Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c25.s16: 5.16 Numerals
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c25.s16
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5.16 Numerals
c25.s16.1
The only occurrence of a numeral character in the cave inscriptions is 3 represented by three short horizontal parallel strokes at Tondur (**No. *76*,** ca. 3rd century A.D.). Even in the Late Period, the numeral has preserved the earliest primitive form of the Brāhmī script.¹ The form seen in this inscription is distinctly earlier than the one with curved lines seen in the Gunapadeya Plates of Queen Cārudēvī (ca. 4th century A.D.).² Numeral characters occur in the pottery inscriptions at Arikamedu. In one of the sherds found in the excavations during 1989-92, the numeral 855 (or 558 if read from the right) occurs, though its significance is not known as the inscription is too fragmentary.³
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¹ Shobhana Gokhale 1966: pp. 3-4.
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² E.Hultzsch 1905-06, *EI*. VIII: Pl. facing p. 145, Side ii b.
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³ I. Mahadevan 1996a: Fig. 5.5. Ibid. pp. 296-297 for other occurrences of numerals in the pottery inscriptions from Arikamedu.