Indian Palaeography c13.13

c13.13

In the initial vowels we have three additions to those used in Aśokan Brāhmī. The long *ī* is formed by adding a fourth dot to the three dots of the short *i*, each dot being placed at the four angles of the quadrangle (Fig. 6. I). Ojha reads the broken sign [Figure:] in the Barli inscription as *vī* and argues that the curved addition over *va* should be taken for long *ī*, but if he is correct this is a unique example, and in any case the letter is defective. Dr. D. C. Sircar