra. ^[2] In our inscription it is no doubt used when the anusvāra is followed by ra and śa. But it is also used when the anusvāra is followed by a va as shown above, and not used when it is followed by a sa ; cf. dharmmamātraṁ samuddhṛitya, A, l.2 and B, l.4. The occurrence of the mark is thus a puzzle, difficult to explain.

The language of both the records in Sanskrit. There is some influence of Prakrit as in kṛitēhi for kṛitaiḥ in B, l.1. The language is on the whole correct ; we, however, have an incorrect

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^[1] Above, Vol. XXIII, plate facing p. 52.
^[2] Ath=anusvarasya \ ity=adesa? sashasaharepheshu tasya traividhyam=akhyatam. The Pratajñasutra of Yajurveda, No. 3.