Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c22.s1.t3.8

c22.s1.t3.8

The language is something like Tamil or the Proto-South Dravidian. But it must be noted that these inscriptions are in a hybrid language containing Tamil as well as Prakrit words because the Buddhists, who were great scholars in Prakrit and not themselves native speakers of Tamil, had these inscriptions cut in the rocks so as to be understood by the people of the region.¹