Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c26.s14: 6.14 Use of ī as i in Early Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c26.s14
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6.14 Use of ī as i in Early Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions
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Subrahmanya Aiyer thought there was an exchange of values between the letters *i* and *ī* in the cave inscriptions.¹ The present evidence does not support this generalisation. He himself reads the letter *i* with the normal value in the Anaimalai inscription.² Out of the five occurrences of *i* in the Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions,³ it has the normal value in four, and hence the lone exception with the value *ī* noticed by Subrahmanya Aiyer in the Tirupparankunram inscription⁴ is best explained as a scribal error. It is, however, true that the symbol for the initial vowel *ī* (a vertical line flanked by a pair of dots) stands for the sound *i* in most places. The symbol occurs 26 times in the Corpus, all in the Early Period. It has the normal value *ī* in only 4 places (in *Nos. 2, 12, 16 & 59*), and has to be read as *i* in all others to suit the context (e.g., *iḻañcaṭikan*, 'a personal name' in *No. 2*).⁵
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¹ K.V. Subrahmanya Aiyer 1924: p. 284.
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² Ibid. p. 294. (*Corpus: No. 60*).
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³ *Corpus: Nos. 17, 55, 60, 76 & 89*.
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⁴ K.V. Subrahmanya Aiyer 1924: pp. 288-289. (*Corpus: No. 55*).
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⁵ See section 5.10 (*i / ī*) for a possible explanation.
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The use of the symbol *ī* for *i* is also noticed in the Tamil-Brāhmī legends on pottery and other inscribed objects.
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(e.g.) *cāttaṉ āvi-iṉ* 'of Cāttaṉ Āvi' (pottery inscription from Arikamedu).⁶
*vāruṇi -iy* 'Vāruṇi' (pottery inscription from Kodumanal).⁷
*kol-i-p-puṟai* 'Poṟai of Kolli' (legend on an Early Cēra coin from Karur).⁸
*kol-irumpuṟai-y* 'Irumpoṟai of Kolli' (legend on an Early Cēra coin from Karur).⁹
*veḷ-i cāmpāṉ* 'Veḷḷi Cāmpāṉ' (legend on a silver ring from Karur).¹⁰
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⁶ R.E.M. Wheeler *et al.* 1946: No. 9, Pl. XLI. I. Mahadevan 1973: No. II. See also No. 2, Table 1.5 and Fig. 1.19B.
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⁷ Y. Subbarayalu 1996: No. 114. See also section 4.19.3 (ii).
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⁸ See No. 7, Table 1.6 and Fig. 1.22 B. See also section 4.3.2.
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⁹ See No. 8, Table 1.6 and Fig. 1.22 C. See also section 4.3.2.
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¹⁰ See No. 7, Table 1.8 and Fig. 1.24 B.