[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Archaeology, epigraphy and coins](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy) › [Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D.](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003) › c20.s5 # Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s5: 1.5 Revival of interest: fresh copying of inscriptions (1961-80) Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s5 - **Language:** English ## Contents - [c20.s5.t1 1.5.1 Arachalur: musical notations](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.t1) — 3 parts ### 1.5 Revival of interest: fresh copying of inscriptions (1961-80) ### [c20.s5.1](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.1) There was a revival of interest in the cave inscriptions in the sixties of the last century when the Government Epigraphist undertook fresh copying of the inscriptions discovered earlier.⁴ The exercise resulted in the discovery of eight additional cave inscriptions from five sites already known.⁵ Further, six new sites with a total of nine cave inscriptions,⁶ and two more inscriptions, one each from the earlier sites ⁷ of Kunnakkudi and Vikkiramangalam, were also discovered during this period by scholars outside the ASI.¹ Four of the inscriptions were illustrated with estampages in the \*ARE\* of the respective years.² While only very few inscriptions were discovered during this period (1961-80), much progress was made in reading and interpreting the inscriptions.³ ### [c20.s5.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.2) ⁴ Unknowingly, I had a small part to play in this development. At my request, K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, the renowned historian, obtained a set of estampages of the inscriptions from the Government Epigraphist in 1961 for me to study. I struggled with them for a few months but made no progress at all. Nilakanta Sastri advised the Government Epigraphist to copy the cave inscriptions again, which was undertaken during 1963-64 (H.K. Narasimhaswamy 1968: p. 191). ### [c20.s5.3](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.3) ⁵ Mangulam: \*ARE\* B. 242/1963-64 = \*No. 4\* . Muttuppatti: \*ARE\* B. 243/1963-64 = \*No. 56\*. Alagarmalai: \*ARE\* B. 244 & 245 / 1963-64 = \*Nos. 36 & 37\*. Vikkiramangalam: \*ARE\* B. 285 & 286/1963-64 = \*Nos. 19 & 23\*. Pugalur: \*ARE\* B.296 & 297/1963-64 = \*Nos. 65 & 62\* respectively. ### [c20.s5.4](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.4) ⁶ Arachalur: \*ARE\* B. 280-282 / 1961-62 = \*Nos. 85-87\*. Tiruvadavur: \*ARE\* B. 275 & 276 /1965-66 = \*Nos. 9 & 8\*. Aiyarmalai: \*ARE\* B. 231/1973-74 = \*No. 50\*. Arittapatti: \*ARE\* B. 264/1978-79 = \*No. 7\*. Mudalaikulam: \*ARE\* B. 265/1978-79 = \*No. 35\*. Ammankoyilpatti: \*ARE\* B. 258/1979-80 = \*No. 84\* . ### [c20.s5.5](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.5) ⁷ Kunnakkudi: \*Corpus of the Tamil-Brāhmī Inscriptions 1966\* (1968), No. 70 = \*No. 75\*. Vikkiramangalam: G. Siromoney and E. Jebarajan 1978 = \*No. 18\*. ### [c20.s5.6](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.6) ¹ Arachalur was discovered by M.S. Venkataswamy and S. Raju; Kunnakkudi (No. \*75\*) and Tiruvadavur by I. Mahadevan; Aiyarmalai by M. Chandiramurthy (TNSA); Arittapatti by K.V. Raman and Y. Subbarayalu; Vikkiramangalam and Mudalaikulam by G. Siromoney and E. Jebarajan; and Ammankoyilpatti by P.B. Venkataraman. ### [c20.s5.7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.7) ² Arachalur: \*ARE\* 1961-62 (B.280) = No. \*85\*. Pugalur: \*ARE\* 1963-64 (B. 297) = No. \*62\*. Tiruvadavur: \*ARE\* 1965-66 (B. 276) = No. \*8\*. Aiyarmalai: \*ARE\* 1973-74 (B. 231) = No. \*50\*. ### [c20.s5.8](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.8) ³ See Chapter 2 for details. ### 1.5.1 Arachalur: musical notations ### [c20.s5.t1.1](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.t1.1) The other most outstanding discovery of the period comes from Arachalur. The musical notations in the Arachalur cave inscriptions,⁴ assigned to ca. 4th century A.D. on palaeographic grounds, are the earliest epigraphic evidence for the cultivation of music and dance in the Tamil country.⁵ The inscriptions are also important from the palaeographic point of view as they mark the end of the Tamil-Brāhmī period and anticipate the emergence of the Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu script from Tamil-Brāhmī during 5th-6th centuries A.D. ### [c20.s5.t1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.t1.2) ⁴ \*ARE\* B. 280-282 / 1961-62 = \*Nos. 85-87\*. See also Fig. 8.41 (tracing) and Pls. 40 & 41 (estampages). ### [c20.s5.t1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5.t1.3) ⁵ The interpretation was first suggested by T.N. Ramachandran (1962), with further improvements by R. Nagaswamy (1972d) and K.G. Krishnan (1973-74b). ## Cites (1) - [Annual Report on Indian Epigraphy](https://indike.org/pramana/inp.epigraphy.corpora.arie) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c20.s5) · Pramāṇa