Indian Palaeography c15.s6.t2.1

c15.s6.t2.1

The inscriptions of the Maitrakas represent what may truly be called the Kathiawadi style of writing. They illustrate the development of writing from the Junagadh inscription of Skanda Gupta. Though extraneous influences are noticeable in some of the letters, we can trace through them a gradual evolution of a simplified local style. The old feature of curved tips seen at the verticals of the letters is retained till the last, though the curvature is gradually reduced in all but *la*. This letter gives importance to its upper curl as is also seen in the later Chālukya and Rāshtrakūṭa inscriptions. Technically the evolution here takes place by a process of simplification. This process will be studied in two stages: (i) the inscriptions of the sixth century a.d. which show a change from the Junagadh writing to the Maitraka style, and (ii) the final development of this style in the seventh century a.d.