Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c22.s3.t7.1

c22.s3.t7.1

Sanskrit supplanted Prakrit in South Indian inscriptions from about the beginning of the 5th century A.D.¹ This changeover is also reflected in the language of the cave inscriptions in the Tamil country. Thus the loanwords in the Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions (ca. 2nd century B.C.-4th century A.D.) are invariably from Prakrit, while those in the Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscriptions (ca. 5-6 century A.D.) are from Sanskrit or survival of borrowings from Prakrit in the earlier age. The transitional character of the Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscriptions is best illustrated by the personal names of two monks, *vaccaṇanti* (< Pkt.) and *cantiraṉanti* (< Skt.) appearing in the Jaina inscriptions of about the same period (ca. 6th century A.D.).²