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The Background (6th-8th Century A.D.)
51
great deal of leisure."17 But it is known from various sources that perhaps Harsha was a good poet too. If so, his appreciation of penmanship might have led him to calligraphic writing.
The lower limb of the right verticals in Aphsad inscription are more twisted, on the basis of which Fleet calls it “the Kutila variety of the Magadha alphabet of the seventh century A.D.”18 Banerjilo noticed eastern influence in it. Aphsad inscription was done by Sukshmasiva, a native of the Gauda country.20 So, it is possible that the eastern influences arrive with the writer. But after all, there seems no remarkable difference from the script of the region.
The feature of development is seen in the bending of the right verticals. In initial vowels, the lower bend of a and u is prolonged into an artistic curve. A notch is marked at the top line in initial e of Bānskherā Plate; and u of Madhuban Plate. Initial i is formed by two dots above and a curve below. Rare, initial i in Bānskherā Plate is formed by a dot in either sides of a wedged and footmarked vertical line.
Among consonants, the evolution is noticeable in the form of ka, where vertical line prolongs and right vertical lengthens into a bent vertical. The foot-mark of the letter ga is triangular; in the case of rounded-top, the right limb of the letter extends upward. The letter ja of Banskhera Plate shows a developed feature with a head mark on the top, middle bar bent downwards and lower portion going further down and bent to the left. Ta in Later-Gupta inscriptions is merely a curve with horizontally placed wedge at upper end. Banerji21 asserted to this form as eastern and opines that eastern variety differs very much from that of the head-marked western. But this is unreliable, because curved form is a common variety of the earlier period and also employed during 7th-8th centuries A.D. in Rajasthan and western regions (Cf., Plate 1). Presumably, cursive form was the common variety from which head-mark form of western and double curve form of eastern varieties ultimately evolved
Among other consonants, right curve of ņa is elongated with curl, upper portion of tha shows an inner loop. Later Gupta da represents a tail
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