Indian Palaeography c12.s1.2

c12.s1.2

The term *silāphalaka* (stone slab), used by Aśoka, must refer to the blocks of rock on which the edicts are engraved, as only one stone slab (the Calcutta Bairat slab) has so far been discovered. The rocks are of different types—granite, quartzite, trap, and others, whichever was available on the spot, but the outstanding block in the locality was always chosen for the inscriptions. No attempt was made to prepare the surface, except in the case of the pillars, where engraving was done after polishing. In the case of rocks a naturally flat surface was selected. As a result the pillar inscriptions are better written, while the rock inscriptions are comparatively rough.