Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c25.s18.t1: 5.18.1 Juxtaposition of script and symbols on pottery from Kodumanal

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c25.s18.t1

Language: English

5.18.1 Juxtaposition of script and symbols on pottery from Kodumanal

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The excavations at Kodumanal have yielded pottery from the megalithic levels, on which characters of the Tamil-Brāhmī script occur side by side with megalithic symbols. Words like *kōṉ* 'chief', parts of words like *kōvē* and *taṇ*, and single syllables like *a*, *ta* and *ma* occur with preceding and/or succeeding megalithic symbols⁹ (Fig. 5.13). While the precise significance of these megalithic symbols is unknown, the evidence indicates that they must be meaningful and have some sort of connection with the expressions in the script which they accompany. This should also be true of the cases of similar juxtaposition of script and symbols in the cave inscriptions studied above.

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⁹ K. Rajan 2001: pp. 14-15.

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Figure 5.11. Symbols in cave inscriptions.

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Figure 5.12. Pottery graffiti from Kodumanal with cave symbols.

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Figure 5.13. Juxtaposition of script and symbols in pottery graffiti from Kodumanal.

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Figure 5.14. Seal with script and symbols from Anaikoddai. Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

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Figure 5.15. Signs of the Indus script resembling cave symbols.

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Figure 5.16. Pallava Grantha and Tamil inscriptions. Sendalai (ca. 8th century A.D.). Lines 1 and 3 are in Tamil and lines 2 and 4 are in Grantha scripts.

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The evidence of pottery inscribed with megalithic symbols and letters of the Brāhmī script from sites like Vallam,¹ Uraiyur² and especially Kodumanal³ indicates clearly that megalithic symbols which coexist with the Brāhmī script and also found at preceding and succeeding levels in the excavations cannot be the source for the script.⁴