Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c22.s1.t1: 3.1.1 The unsolved problem

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c22.s1.t1

Language: English

3.1.1 The unsolved problem

c22.s1.t1.1

The pioneering studies, especially by Subrahmanya Aiyer on the language of the cave inscriptions, have established that the language is basically Tamil although with an admixture of Prakrit. However, Subrahmanya Aiyer's own readings led to another controversy: How much of Tamil is present in the inscriptions and what kind of Tamil? In the words of Kamil Zvelebil:

c22.s1.t1.2

How is it possible that there is such a vast difference between this kind of Tamil employed in these records, and the more or less contemporary or/and only slightly later literary Tamil language (*centamiḻ*) of *Tolkāppiyam* and the Sangam classics? This was a problem left unsolved by K.V.S. Ayyar.¹

Linked texts (1)

Tolkāppiyam — Tolkāppiyar, Tamil