Indian Palaeography c14.s2.2

c14.s2.2

With the coming of the Kanishka group of the Kushāṇas to Mathura the style of writing changed rapidly (Pl. VIII). This change appears to be the result of the introduction of the ‘pen’ style in the earlier period. The general popularity of writing is evidenced by the large number of private records, which show attempts at reproducing the accepted forms in various ways. A common feature in all these inscriptions is the use of the line head-mark in place of the tapering verticals—a practice which is quite understandable in popular writing. This fact accounts for the poor quality of engraving, in which respect these private records contrast strikingly with inscriptions on the statues discovered at Mat near Mathura. Nevertheless, there is a certain unity of form in all the inscriptions from Mathura, except in two records¹—one the Kanishka inscription of the year 14 (Pl. VIII. 4) and the other the Huvishka inscription of the year 33 (Pl. VIII. 6). The specific letters which distinguish these two from the others are the tailed variety of *ma* and looped variety of *sa* in both, and hooked *la* and *ha* in the first. As these forms became a popular feature in the Gupta records, the date of this inscription of Kanishka has always been doubted. Dr. Lohuizen, on the basis of this doubt, propounded the theory that the inscription omitted the first digit and that it should properly be dated to the 114th year of the Kanishka era. She makes no mention of the inscription of Huvishka. On the other hand, she has included a number of other inscriptions in her re-dated group. But none of these, except one¹ which has a looped *sa*, has the special forms of the Kanishka inscription. Obviously these two inscriptions of Kanishka and Huvishka are intruders in this region. As I shall show, their affinity lies elsewhere, with the Kosam group. To accept this is to reject the whole classification of Lohuizen's thesis, because the remaining discrepancies pointed out by her can be explained on the ground of different hands being employed in the different inscriptions.