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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. IV.
of it, or, in the case of final t, without the virdna. As regards individual letters, the lower part of m throughout is formed by a straight arm, pointing in an upward direction to the left, and shows nowhere a loop or round knob. The conjunct rth, which occurs only in the word sdhdyakarthah) in line 13, is denoted by a sign of its own, which has developed out of the sign for rth as it appears in line 12 of the Aphead inscription of Adityasena (Gupta Inscriptions, Plate xxviii.), and which we find in nearly the same form in the Kota Buddhist inscription of the Samanta Dévadattat of Vikrama-Samvat 847(?). The sign for is similar to the sign for the same letter in the Deo para inscription of Vijayasena (Epigraphia Indica, Vol. I. p. 308, Plate), except that the vertical line on the right is drawn quite down to the bottom. The initial i is three times (in iva, 11. 3 and 4, and iti, 1.7) formed by a horizontal top line, such as is generally found in consonant-signs, with two circles below it; and three times in iti, 11. 52, 56, and 58) by two circles, with a line which slants down from the left to the right below them. The sign of visarga is sometimes expressed by a single circle, with a hook or curved line below it. The sign of avagraha is employed three times, in grdmå søya, 1. 31, tato 58mábhis, 1. 52, and yathd ssmdbhir, 1. 49; and numeral figures for 1, 2 and 3 are used in line 61. Having compared a large number of lithographs and impressions of other inscriptions, I have come to the conclusion that the alphabet here employed may fairly be described as a Magadha variety of the Nagari alphabet, and that, on paleographical grounds, the inscription may confidently be assigned to the ninth century A.D.-The language is Sansksit. The insoription, after the words om svasti with which it commences, has a verse invoking the protection of Buddha, who here, as in the Ghôsråwå inscription, is called Vajrásana, and, after that, twelve other verses in praise of the king Dharmapala and his ancestors; and it contains five benedictive and imprecatory verses in lines 56-60, and another verse, which gives the name of the engraver, in line 62. The rest of the text is in prose. As regards orthography, the letter b is throughout expressed by the sign for v; the palatal sibilant is used instead of the lingual in vitvags, 1. 12, and vitaye, 1. 31, and instead of the dental in the word arddhasrôtikd, 1. 34 ff.; the dental is employed instead of anusara in ya sanays, I. 60;
1 Final - is throughout denoted by a hall-form of m (i... an m without the horisontal top-line) with the sign of virama below (but not attached to) it; eg. in anwydtam, 1. 14. Final t is five times denoted by a final form of t, without the virdma, e.g. in vibrandt, 1. 26; once, in antard/4t, 1.28, by a half-form of t with the virdma above it; once, in aurearat, I. 16, by bearly full forin of t with the birdna attached to the top of it; and once, in vandt, 1. 67, by the ordinary form of t with the sides attached to the foot of it. Pinalis generally denoted by
half-form of #, with the virama below it, and once, in frends, . 30, above it; four times by the fall form of
with tbe virdma attached to the top of it, as in badoan, 1. 17; and once, in nishitd., 1. 17, by the full form of with the birdna below it.
Io the Ghosra wa Buddhist inscription of the time of Devapala (Ind. Ant. Vol. XVII. p. 809, Plate) them with the loop is still the exception, but in the Badal pillar inscription and in the Bhagalpur plate of Narayanapala it is used throughout.
Mr. Bataryal read this adhdy akdran. The sign for rik, bere used, of course owes its origin to the fact that the sign for was written on the line, not above it.
See Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p 46. I owe excellent impressions of that inscription to Dr. Fleet.
The first form of i, described above, we find in the word iva in line 2 of the Aftrgadh seal of the Maukbari king Sarvavarman (Gupta Iser. Plate xxx. A), and it is used throughout in the Badal pillar inscription as well wain tbe Bhagalpor plate of Narayanapala, the Dinajpur plate of Mahlpáls, the Gays inscription of Yakabapala, and in inscriptions at Sirpur, Arohaol. Suro. of India, Vol. XVII, Plate xviii.) and the second form we have in the word Tijd in line 5 of the D&O-Baranárk inscription of Jivitagupta II. of Magadhe (upta Inser. Plate xxix. B).
This sign is used 11 times, from ddvah in line 30 to pratiedsinah in line 48. In one or two cases I am doubtful whether it is meant for risarga or for anuandra.
The sign of arngraha occars once in line 8) in the K0 inscription of Devadatta of Vikraina-Samvat RAZP). And once in line 5) in the Gwalior inscription of Bhojnders of Kananj of Vikrama-Samvat 983. B. Tad Vol. I. p. 169. In the Ghosraw inseription it is used no less than seven times, but in tbe BadAl pillar inscription only twice.
This one of the palatal sibilant may be nocounted for by the influence of the Magadh Prakrit.
