Indian Palaeography from about B.C. 350 to about A.D. 1300 c3: Contents

Indian Palaeography from about B.C. 350 to about A.D. 1300 c3

Language: English

c3.1

I. — The Antiquity of Writing in India and the Origin of the Oldest Indian Alphabet.

| | PAGE |
| § 1 ... The Indian tradition . . . . . | 1 |
| § 2 ... Literary evidence for the use of writing: — | |
| A. — Brahmanical literature . . . . . | 3 |
| B. — Buddhistic literature . . . . . | 4 |
| C. — Foreign works . . . . . | 6 |
| § 3 ... Paleographic evidence . . . . . | 6 |
| § 4 ... The origin of the Brāhma alphabet . . . . . | 9 |
| A. — Borrowed signs . . . . . | 12 |
| B. — Derivative consonants and initial vowels . . . . . | 13 |
| C. — Medial vowels and absence of vowel in ligatures: — | |
| (1) — The system of the Brāhmī . . . . . | 14 |
| (2) — The system of the Drāviḍī . . . . . | 15 |
| § 5 ... The time and the manner of the borrowing of the Semitic alphabet ... ... | 15 |

c3.3

II. — The Kharoṣṭhī Script.

c3.4

| § 6 ... How it was deciphered . . . . . | 18 |
| § 7 ... Use and characteristics . . . . . | 18 |
| § 8 ... Origin . . . . . | 19 |
| § 9 ... Details of the derivation: — | |
| A. — Borrowed signs . . . . . | 20 |
| B. — Derivative signs . . . . . | 23 |
| § 10 ... The varieties of the Kharoṣṭhī of Plate I . . . . . | 24 |
| § 11 ... The archaic variety: — | |
| A. — The radical signs . . . . . | 25 |
| B. — Medial vowels and Anusvāra . . . . . | 26 |
| C. — Ligatures . . . . . | 26 |
| § 12 ... Changes in the later varieties: — | |
| A. — The radical signs . . . . . | 27 |
| B. — Medial vowels and Anusvāra . . . . . | 28 |
| C. — Ligatures . . . . . | 29 |

c3.5

III. — The ancient Brāhmī and Drāviḍī from about B. C. 350 to about A. D. 350.

c3.6

| § 13 ... How it was deciphered . . . . . | 29 |
| § 14 ... Common characteristics of the ancient inscriptions ... ... ... | 30 |
| § 15 ... The varieties of the Brāhmī and Drāviḍī in Plates II. and III. ... ... | 31 |
| § 16 ... The older Maurya alphabet; Plate II: — | |
| A. — Geographical extension and duration of use . . . . . | 33 |
| B. — Local varieties . . . . . | 33 |
| C. — The radical signs or Mātṛkās . . . . . | 34 |
| D. — Medial vowels and Anusvāra . . . . . | 37 |
| E. — Ligatures . . . . . | 37 |

c3.7

| | | | | | | | | | PAGE |
| § 17 | ... The Drāviḍī of Bhaṭṭiprolu; Plate II. | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 38 |
| § 18 | ... The last four alphabets of Plate II. | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 39 |
| § 19 | ... The precursors of the northern alphabets: — | | | | | | | |
| | A. — The alphabet of the Northern Kṣatrapas; Plate III. | ... | ... | ... | ... | 40 |
| | B. — The alphabet of the Kuṣana inscriptions; Plate III. | ... | ... | ... | ... | 40 |
| § 20 | ... The precursors of the southern alphabets: — | | | | | | | |
| | A. — The alphabet of the Kṣatrapas of Mālva and Gujarāt; Plate III. | ... | ... | 41 |
| | B. — The alphabets of the cave-inscriptions of the western Dekhan and the Koṅkaṇ; Plate III. | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 42 |
| | C. — The alphabet of the Jaggayyapeta inscriptions; Plate III. | ... | ... | ... | 43 |
| | D. — The alphabet of the Pallava Prākrit land-grants; Plate III. | ... | ... | ... | 44 |

c3.8

IV. — The Northern Alphabets from about A. D. 350.

c3.9

| § 21 | ... Definition and varieties | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 44 |
| § 22 | ... The so-called Gupta alphabet of the 4th and 5th centuries A. D.; Plate IV: — | | | | | | | | |
| | A. — Varieties | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 46 |
| | B. — Characteristics of the epigraphic Gupta alphabet | ... | ... | ... | ... | 47 |
| | C. — The Gupta alphabet in manuscripts | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 48 |
| § 23 | ... The acute-angled and Nāgarī types; Plates IV, V, VI. | ... | ... | ... | ... | 49 |
| § 24 | ... Details of the changes in the acute-angled and the Nāgarī alphabets: — | | | | | | | |
| | A. — The Mātṛkās... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 52 |
| | B. — Medial vowels and so forth... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 56 |
| | C. — The ligatures... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 56 |
| § 25 | ... The Sāradā alphabet; Plates V. and VI. | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 57 |
| § 26 | ... Eastern varieties of the Nāgarī alphabet and the arrow-head script: — | | | | | | | |
| | A. — Proto-Bengālī; Plates V. and VI. | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 58 |
| | B. — The Nepalese hooked characters; Plate VI. | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 60 |
| | C. — The arrow-head alphabet; Plate VI. | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 60 |

c3.10

V. — The Southern Alphabets.

c3.11

| § 27 | ... Definition and varieties | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 61 |
| § 28 | ... The western script and the script of Central India; Plates VII. and VIII: — | | | | | | | | |
| | A. — The western script | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 62 |
| | B. — The script of Central India | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 64 |
| § 29 | ... The Kanarese and Telugu alphabet; Plates VII. and VIII: — | | | | | | | |
| | A. — The archaic variety | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 65 |
| | B. — The middle variety | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 67 |
| | C. — The Old-Kanarese alphabet | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 68 |
| § 30 | ... The later Kaliṅga script; Plates VII. and VIII. | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 69 |
| § 31 | ... The Grantha alphabet; Plates VII. and VIII: — | | | | | | | |
| | A. — The archaic variety | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 70 |
| | B. — The middle variety | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 71 |
| | C. — The transitional Grantha | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 72 |
| § 32 | ... The Tamil and Vaṭṭeḷuttu alphabets; Plate VIII: — | | | | | | | |
| | A. — The Tamil | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 73 |
| | B. — The Vaṭṭeḷuttu | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 75 |

c3.12

VI. — Numeral Notation.

c3.13

§ 33 ... The numerals of the Kharoṣṭhī; Plate I . . . . . 76 § 34 ... The numerals of the Brāhmī, Plate IX :— A. — The ancient letter-numerals . . . . . 77 B. — The decimal notation . . . . . 82 § 35 ... Numeral notation by words and letters :— A. — The word-numerals . . . . . 83 B. — Numeral notation by letters . . . . . 86

c3.14

VII. — The External Arrangement of Inscriptions and Manuscripts.

c3.15

§ 36 ... The lines, grouping of words, interpunctuation, and other details :— A. — The lines . . . . . 87 B. — The grouping of words . . . . . 88 C. — Interpunctuation . . . . . 88 D. — Maṅgalas and ornamentation . . . . . 90 E. — Corrections, omissions, and abbreviations . . . . . 91 F. — Pagination . . . . . 92 G. — Seals . . . . . 92

c3.16

VIII. — Writing Materials, Libraries, and Writers.

c3.17

§ 37 ... Writing materials :— A. — Birch-bark . . . . . 92 B. — Cotton cloth . . . . . 93 C. — Wooden boards . . . . . 93 D. — Leaves . . . . . 94 E. — Animal substances . . . . . 95 F. — Metals . . . . . 95 G. — Stone and brick . . . . . 96 H. — Paper . . . . . 97 I. — Ink . . . . . 97 J. — Pens, pencils, &c . . . . . 98 § 38 ... The preservation of manuscripts and copper-plates, and the treatment of letters :— A. — Manuscripts and libraries . . . . . 98 B. — Copper-plates . . . . . 99 C. — The treatment of letters . . . . . 100 § 39 ... Writers, engravers, and stone-masons . . . . . 100

c3.18

Concluding Remarks.