Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c21.s10: 2.10 Renewed study of cave inscriptions: the first field expedition (1962-66)
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c21.s10
- Language
- English
2.10 Renewed study of cave inscriptions: the first field expedition (1962-66)
c21.s10.1
The cave inscriptions are engraved on uneven, rough and badly weathered rock without any prior dressing of the surface. Estampages (inked impressions) show up pits, depressions and faults on the rock surface, creating a babel of background 'noise' which almost drowns the 'information' of the inscriptions. Except in cases where the inscriptions happen to be favourably located, the estampages tend to be virtually illegible. It is even more difficult to make out the texts from photographs of such estampages, given the scale of reduction, the quality of the photographs and reproduction in print. The earlier attempts to decipher the cave inscriptions were unsuccessful largely due to reliance on unsatisfactory estampages and photographs. This is also the reason why many important inscriptions including a Pāṇṭiya inscription from Mangulam and a Cēra inscription from Pugalur remained unpublished for long periods of time.
c21.s10.2
When I took up the study of the cave inscriptions in 1961, the Government Epigraphist was good enough to place a set of estampages at my disposal. After struggling with them in vain for a few months, I gave up the attempt and decided to visit the caves personally to study each inscription *in situ*. It took me five working seasons mostly in the winter months of 1962-66 to complete the first round of visits to the caves. Where the inscriptions were at inaccessible heights, ladders or scaffolding constructed from bamboo, casuarina poles or steel slotted angles were made use of to look at the inscriptions from very close quarters and to prepare transcriptions and tracings. Most of the caves were visited more than once to study the inscriptions when sunlight fell on them at different angles during the day.¹