Indian Palaeography c16.s1.27

c16.s1.27

F. Pl. XIX. 8 is taken from the Ruvanvälisäya pillar inscription of Buddhadāsa; Pl. XIX. 9 is derived from the fragmentary Jetavanarama inscription; and Pl. XIX. 10 is from the Kiri Vehera slab and Anuradhapura slab inscriptions. Of these nos. 8 and 9 introduce a new style of writing from India. But no. 10 resuscitates the conservative writing as influenced by this new style. Dr. B. Ch. Chhabra¹ compares no. 8 with the Cho Dinh rock inscription (Pl. XX. 4) from Indo-China, but the firm straight lines of the Cho Dinh inscription represent a fundamental difference from the notched horizontals of the Ruvanvälisäya inscription. As will be shown later,² the Cho Dinh inscription comes closer to the square-headed writing from Malwa, but the present inscription no. 8 clearly shows the influence of stylus writing. Here the head-marks are also notched. The forms are akin to those appearing in the Kadamba inscriptions of the fourth to fifth century A.D., though here in Ceylon the medial vowels retain the local forms. Notches can be seen in the cross-bar of *ka* and the horizontals of *ṭa*, *ḍha*, *ṇa*, *pa*, *ma*, *ya*, *la* and *ha*. The left sides of *pa*, *ba* and *ha* are bent. *Ya* has its third left arm shorter than the others, and it is slightly curved inwards. *Na* copies the Kadamba form with its base curved and the upper horizontal split into two strokes ending in curls. *Ta* is of the looped variety. *La* has its right vertical curved inwards, and *va* has a circle below a stem. In no. 9 we see the fully developed square-headed type of writing introduced into Ceylon from the country of the Kadambas. We get here the roof type of *i*, the foot type of *cha*, and the looped varieties of *ṇa*, *na* and *ta*. Notches are also seen in this inscription as in no. 8. Both these inscriptions may be placed in the fifth century a.d. In no. 10 head-marks are faintly traceable but the letter-forms are much simplified. Notches are seen only in *cha*, *ma* and *va* (optionally). The curves at the lower verticals are also gone. *Cha* is of the foot type and *ta* of the looped variety. The local developments can be seen in *a*, which extends its lower hook almost to touch the right vertical, *ka* having a short curved bar, *ṇa* and *na* both having short horizontals, and *ya*, which has either three straight verticals on a base or a curl at the left vertical. Other letters are of the same type as seen in nos. 8 and 9. These inscriptions may be placed in the latter half of the fifth century a.d.