Indian Palaeography c15.s9.t2: (d) The Inscriptions of the Eastern Chāḷukyas
Indian Palaeography c15.s9.t2
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(d) The Inscriptions of the Eastern Chāḷukyas
c15.s9.t2.1
The Eastern Chāḷukyas introduced the Chāḷukyan style of writing in this region. As seen in the earlier inscriptions, the style is a complete adoption except for the form of the letter *kha*, which has here a looped base, and an evolved form of *ṛa*, which in one case has the inner cross but usually shows a horizontal line only. The inscriptions fall into two groups:
c15.s9.t2.2
(i) Pl. XVII. 7 and 8 illustrate the style of the first half of the seventh century A.D., and Pl. XVII. 9 gives the style of the later half of that century. The difference between the two styles is well marked. In the later style the curves are extended farther, the initial *i* develops a tail in its double roof, the medial vowels prolong their vertical ticks downwards, and the lower verticals in *ka* and *ra* are doubled. There is hardly any difference in the form of the letters used in the inscriptions of the Eastern and the Western Chāḷukyas at this time, except in the two letters mentioned above. Hence the description need not be repeated.
c15.s9.t2.3
(ii) Pl. XVII. 10 represents the style of the eighth century A.D. Some of the letters are identical with those seen in the Rāshtrakūṭa inscriptions, e.g. the initial *a* with its emphasis on the round curve of its right vertical and the reduction of the left limb into a simple line, and *ka* with its upper vertical given separately from the lower doubled lines. But one also notices in this style a tendency to straight lines, e.g. in the roof of the initial *i*, which shows a short tail on the right, and has a flat top; the initial *u* is also angular, and this angularity is also emphasized in the forms of *cha*, *ṭa*, *ṇa*, *da*, *na*, *pa* and *bha*. The initial *e* has a short stem, and *o* has a curl at the end of the upper horizontal. The loop of *kha* opens upwards. *Ga* is of the horseshoe type with its left arm curved inwards. *Gha* has a wavy base and its left vertical is bent. *Chha* is very crudely drawn with its two loops hardly touching each other. *Ba* has its left arm deeply curved inwards. The most important distinction from the Rāshṭrakūṭa form is in the case of *la*, which here does not extend its upper curl into a circle and of which the left limb preserves its full hook form. *R̤a* has a mid-line on which rest two upper loops, while *ḷa* shows a variation in the double-looped form.