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$ 11, A.)
INDIAN PALEOGRAPHY.
25
(8) The variety of the Saka period, first century B. C. to first century A. D. (?), on the Taxila copper-plate of Patika (lithograph in J.RAS, 1863, 222, pl. 3, and collotype in EI. 4, 56), and on the lion-capital of the satrap Sodāsa or Sadasa from Mathurā, which occurs also on some sculptures from Gandhāra (autotype in J.ASB. 58, 144, pl. 10; Anzeig. phil. hist. CI. WA. 1896), on the Kaldawa stone (WZKM. 10, 55, 327) and on the coins of several Saka and Kuşana kinge (autotypes, P. GARDNER, op. cit., pl. 22-25).
(4) The strongly cursive script of the first and second centuries A.D. (?), which begins with the Takht-i-Bahi inscription of Gondopherres (autotype in JA, 1890, I, = S.NEI. 3, pl. 1, No. 1) and is fully developed in the inscriptions of the later Kuşana kings Kaniska and Ho viska (autotype of the Zeda inscription in JA, 1890, I, = S.NEL. 3, pl. 1, No. 3, of the Manikyāla stone, JA. 1896, 1, = S.NEL. 6, pl. 1, 2, of the Suë Bibär inscription, IA. 10, 324, lithograph of the Wardak vage, J.RAS. 1868, 256. pl. 10), ard occurs also in the MS. of the Dhammapada from Khotan; see above, & 7.
11. — The archaio variety
A. - The radioal signs. (1) (26) A small stroko, rising upwards at an acute angle, may be added at the foot of every letter ending with a straight or slanting line, in order to mark its end (plate I, I, II ; 6, II, V; 7, II; 8, II; &c). It a letter ends with two slanting lines, like ya and éa (34, II), the upstroke may be added to the left. In the Asoka edicts of Mansehra, da receives instead occasionally a straight base-stroke (18, V).
(2) Ca has three varieties, (a) head with obtuse angle (10, I, II, IV); (6) head with curve (10, V); (c) head with carve, connected by a vertical with the lower part (10, III). (3) The head of cha is likewise sometimes angular (11, I, IV) and sometimes round (11, II), and loses oooasionally the cross-bar below the head, as in the later types. - (1) The fall form of ja occurs at least once in Bhabhāzgarhi (12, I, V) and oftener in Mansehra, where once (edict V, 1. 24) the bar stands to the left of the foot. The left side-stroke of ja is often curved (12, III). - (5) In ña, the second shortened na (see above, 69, B, 3) is sometimes added on the right (14, I, V) and sometimes on the left (14, III, IV). Occasionally, the right side of the letter is converted cursively into a vertical, as in the later inscriptions (14, IX).
(6) The normal form of ta is that of 15, I, II ; bat the bar on the left stands occasionally lower than that on the right (15, V; 38, II), or both bars stand on the left (38, VI), or the bar on the right is omitted (commonly in Mansebra) (13, III).
(7) Ta (20) is mostly shorter and broader than ra (81), and either its two lines are of equal length, or the vertical one is shorter. Forms like 20, V, are rare. - (8) Di (22, II) shows twice, in Shābhāzgarhi edict IV, I. 8, and Mansehra ediet VII, 1. 33 (where the transcript in ZDMG. has erroneously dri), a curve to the right of the foot, which is probably nothing but an attempt to clearly distinguish da from na. - (9) Dha with the left and turned upwards (23, V) is rare and a secondary development (see above, $ 9, B, 1). In the abnormal dha of 38, VIII (dhra), from Mansehra, the second bar is a substitute for a very sharp bend to the left (23, V). - (10) The na with the bent head (24, III) occurs not rarely in the syllable ne,
1 Other facsimiles of Kharoạthi insoriptions :-(1) Asoka edista in J.RAS. 1850, 158; C.IA(CII. 1), pl. 1, 2; C.ASR. 5, pl. 5; S.IP. 1 (end); IA, 10, 107 ;-(2) later insoriptions in P.IA. 1, 96 (pl. 6), 144 (pl. 9), 182 (pl. 19); W.AA. 54 (pl. 2), 252; O.ASR. 9, 194 (pl. 59), 160 (pl. 63), 5, pl. 16, 28; J.ICAS. 1863, 222 (pl. 3), 238 (pl. ), 250 (pl. 9), 256 (pl. 10), and 1877, 144; J.ASB. 28, 57; 81, 176, 532; 39, 65; "IA. 18, 257; S.NEI. Nos. 3 (JA. 1890, I, pl. 1, No. 2) and 5 (JA. 1894, II, pl. 5, Nos. 34, 36): all useless except the last three.
- Compare ZDMG. 43, 128 ff., 274 #f.
