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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. VI.
parihardpetha (1. 20), and the potentials karejja, kárápejja and karejamo (11. 22-24), which correspond to Pali kareyya, kárápeyya and karsyydma.
As regards orthography, double consonants are rarely expressed by a compound letter, as in pattika (1. 28), sagotta (11.2 and 7 f.), and vammo (1. 3), or by & nasal with preceding anusvára (in Dhamia', 1. 3). Generally the writer follows the practice of the cave-inscriptions, where & single consonant does duty for the double letter; Bee Agivesa (1.7 f.) for Sanskfit Agnivésya, ditha (plate i. a) and chhatha (1. 26) for dittha and chhaffha, sampadata (1. 11) against datta (1. 27), ana (1. 17) for annal (añña in Pali), Palava (1.2) for Pallava, sava (11. 12, 17, 19) for savva (sabba in Pali), and tasa (1. 23) etc. for tassa eto.
The alphabet of the new plates is an epigraphic curiosity. Though on the whole resembling that of the Hirahadagalli plates, it exhibits a few letters which differ from the corresponding characters of all Indian alphabets. Thus the letter & consists of two equal carves, one below the other, but not connected with it. The letter m consists of the same upper curve and of a loop which starts from its upper right corner and reaches below the line; in the group mmo (1.3) the same loop is attached once more to the right of the syllable mo. The dental and lingual nasals are not distinguished from each other, but represented by a symbol which assumes various slightly dissimilar shapes and resembles d and d so closely, that only the context can show which letter is meant in each individual case. I have transcribed it by n wherever it cannot be read as d ord. The j of vejayike (1. 5) looks, roughly speaking, like an angle and a circle. This circle is open on the right in tujasa (1. 8) and orájo (1.1), while it is joined to the horizontal leg of the angle in odijasa (1. 9). In majaddya (1. 18) and karejamo (1. 24) we have the usual form of já. The group ija in karejja (1. 22) and kárápejja (1. 23) is identical in shape with jo (1. 21). Finally I would draw attention to the letter e in etasa (1. 11) and etehi (1. 16), which looks like an archaic Tamil su.
Plates ü. to vii. are marked with the numerical symbols 2' to '8' on the left of the first side between the ring-hole and the margin. The symbol .10' and' duplicates of the symbols '5' and '6' occur in the date portion on plate vii. 6. The symbol. 4 differs from that of the Hirahadagalli plates and already resembles the corresponding modern figure.
TEXT. First Plate; First Side.
Ditha[] [ll]
First Plate; Second Side. 1 KArJchipurato yava-maharajo 2 Bharad@ya-sagotto Palavanam
Second Plate; First Side. 3 Sivakha[m]davammo Dhambakade 4 våpatam anapayati [lo]
1 This form occurs in the Birghadaealli plates, 11. 6 and 43. . In thn Hirahadagalli plates the jjd of kararejja (l. 40) differs from the go of Ordjo (1.2). • The symbol, if any, on the first plate is obliterated. • From Mr. Venkuyya's ink-impressions and from the original plates.
The aime words entered on plate i. a of the Hirwbudagalli plates.
. The first syllable of this word is almost entirely obliterated, but can be supplied with certainty from line 1 of the Hirabadagalli plates.
