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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA MASER INSCRIPTION OF A SULKI CHIEF (1 Plate) M. VENKATARAMAYYA, OOTACAMUND This inscription was copied in the year 1930-31 by the Archaeological Department, Gwalior State, at the village Māser, Basodā Pargana, District Bhilsa.1 The record is fragmentary and its concluding portion is not traceable. The existing portions of the inscription are contained in two broken pieces of a mutilated stone discovered amidst the ruins of a fallen house of a Brāhmaṇa in the village of Māser. The only other ancient relics found in the locality were a few broken sculptures and carved stone fragments lying near what looked like the basement of a small shrine. From a perusal of the summary of the contents of the inscription published in the Annual Report of the Archaeological Department, Gwalior, for the year 1930-31, I realised the importance of the record for the history of Central India and the Deccan in the 10th century A.C. At my request the Government Epigraphist for India secured two estampages of the inscription which were kindly supplied by the Superintendent, Archaeological Department, Gwalior State. I edit the record here with the kind permission of the Government Epigraphist for India. The epigraph must have been engraved on a large slab which later broke into several pieces. Of them, only two have been found, the rest are not forthcoming. The first of the extant fragments, which forms the beginning of the record, containing, as it does, the opening lines, measures 3′ 6″ by 11″ and bears portions of 10 lines of writing engraved on it. The other piece which is a continuation of the first one and has been put together with the first measures 2′ 3″ by 1′ 1″ and contains portions of 12 lines of writing. Both the pieces have suffered considerable damage. Since the ends and beginnings of lines do not follow in sequence, considerable portions of the full inscribed _________________________________________________ [1] Annual Report of the Archaeological Department, Gwalior, 1930-31, Inss. Nos. 1 and 2 : pp. 10 and 22. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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