Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c25.s10.22

c25.s10.22

**The short vowels *e* and *o*:** The length of the short vowels *e* and *o* is not indicated in the Early Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions and has to be inferred from the context.⁶ The initial short vowel *e* with the *puḷḷi* placed inside the letter occurs in a Late Tamil-Brāhmī inscription (Chart 4: *e*:***85***) and also in the Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscriptions (ibid. ***117*** and Chart 8). It is also attested in a Tamil-Brāhmī coin-legend.⁷ No actual example of the initial short vowel *o* with the *puḷḷi* has been found so far.