Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s27.t1.1

c23.s27.t1.1

The earliest Tamil inscriptions in the Tamil-Brāhmī script may be dated from about the end of 3rd century or early 2nd century b.c. on palaeographic grounds and stratigraphic evidence of inscribed pottery. The earliest inscriptions in Kannada and Telugu occur more than half a millennium later. The earliest Kannada inscription at Halmidi (Hassan District, Karnataka) is assigned to the middle of the 5th century a.d.² The earliest Telugu inscription of the Renati Cōḻas at Kalamalla in Cuddapah District of Andhra Pradesh belongs to the end of 6th century a.d.³