Indian Antiquary Vol 62

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 64

THE VIKRAMKHOL INSCRIPTION
[ MARCH, 1933
causative affix and by the causative syllable itself, which bears a higher degree of psychological importance, and in (6) above by the length of the final vowel or of the vowel immediately preceding Enal-, - or -7.
So far as Tamil is concurred, the higher accent in aluu, etc., is attested by the peculiarly trochaio pronunciation of these forms; in combinative groups like kahd'idu, the same principle holds goodi and, in addition, the combinative position itself may lead to a certain extra accent.
The features of contrast betwen the Gôndi and tho Tamil instances are the following :
(1) In Tamil the dydam evidences itself only in a few old words, while in Gôndi. - hactively appears in the living specoh of today, togWarly in certain circumstances in the plurals of nouns and causatives of verbe.
(2) In the second set of Tarvil in starors presented by kahd'idu, there is the assimilative conversion of the dental -- to the alveolar under the infuence of -l-, while in the Gôndi instances referred to in (6) (ii) above, -, - or -t appears to have been absorbed in the process of the production of -hk.
Though the resemblances between the Tamil aydam and Gôndi -- in the above instances need not lead to the postulate of a common stage of change for these dialects, it is probable that they mirror & germinal trait of these two Dravidian dialects.
THE VIKEAMKHOL INSCRIPTION.
(SAMBALPUR Dīsi RICT.) By K. P. JAYASWAL, M.A. (Oxon.), BARRISTER-AT-LAW. 1. VIKRAMKHOL lies within the jurisdiction of police thana Jharsûguda in the district of Sambalpur, Bihar and Orissa. It is approachable from the small railway station Bel. pahar on the main line of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway. From BelpahAs one has to go four mileg south west tn Grindola, and thence another four miles in the same direction to Vikramkhol. The road from Grindola crosses a corner of the Gangpur State. There is a village, Titliabahal, near the rock of Vikramkhol. The inscription is in a natural rockshelter, six tout below the top. The rock is a rough sandstone. The rock-shelter is 115 feet in length and 27 feet 7 inches in height froin the fioor. It faces north-east.
2. The inscribed portion is about 35 feet by '7 feet. Some of the letters are sharply cut, but the invision-marks of the majority do not show sharp cutting. It seems that an iron chisol was not ved Some of the letters are partly cut and partly painted, while some letters are only in print: but the majority are completely cut. It is evident that all the letters were first painted before being incised, which was the method regularly employed in the period of Brahmî inscriptions. The colour of the paint is red-ochro, with which we are familiar in the prehistorio and historic caves and cave buildings in India. To take a continuous photograph of all the letters (incised and painted), the incised letters have been carefully coloured. I have also had impressions of the incised letters taken by the usual metkol, and phctographs in four parts of the squeeze are reproduced on the accompanying pletu, together with the completo view referred to above and sections of the continuous photograph on a larger scale where the letters are very clear. I have also had tracings made of the painted portions. All this material is now in the Patna Museum. The estampages And the tracings have been made by the Curator of the Museum, Rai Sahib Manoranjan Głosh. The photographs have been taken by the Patna Museum staff under the supervision of the Curator. The material has been collected under my direction.