Old Bramhi Inscriptions In Udaygiri And Khandagiri

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

Page 13

We
PREFACE
xi
ence to the scheme of treatment adopted in the present work, even if the Khandagiri caves, their old Brahmi inscriptions and table of old Brahmi alphabet prove to be posterior to the Udayagiri caves with their old Brahmi records.
The present work comprises two books, the first of which consists of texts and translations of the inscriptions, and the second of notes or dissertations. It is evidently a departure from the usual practice of introducing the texts, translations and word-notes by an introduction dealing appropriately with the points of general importance. In reversing the usual order, my sincere desire is to enable the reader to form his own opinion before reading the author's opinion developed in the notes. It will, nevertheless, be seen that with the text and translation of each of the inscriptions has been attached a short preface or introduction dealing with matters of textual importance and containing a full bibliography.
The reader's attention must also be drawn to the fact that as regards the Hathi-Gumpha inscription, I have preferred the paragraphic arrangement of its text to the usual and mechanical "line arrangement. But the "line" arrangement, too, has not been ignored; it has simply been subordinated to the paragraphic arrangement.
I confess that in building up the dissertations I have had to take the old Brahmi inscriptions at their face value. If King Kharavela had really recorded falsehood in his inscription, there is no means of checking it. But to raise the slightest suspicion as to the veracity of the Hathi-Gumpha inscription is, to my mind, to be over-indulgent to unnecessary scepticism.
Taking the records as they are, or as they can be made out, I have been concerned to discuss, in a threadbare manner, their historical bearings and importance, showing all possible sides and keeping an eye to consistency of the data yielded by them. What I mean by consistency of the data may be best understood in the light of an example. If, as recently