Indian Palaeography from about B.C. 350 to about A.D. 1300 c7.s13.6

c7.s13.6

As regards the geographical distribution of these types, the younger Maurya alphabet belongs not only to the north-east (Bihār), but also to the north-west, where its *ja* and *ṣa* are found on the coins of the two Indo-Grecian kings, mentioned above (§ 15, 4). The Kaliṅga alphabe is of course that of the south-eastern coast, and the type of the Nānāghāṭ inscriptions that of the western Dekhan. Finally, the Śuṅga type probably represents the script of the centre of India. It, however, extends also to the west, as the same or very similar characters are found in the caves of the Marāṭhā country; compare § 15 above, 5, note 3.