Indian Palaeography c15.s5.2

c15.s5.2

In this section we confine ourselves only to the influence of the northern and southern characters and finally see how they evolved into a new style. The local writing of the Deccan showing square-headed letters will be dealt with in a subsequent section.¹ The nuclear zone in this area is Malwa, the influence from which on the one hand reached the desert area of Rajasthan, and, on the other, penetrated into the Vindhyan forest belt. In the beginning of the fourth century Malwa was strongly under the influence of the Deccan, and, as we have seen in the last chapter, the southern style is clearly marked in the two Bijayagadh inscriptions.² But towards the close of the fourth century a.d., with the invading forces of Chandra Gupta II, the Kauśāmbī style of writing was introduced here, as is attested by the Udayagiri cave inscription of Śāba Vīrasena. This style left its influence in the subsequent records. But the Deccani character was not ousted suddenly. In the inscriptions of the local rulers it survives right up to the end of the fifth century a.d. The next change is noticeable in the time of Budha Gupta and the Hūṇa ruler Toramāṇa. As the features associated with this change are first seen in this area, I have termed this style of writing Malwa or Rajasthani. These features are not seen in the inscriptions of Budha Gupta found in the Middle Ganges Valley and Bengal. Subsequently the inscriptions of Yaśodharman show a development of this same style. Further confirmation of this assumption comes from the Vindhyan belt, where the series of Khoh copper plates reveal a very similar style of writing. In the seventh century a.d. again influence from the Middle Ganges Valley reaches this region and ornamental characters or *kuṭila* forms begin to appear, as is attested by the Vasantagadh inscription. But the Rajasthani style continued to develop on its own lines and towards the close of the seventh century we meet with the evolution of proto-Nāgarī in the inscriptions of this period.