Indian Palaeography c13.18

c13.18

There is also one addition to the consonants, found once at Sanchi and once at Mathura. This is the West Indian *ḷa*. At Sanchi it occurs in the place-name *Vāḷivahana*¹ which has been spelt in other places as *Vāḍivahana*; and at Mathura it is used in the word *kāla-vāḷa*,² which Bühler takes for *kāla-vyāla*. It is formed from the letter *ṭa* (Fig. 6. VIII). This letter resembles *ḍha*, but it is distinct. It should not be confused with the North Indian *ḍa*, but should be taken as representing similar sounds occurring in the Dravidian languages and is to be regarded as the parent of the West Indian *ḷa*, which survives in modern Marathi.