South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

pariharâpetha (l. 20), and the potentials karejjâ, kârâpejjâ and karejâmo (ll. 22─24), which corresponding to Pâli kareyya, kârâpeyya and kareyyâma.

As regards orthography, double consonants are rarely expressed by a compound letter, as in paṭṭikâ (l. 28), sagotta (ll. 2 and 7 f.), and ºvammo (l. 3), or by a nasal with preceding anusvâra (in Dhaṁñaº, l. 3). Generally the writer follows the practice of the cave-inscriptions, where a single consonant does duty for the double letter ; see Agivesa (l. 7 f.) for Sanskṛit Âgnivêśya, diṭha (plate i. a) and chhaṭha (l. 26) for diṭṭha and chhaṭṭha, saṁpadata (l. 11) against datta (l. 27), ana (l. 17) for anna^[1] (añña in Pâli), Palava (l. 2) for Pallava, sava (ll. 12, 17, 19) for savva (sabba in Pâli), and tasa (l. 23) etc. for tassa etc.

The alphabet of the new plates is an epigraphic curiosity. Though on the whole resembling that of the Hîrahaḍagalli plates, it exhibits a few letters which differ from the corresponding characters of all Indian alphabets. Thus the letter s consists of two equal curves, one below the other, but not connected with it. The letter m consists of the same upper curve and of a loop which starts from its upper right corner and reaches below the line ; in the group mmo (l. 3) the same loop is attached once more to the right of the syllable mo. The dental and lingual nasals are not distinguished from each other, but represented by a symbol which assumes various slightly dissimilar shapes and resembles d and ḍ so closely, that only the context can show which letter is meant in each individual case. I have transcribed it by n wherever it cannot be read as d or ḍ. The j of vejayike (l. 5) looks, roughly speaking, like an angle and a circle. This circle is open on the right in ºṭujasa (l. 8) and ºrâjo (l. 1), while it is joined to the horizontal leg of the angle in ºdijasa (l. 9). In majâdâya (l. 18) and karejâmo (l. 24) we have the usual form of jâ. The group jjâ in karejjâ (l. 22) and kârâpejjâ (l. 23) is identical in shape with jo (l. 21).^[2] Finally I would draw attention to the letter e in etasa (l. 11) and etehi (l. 16), which looks like an archaic Tamil śa.

Plates ii. to viii. are marked with the numerical symbols ‘ 2 ’ to ‘ 8 ’ on the left of the first side between the ring-hole and the margin.^[3] the symbol ’10 ’ and duplicates of the symbols ‘ 5 ’ and ‘ 6 ’ occur in the date portion on plate vii. b. The symbol ‘ 4 ’ differs from that of the Hîrahaḍagalli plates and already resembles the corresponding modern figure.

TEXT.^[4]
First Plate : First Side.
Diṭha[ṁ]^[5] [||*]

First Plate ; Second Side.

1 [Kâṁ]chîpurâto^[6] yuva-mahârâjo
2 Bhâradâya-sagotto Palavânaṁ

Second Plate ; First Side.

3 Sivakha[ṁ]davammo Dhaṁñakaḍe
4 vâpataṁ ânapayati [|*]

__________________________________________________________________
^[1] This form occurs in the Hîrahaḍagalli plates ll. 6 and 43.
^[2] In the Hîrahaḍagalli plates the jjâ of kârarejjâ (l. 40) differs from the jo of ºrâjo (l. 2).
^[3] The symbol, if any, on the first plate is obliterated.
^[4] From Mr. Venkayya’s ink-impressions and from the original plates.
^[5] The same word is entered on plate i. a. of the Hîrahaḍagalli plates.
^[6] The first syllable of this word is almost entirely obliterated, but can be supplied with certainty from line 1 of the Hîrahaḍagalli plates.