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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA No. 9.─ DHAR PRASASTI OF ARJUNAVARMAN : PARIJATAMANJARI-NATIKA BY MADANA. BY PROFESSOR E. HULTZSCH, PH.D. ; HALLE (SAALE). This inscription was discovered recently at Dhâr (west of Mhow), the ancient capital of the Paramâra kings of Mâlava and the present chief town of a State in Central India. The news of the discovery reached me through Mr. K. K. Lele, Superintendent of Education, Dhâr, who was good enough to send me a copy of his well written ‘ Summary of the dramatic inscription found at the Bhoja Shala (Kamal Maula Mosque), Dhar, C. I., in November 1903.’ According to Mr. Lele, “ the slab of black stone (5 feet 8 inches by 5 feet) upon which this interesting Sanskṛit inscription is engraved, was attached to the northern wall of the principal miḥrâb in the mosque, with the writing turned inside.”─ “ The slab was taken out in November 1903, and is kept framed at the mosque.” On receipt of Mr. Lele’s ‘ Summary,’ I requested Mr. Marshall to send me mechanical copies of the inscription. In compliance with this request, Mr. Marshall kindly instructed Dr. Vogel to forward me an inked estampage. Subsequently Mr. Cousens sent me two excellent inked estampages,[1] one of which is reproduced on the three accompanying Plates.[2] The inscription consists of 82 lines. On the whole it is well preserved ; but the end of lines 70-80, the first few letters of ll. 63-69, and the first letter of some other lines are broken away.
The alphabet is an early variety of Nâgarî and exhibits several peculiarities. In the old
Brâhmî alphabet the initial i consisted of three points. In the subjoined inscription the two
upper points are represented by circles, and the lowermost one by a symbol which consists of
a vertical line and of a flourish (see e.g. iva in l. 2) ; but in five instances (kahaï, l. 56,
iṁdranîla, l. 62, mandabhâṇiṁ, l. 64, aï, l. 66, and maṁdabhâiṇîe, l. 80) there are two distinct
flourishes instead of one, and in a single case (itthîu, l. 22) one of the two circles is omitted.
The initial î occurs once (in vaṇassaîṇaṁ, l. 40). The initial u has two different shapes : The
loop attached to it is turned either downwards or upwards ; both forms may be seen together, e.g.
in l. 22, where chaütthîe shows the second and itthîu the first form. The initial û occurs four
times (in riû, l. 19, ṇamiûṇa, l. 31, nîhariûṇa, l. 35, and kâlaûḍa, l. 15), and the initial ṛi three
[1] The stone seems to have suffered additional damage since the first estampage had been prepared. The first
letter of some lines is still partially visible in the latter, while it is missing in the two fresh estampages.
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