Indian Palaeography c15.s4.22

c15.s4.22

Pl. XII. 8 is taken from the Nirmand inscription of Samudrasena. It shows the Kangra style of the early seventh century A.D. The inscription is dated in the year 6, but it need not be ascribed to the Harsha era. The writing is in the simplified style, but influence from the *kuṭila* forms is clearly seen in the shapes of some of the letters. On the other hand, there are several typical forms that indicate a regional version of the *kuṭila* writing in Kangra. Certain individualistic features may be noticed first: the feet of the left limbs of *bha* and *śa* and the hook of *sa* have curved strokes added to them. Of the initial vowels *ā* is of the curved type, *u* has a curved base, and *ai* has a flat top with an additional slant to the top left. But *i* preserves its three-dot form in one case and in the other example shows two dots above and a tailed one below. The medial vowels are simplified versions of those seen in the Middle Ganges Valley. Of the consonants *kha*, *ga*, *cha*, *ja*, *ṭa*, *ḍa*, *na* (optionally), *pa*, *pha*, *bha*, *ya* (optionally), *la*, *śa*, *sha*, *sa*, and *ha* preserve the older regional forms. The bent right verticals are observable in *ṇa*, *tha*, *dha*, *ma* and *ya*. The new influences can be seen in the use of the looped *ka*, the bulged form of *tha* and *dha*, the double curved *da* with a tail, the head-form of *na*, the acute angled *ma* and *ya*, *ra* with a triangular foot-mark, and the rounded *va*. In the conjuncts again no cursive forms are seen.