Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s2.t1.20

c20.s2.t1.20

Krishna Sastri mixed up the estampages from two different caves in his readings, interposing the two short inscriptions (461 & 462) in between the two segments of the longer inscription (463-464).⁸ Subrahmanya Aiyer also followed this scrambled order in his readings.⁹ Not surprisingly, neither reading makes much sense. Other epigraphists, relying on the earlier readings without visiting the caves themselves, have made the same mistake.¹⁰ It was only in 1966 that the correct order of reading was restored on the basis of my study of the inscriptions *in situ*.¹¹