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THE ALPHABET above). Fifteen years ago, M. Coedès deciphered two earlier documents which are attributed, the one to the first half of the fifth century A.D., the other to the early sixth century. The earliest dated inscription belongs to the year 526 of the Saka era (corresponding to A.D. 604); the Saka era was used throughout in Cambodia epigraphy. The first mention of Buddhists occurs in an inscription of A.D. 664. From the end of the seventh century, there begins a long succession of inscriptions in both Sanskrit and Khmer. The earliest inscription written in Khmer language belongs to A.D. 629.
All the early Cambodian inscriptions are in a script closely connected with the early Grantha character, except the inscriptions of Yasovarman
880-010), which are digraphic. in Grantha script and in a kind of North Indian script from Bengal. Cambodian inscriptions are generally in a symmetrical and elegant style, rarely found in Indian epigraphy.
Development of Cham-Khmer Characters According to the French scholars Aymonier and Cabaton, there were originally two varieties of the Cham and Khmer scripts (1) the lapidary script, preserved in various inscriptions, and (2) the current hand, of which some traces can be seen in a few inscriptions, and which was the ancestor of nearly all the following scripts used nowadays (Fig. 185):
(a) In Annam and Cambodia: (i) Akhar Srah or Thrah or "straight letters," the current hand of the Chams; it corresponds to (ii) Aksa Chrieng used by the Khmers. The Akhar Srah can be subdivided into two varieties, the round hand employed in Annam, and the angular hand used in Cambodia. (Fig. 185, 1-2.)
(b) In Cambodia two other scripts are used: (in) Akhar Tapuk, the "script of the books," employed by the Chams; it corresponds to (iv) Aksar Mul used by the Khmers. The script is slightly more artificial than the current hand. (v) Akhar Garmin, "spiders' feet," is another Cham writing, used in Cambodia.
(c) In the Cham manuscripts of Annam, and on the amulets and seals of the same population, three other varieties can be distinguished:
(vi) Akhar Rik, "sacred, hieratic writing." This script seems to be the only one descended from the early lapidary script. The letters have peculiar shapes; they are also bigger and more complicated than those of the other scripts, (Fig. 185, 3.)
(vii) Akhar Atuo'l, the "suspended character" or seal-writing it resembles modern monograms (Fig. 185, +).
(viii) Akhar Yok, the "mystic script"; its main peculiarity is that its symbols are considered (like the European alphabets and unlike the other Indo-Chinese scripts), as pure consonants, that is, not containing the inherent a, while the vowels are added in their full form (Fig. 185, 5).
