Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s14.t5.5

c20.s14.t5.5

A total of 25 pottery inscriptions³ were found from the site in five seasons of work during 1986-96. A few of the inscriptions were surface finds and the rest came from excavations. Most of the inscriptions are in Tamil written in the Tamil-Brāhmī script. Among the noteworthy finds are those mentioning *patumāṟ-kōtai* (Patumaṉ Kōtai),⁴ apparently a Cēra prince judging from his name, and the personal names *kuviraṉ*⁵ (< *kubēra*) and *cātavēta*⁶ (< *jātavedas*). One of the three Sinhala-Prakrit inscriptions⁷ found at the site (virtually overlooking Sri Lanka on the other side of the narrow straits) is influenced by Tamil orthography (*cā mu ta ha* for Sinh. Pkt. *śamudaha* 'of Samuda' (< *samudra*); another Sinhala-Prakrit inscription, a surface find, reads *saga*⁸ apparently referring to the Buddhist *saṃgha*.