Elements of South-Indian Palæography, from the Fourth to the Seventeenth Century A.D. c6.s2.2

c6.s2.2

These figures are remarkable as forming the stage of development between the W. Cave numerals and the modern systems, and are, therefore, relics of a system that became more or less obsolete in the sixth century A. D.¹; we find here separate figures for *ten*, *hundred* and *thousand* nearly identical with the W. Cave forms; but the figures for *twenty* etc. are rejected, and tens, hundreds or thousands are expressed by prefixing the sign for the units to the left side of the figure representing the order. The use of the cipher and value of position are Grantha (or Brahmanical), and till lately have been but little used, though Sanskrit mss. are almost invariably numbered in this way.