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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
utkhâya, l. 7) ; and ê (in êkachakkraº, l. 3). Of the consonants, gh, ḍh and b do not occur ; and
chh, jh, ñ and ṭh are only found as subscript letters, e.g. in tach=chhâsanaṁ, l. 10, ujjhivân, l. 7,
âjñâ-, l. 15, and jyêshṭha-, l. 13. Regarding the other signs it may be noted that five of them─
k, g, ḍ, r and ś─ when they have no subscript letters, have a small hook at the bottom (see e.g.
bhôgakara-, l. 15, taḍit-, l. 16, and samâdêśâch=, l. 18) ; and attention may also be drawn to the
forms of k (e.g. in kara-, l. 15), ṅ (e.g. in sôdraṅgaḥ, l. 11), ch (e.g. in chaṁchalâyâḥ, l. 16), ṭ
(e.g. in paṭalâº, l. 17), d (e.g. in dânaṁ, l. 16), ph (in phalaṁ, l. 16), and v (e.g. in Śivadêvaº,
l. 14). The superscript sign for r is sometimes written above, and sometimes on, the line ; y,
where it follows upon another consonant, is always denoted by the secondary, subscript form,
even in the conjunct ry (e.g. in paryantaḥ, l. 11). The ordinary form of the subscript th may
be seen from the sthâ of râjasthânîya-, l. 9 ; the same form is used in the conjunct rth, in
samprîṇitârthi-, l. 5, but the full form of tha is exceptionally employed in the sthâ of sêvôpasthânaṁ, l. 15. The subscript form of ṇ does not differ from the sign for ṇa ; see e.g.
Sâvarṇṇi-, l. 13, and Vishṇuvṛiddha-, l. 14. Apparently in order to distinguish clearly between
the subscript dh and v, the latter is denoted by a peculiar triangular sign ; compare e.g. the ddh
of -bhivṛiddhayê, l. 13, with the tv of =âgrahâratvêna, l. 14. The only final consonant which
occurs is the t of the word samvat in line 18 ; it is denoted by the lower part of the sign for ta,
with a separate horizontal line above it.─ As regards medial vowels, only the signs for â, u and û
call for remarks.
The ordinary sign for â (and for the â of jâ) may be seen e.g. in mahârâjâdhiraja-, l. 12. When â follows upon ṅ, ṭ or ṇ, or a conjunct beginning with one of these consonants,
it is denoted by a wavy line placed vertically above the sign for ṅ, ṭ or ṇ ; see e.g. bhaṅktvâ, l. 10,
bhaṭṭâraka-, l. 13, and ºkaraṇâdhi-, at the end of line 17. In the same way â is denoted in the
khyâ of samâkhyâtaṁ, l. 17 (compare with it the khâ of vimukhâḥ, l. 7), and in the jñâ at the
commencement of line 10 (compare with it the jñâ of âjñâ-, l. 15).[1] Excepting in the syllable
ru (for which see Varuṇ-, l. 5), the vowel u is either denoted by a subscript vertical line─ or
prolongation of the vertical line of the consonant-sign─ ending with a small hook, or by a sign
which resembles the subscript u of the modern Nâgarî alphabet. The former way of denoting u
is followed in writing the aksharas chchhu, shṇu, du, nu, pu, mu, yu, vu, dvu and su, the latter in
ku, tku, gu, tu, stu and bhu ; compare vichchhurita-, l. 4, dushta-, l. 6, samuchita-, l. 15, and
tulya-, l. 15, Skandaguptaḥ, l. 17, etc. For two ways of writing the medial û─ the one
followed only in dû, and the other in kû, pû and bhû─ compare dûtakô, l. 17, and kûṭa-, l. 10.─
The inscription does not contain the signs of the jihvâmûlîya, upadhmânîya and avagraha ; but in
line 18 it has three numerical symbols, for 20, 5 and 6. The symbol for 20 is like the akshara
tha ; that for 5 looks like tṛi, with the sign of the medial â attached to it ; and the symbol for 6
resembles the akshara dâ with a subscript u. Signs of punctuation are used in the text three
times, in lines 16 and 17. Throughout the writer has formed the letters with great care and
skill.─ The language of the inscription is Sanskṛit.[2] Any unusual or rare words and technical
terms which it contains will be drawn attention to in the notes on the translation. The text
generally is in prose, but it contains a verse in lines 6 and 7, and two benedictive and imprecatory
verses─ in one of which the king Harsha himself is referred to as an authority for the
sentiment expressed─ in lines 16 and 17. In respect of orthography it need only be stated that
the sign for v denotes both v and b, that k and t are generally doubled before r (e.g. in putrâs=,
l. 1, and-âtikkrânta-, l. 3, but in –pravṛitta-chakra, l. 3), and that now and then the rules
of saṁdhi have not been observed.
The inscription is a charter of the well-known king Harsha─ or Harshavardhana, the hero
of Bâṇa’s Harshacharita, who ruled part of Northern India at the commencement of the 7th
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[1] In the Banskhêra plate of Harsha the same superscript sign for â is more frequently employed.
[2] According to Prof. Bühler the language of the Banskhêra plate is better than that of this plate ; but I
cannot find any difference.
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