Indian Palaeography c15.s9.t1.6

c15.s9.t1.6

(i) Pl. XVII. 2 is taken from the Narsapur plates of Vijaya Devavarman and the Kollair plates of Nandivarman, both belonging to the second half of the fourth century A.D. Pl. XVII. 3 is derived from the Kanteru plates of Vijaya Skandavarman (fifth century A.D.), and Pl. XVII. 4 is from the Ipur plates of Mādhavavarman I (late sixth century A.D.). Not much evolution is seen in the letters, and the influence of the stylus is not clearly marked. The head-mark is negligible except in no. 4, which has notched lines. The tendency in this region is to have short curves at the verticals, as may be seen in *ka*, *ra*, the vertical type of the medial *u*, and optionally in *a*, though broad round curves as an influence from the Chālukyan writing appear optionally in *a*, but usually in *la* and the medial *ṛi*. The features distinguishing this from the Chālukyan style are seen in the circle type of the medial *i* and *ī*, the Deccani type of *ta* with a loop at the left side, both *ṇa* and *na* with their bases bent, the latter sometimes of the looped variety, *tha* with a dot or a short mark within a rough quadrangular form, the tripartite *ya* with its left vertical never uniformly given, and the triangular form of *va*. Other medial vowels follow the common southern pattern. It is important to note that the medial *ā* is sometimes given in the middle of the letters in *thā*, *dhā*, *bā*, *mā*, and similarly the medials *e*, *o* and *ai* hang down from the middle of the letters in *je*, *ṇe*, *dhai*, *bo*, *me*, *mo*, *yo* and *le*. The initial *e* has a stem. *Ka* has the curved mid-bar. *Kha* bends its vertical sharply to the left. *Ga* and *śa* have equal arms and rounded tops, and the former in nos. 3 and 4 has its left arm slightly curved inwards. *Gha* has a straight base with its left vertical bent in the middle. *Cha* is of the broad type, and *ja* has three arms attached to a vertical. Both *ḍa* and *da* have rounded backs, with the lower horizontal of *ḍa* slightly prolonged. The left sides of *pa*, *pha*, *ba*, and *ha* are slightly bent. *Bha* is of the broad type, and *ma* has its lower loop slightly tilted to the left. *Ṅa* in the conjuncts has its vertical bent. The *upadhmānīya* has a cross within an oval. No cursive forms are seen in the conjuncts. The vowelless *m* is indicated by placing a short *ma* at the right bottom of the letters, as in *rttam*. The main evolution in the letters of the different centuries is seen in the extension of the curves, and the prolongation of the verticals in the medials *ā*, *e*, *o* and *ai*.