Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c25.s16.1

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