Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Indian Palaeography c14.s10: Early Gupta Inscriptions

Indian Palaeography c14.s10

Language
English

Contents

Early Gupta Inscriptions

c14.s10.1

The old palaeographers¹ wrote of a common Gupta alphabet with regional variations. Fleet distinguished two classes—northern and southern—and Hoernle further pointed to a distinction between the eastern and western group mainly on the basis of a few letters. This classification was based on the materials available to them. Newly discovered North Indian inscriptions belonging to the second to fourth centuries a.d. remain unexplained if this concept of the old palaeographers is adhered to. The so-called special letters of the Eastern Gupta alphabet were long in use in the inscriptions of the Magha rulers at Kauśāmbī. Their influence has been traced in the rare inscriptions of Kanishka and Huvishka at Mathura, and in the east at Sahet-Mahet the looped *sa* and hooked *ha* have been found.² The Mathura style of the Kushāṇa writing is seen at Sanchi, but is hardly observable in the east, except that the Mathura system of vowel-marking is noticed in the Kanishka inscriptions of Kosam, Sarnath, and Sahet-Mahet. The other local inscriptions maintain a different variety.³ Malwa was affected by the incursions of the Western Kshatrapas and the Sātavāhanas, and hence the style in that region rapidly changed. In the fourth century a.d. these regional variations are maintained. The Allahabad pillar inscription and the Bhita seals are in the Kauśāmbī style, but the longer inscription of Pavarika at Sahet-Mahet and the seal of Dhruvasvāminī at Basarh show a different eastern style, as seen in the Sarnath inscription of Aśvaghosha. The Eran inscription of Samudra Gupta, and the Sanchi inscription and all but one of the Udayagiri inscriptions of Chandra Gupta II follow the Malwa style, while the Mathura inscriptions of Chandra Gupta II are in the Mathura style. But a change was definitely coming towards the close of this century. The earliest evidence is supplied by the Udayagiri cave inscription (Fleet, no. 6) of Chandra Gupta II, which is written entirely in the Kauśāmbī style. Similarly the influence of Kauśāmbī is traceable in one or two letters at Mathura. In the fifth century a.d. the Kauśāmbī style became the predominating system of writing in the Gangetic Valley, though the other styles continued to be used occasionally in the local inscriptions. In the face of this evidence it is difficult to choose one or the other style and call it the Gupta alphabet. I have therefore followed the regional and chronological classification. The Gupta inscriptions of Samudra Gupta and Chandra Gupta II are analysed here, and the others will be described in the next chapter.

c14.s10.2

¹ Fleet, *op. cit.*, pp. 3–4; G. Bühler, *Indian Palaeography*, pp. 44–48; Hoernle in *Indian Antiquary*, xxi. 29 ff.

c14.s10.3

² *An. Rep. A.S.I.*, 1910–11, pls. VI*a* and XI*a*.

c14.s10.4

³ See above, p. 89.

Basarh and Sahet-Mahet Inscriptions

c14.s10.t1.1

We can definitely assign to the fourth century A.D. the Basarh clay seal of Dhruvasvāminī and the inscription of Sihadeva Pavarika from Sahet-Mahet.¹ In both these inscriptions the medial vowel marks follow the Mathura style of the Kushāṇa inscriptions. In the Sahet-Mahet inscription the tapering verticals can still be observed, but in the Bhita seal the block head-mark is found. Mathura influence is also seen in the looped variety of *ya*, and in combination this *ya* is of the hooked type. Other letters, such as *ma*, *sa*, *ha*, and *la*, maintain the older forms as seen in this region.

c14.s10.t1.2

¹ *An. Rep. A.S.I.*, 1910–11, pl. XI*b*.

The Kauśāmbī Style of the Fourth Century A.D.

c14.s10.t2.1

This way of writing is seen in the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudra Gupta, the Gadhwa inscription of Chandra Gupta II, the Udayagiri cave inscription of Chandra Gupta II (Fleet, no. 6), the Bhita seals, and the Susunia rock inscription of Chandravarman.

c14.s10.t2.2

The Susunia inscription (Pl. XI. 1) shows a monumental style. The engraving is of a high quality. The angular features are conspicuous in the formation of the letters. The cursive forms, which copy the Kauśāmbī style, include the looped *na*, the open-mouthed *ṇa* with a loop at the left, the tailed *ma*, the hooked *ha*, and the looped *sa*. The subscript *ya* is of the hooked variety. *Ra* is a straight vertical. The right arm of the letters such as *ta*, *ga*, and *śa* is longer than the left arm. The head-mark is characterized by a solid triangle. The medial vowel marks generally follow the older eastern style, but the Kushāṇa *ā* and *e* are optionally used. In the case of *ṇā* a hooked mark is added to the lower right of the letter. The medial *i* also shows a curled head. The form of *sha* in the conjunct *ṣṭa* is not very different from the looped *sa*. This form is also found in the Allahabad inscription. In Bengal in the fifth century *sha* is replaced by *sa* (Pl. XI*b*. 2). It seems that a confusion arose between *sha* and *sa* at this time. On the whole it is surprising to find an inscription in the Kauśāmbī style in Bengal in the middle of the fourth century a.d., to which period King Chandravarman is generally assigned. Palaeographically the Susunia inscription does not seem older than the close of the fourth century a.d. But an earlier intrusion from Kauśāmbī is not unlikely.

c14.s10.t2.3

The Kauśāmbī style of the fourth century a.d. can be best studied in the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudra Gupta (Pl. X. 1). The writing in this inscription shows a further development from the Kauśāmbī style of the second to third century a.d. The tapering style of the earlier Kauśāmbī inscriptions is no longer found. The head-formation has a definite line-mark, which in some cases appears to be notched. The medial vowels keep up the eastern style in some cases but copy the Kushāṇa system in others. The medial *ā* bends its horizontal tip and in the case of *ṇā* it is attached to the lower right side. The medial *i* lengthens its hook so as to carry its end right below the head-mark. This is observable especially in *ri* and *ti*. The medial *ī* has its right arm longer than its left. The medial *u* is always crooked. The medials *e*, *ai*, *o*, and *au* are in the Kushāṇa style: the medial *e* has a single slant to the left, *ai* has two, the medial *o* has one on either side, and *au* has a third vertical mark added in the middle of the *o*-mark. In the case of *mā* the hook is attached to the right arm, and in the case of *ṭā* it is turned upward. An upper slant added to the sign of *ṭā* makes it *ṭo*. In *gu*, *bhu*, *tu*, &c., the hook of *u* is turned upward. The initial *a* has only the angular form with its lower left stroke drawn at an angle. The initial *i* has two dots one above the other and a vertical on the right. The initial *u* rounds its angle. *Ka* has its horizontal bent. The triangular base of *kha* is prominent. Its upper hook, which now has a line-mark at the foot, is found in curved and flat varieties. The right arms of *ga*, *ta*, *bha*, and *śa* are prolonged—a practice seen henceforward in all the North Indian inscriptions. *Ga* has both round and flat tops. The left limbs of *kha*, *ga*, and *śa* have foot-marks. *Gha* has either its left arm or its base curved. *Ja* has all its three arms slanted downwards, while the lowest sometimes bends still farther. *Ḍa* maintains the stepped form, but prolongs the lower vertical. *Na* has developed a loop in the openmouthed type, and *tha* has optionally a line in place of the centre dot. *Da* is of the round-backed type, but *dha* has almost an oblong form. *Na* is of the looped variety. Notches are seen in the sides of *pa*, *pha*, *ba*, and *sha*. *Bha* is of the angular variety with its right arm farther extended, as already noticed. *Ma* is of the tailed variety. *Ya* has a loop at the left arm, and in combination it is of the hooked variety. *Ra* is a straight vertical. *La* and *ha* are of the hooked type and *sa* of the looped variety. The mid-line of *sha* is either horizontal or sharply bent down to the base, producing a form very close to *sa*. Among the compounds may be noted the form of *ṅa* in combination with *ha*. Finally it must be remarked that the long verticals do not show curves in this style of writing.

c14.s10.t2.4

The Eastern Malwa style of the fourth century A.D. is the continuation of the ornamental style that was seen in this region in the earlier century. The Bijayagadh inscriptions, already described, differ from this style in the formation of the head-mark and also in fondness for over-ornamentation. Of the present style the classic examples are the Eran inscription of Samudra Gupta and the Udayagiri cave inscriptions of Chandra Gupta II, dated in the (Gupta) year 82. These inscriptions show solid square head-marks. But the Sanchi inscription of Chandra Gupta II, dated in the (Gupta) year 93, generally exhibits solid triangular head-marks, though in some cases it is difficult to distinguish these from the block head-marks. In all these inscriptions the medial vowels follow the system seen in the other inscriptions of this region. The main difference from the eastern style is in the addition of ornamental curves to the long verticals and of notches at the sides. Cursive forms are not found here, except the looped *na*. The open-mouthed type of *ṇa* is not found, but the letter develops a loop at the base, as we saw in the Bijayagadh inscription of Vishṇuvardhana. The base of *ma* is an oval, and generally tilted to the left. *Bha* optionally is of the southern notched type. An important change is seen in the letter *ya*. The loop at the left arm of this letter seen in the Mathura style gradually sinks into insignificance. Other southern features can be marked in the equal armed *ga*, *ta*, and *śa*, the broad variety of *cha*, the angular back of *ḍa* and *da*, the deep inward curvature of the left side of *ba*, *va* with a quadrangular loop on the left side of the vertical, and *ṅa* in the conjunct *ṅka* with its vertical deeply curving inwards. On the whole the forms are generally in the Malwa style.

c14.s10.t2.5

In the two Mathura inscriptions of Chandra Gupta II (Pl. XII. 1) further development from the earlier Kushāṇa style can be seen. I do not agree with D. R. Bhandarkar¹ that the style of these is hard to distinguish from that of the Kushāṇa records. In these inscriptions we have notched head-marks generally tending to become solid triangles. The letters *ga* and *śa* have developed flat tops, while their right arms, like those of *ta* and *bha*, are prolonged downwards. *Tha* has a line in place of the centre dot. *Dha* in some cases is of the oblong form. The angle of *o* is rounded. The medial vowels are all of the eastern type. The long *ā* is formed by adding a hook to the vertical of the initial *a*. Eastern influence is seen in the use of the open-mouthed *ṇa* and *ma* with a curve at the left corner, as is also seen in the Karamdanda and Bhitari inscriptions.² The last feature is known only from one example. No ornamental flourishes are seen in these inscriptions.

c14.s10.t2.6

¹ *Epigraphia Indica*, xxi. 1.

c14.s10.t2.7

² See below, p. 123.

c14.s10.t2.8

On the whole the early Gupta inscriptions carry further the regional styles of the third century A.D. They differ from the earlier inscriptions in the formation of the head-mark, in the evolution of the uniform medial vowel marks, and in the development of a few letters. The Kushāṇa style of the medial vowels persists in the coin epigraphy, which appears to have been largely influenced by that of the Kushāṇas.

Linked texts (2)