Old Bramhi Inscriptions In Udaygiri And Khandagiri

Author(s): Benimadhab Barua
Publisher: University of Calcutta

Page 11

PREFACE
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their inter-connection, as well as in their connection, with the table of Brāhmī alphabet in the first Tattva-Gumphā on the Khaņdagiri bill.
It will be noticed that all the shorter inscriptions have been treated in the present work, together with the table of Brāhmi alphabet, as appendices to the Hāthi-Gumphā inscription, while the Hathi-Gumphā inscription itself has been treated as the main text serving as a complete Khāravela. Carita,-anyhow, a Prakrit panegyric (prasasti) of King Khāravela in ancient Indian epigraphy, composed by some unknown Harisena or Bāņa in an elegant prose diction clearly anticipating the prose style of the Pāli Milinda-Pañha. The scheme of treatment has been conceived in such a manner that it includes Khāravela's inscription as the first text, Khāravela's chief-queen's inscription as the second text, KadampaKudepa's inscription as the third, and so on and so forth till the series closes with the Tattva-Gumphā table. And yet I am afraid that the sense of incompleteness is apt to remain in view of the fact that some four or five caves which have sunk down showing just their covering roofs on the slopes of Udayagiri have not, as yet, thanks to the goodness of the Department of Archäology, been completely exposed to view, affording a chance to the visitors to satisfy themselves as to whether they bear inscriptions or not, and if they bear any inscriptions, what their contents and characters would be. Pressure of work and shortage of funds would be lame excuses, I venture to submit, in this case, for just a few strokes of the pick and shovel are what is required to accomplish the needful work.
Even though some of the inscriptions in some of the buried caves do not find place in this volume, for the reasons stated above, it may be hoped that their contents and characters, when made known, will not have much to add to the information culled from those records which find place in it.
True it is that I have found it expedient to be guided,