[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Archaeology, epigraphy and coins](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy) › [Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D.](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003) › c4.2 # Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c4.2 Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c4.2 - **Language:** English ### [c4.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c4.2) In the years after the publication of the \*Corpus\*, many corrections and improvements to the preliminary readings have been suggested by other scholars working in the field. More cave inscriptions have come to light. The excavation of pottery inscriptions in the Tamil-Brāhmī script from ancient Tamil sites and the discovery of Early Cēra and Pāṇṭiya coins with Tamil-Brāhmī legends have thrown new light on the chronology and evolution of the script. In the meanwhile, the \*Corpus\* had gone out of print and papers published by me in scattered journals had become inaccessible. There has been a demand for a reprint of the \*Corpus\*. However, the accumulation of more material demanded a fresh effort. I undertook a second spell of field work during 1991-96 checking the readings again \*in situ\*, making fresh copies of all the cave inscriptions discovered till then and adding two more inscriptions discovered at Mannarkoil in December 2000. The present definitive edition of the texts to which I have added a general survey of Early Tamil epigraphy, incorporates the new cave inscriptions, besides making several corrections and improvements to the readings and interpretations published earlier in the \*Corpus\*. - [Previous: c4.1](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c4.1) - [Next: c4.3](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c4.3) - [Up: c4](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c4) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c4.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.mahadevan-2003.c4.2) · Pramāṇa