Indian Palaeography c15.s7.12

c15.s7.12

(iv) The last variety is of the hollow square head-marks (Pl. XV. 5). The large majority of the Vākāṭaka inscriptions are of this variety. These fall into two sub-varieties: those still retaining the round curves of the southern characters, and those which have strictly angular forms. In this period they are defined chronologically, but generally later inscriptions tend towards greater angularity. In the next group we shall see that the angular sub-variety alone survives in this region. In the shapes of the letters, except for the emphasis on angularity, there is no fundamental difference from what we have seen in (iii) above. The medial vowels are also of the same type. But we must note that the roof of the medial *i* is also angular here, the base of *kha* has a small rectangular loop, *ja* has the hollow square head-mark but shortens the upper angular curve, *ṇa* extends the vertical downwards and has a loop on the left, *dha* is almost trapezoidal, an angular bend is seen in the left arm of *ba*, and the loop of *ma* is rectangular and tilted to the left.