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The Period of Transition (9th-10th Century A.D.)
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archaic broad looped form and la has an outer bend at the lower extremity of the left curve. Medial ā is formed by attaching a triangular or short line instead of full perpendicular line. Medial u is of many types, such as wedged vertical, hollow triangular, cursive, or rightwards extended form.
Bu. Table B, is illustrated from the Kāritalās Stone inscription of Lakshmanarāja I (A.D. 840-41) and Table Cg from the Kāritalai inscription of Lakshmanarāja II (A.D. 945–70) to show the evolution in the Kalachuri alphabet. The head-mark of Table B, is in triangular form which is broader and covers the tops of some letter in Table Cg. The letter ga of Table B, looks like rā. Left limb of kha still shows triangular foot-mark. Gha shows a process of developing modern features. Na retains open-mouthed shape and ta is of curved variety. The upper left limb of dha bends leftwards in order to form a horn like later shape. Bha and sa are of wedged variety in Table B, and with mouths open in Table Cg.
The stroke of the medial signs in Table B, have here and there been ornamentally treated and much elongated in serpentine form. The medials of Table Cg are of simple variety but still they are not uniform.
Biv. Table Cg is taken from Dewal (Pilibhit, U.P.) Prasasti of Lalla (A.D. 992). J. Princep10 termed the alphabet of this inscription as the Kutila alphabet while Bühler11 puts it into the group of North Indian Nāgarī. The palaeography shows some peculiarities which may be due to the writer and engraver, the former, belonged to Gaudadeśa and the latter from Kānyakubja. 12 The inscription itself refers to the writer as “Kuțilāksharāni Vidushā,” 'well versed in writing Kuțla letters'.
The head-mark is a solid triangle or wedge, which sometimes becomes broader or develops into line form. The initial vowel a shows a foot-mark and e is without a tail. Among consonants, kha, ga and sa have a hollow triangle in the left limb. Gha is still of three armed variety. Lower curve of da in dā prolongs leftward in modern Nāgarī style. Dha extends upwards its right vertical. The right curve of na and the middle bar of ma start from the upper portion and the left loop of both letters are open. The
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