भारतीय पराचीन लिपिमाला (Bharatiya Pracina Lipimala: The Palaeography of India) c3.1

c3.1

UP TO the dawn of the nineteenth century the early history of India was practically a sealed book to the world. Little material for a true history of the country was available even to scholars who could understand and appreciate the different stages through which the people of this great and ancient country had passed during the last three or four thousand years. The political changes and social disintegration, which marked the eight or ten centuries preceding the arrival of the British in India, left little opportunity or inclination in people to study the history or the literature of their country. With the advent of the English and the gradual opening up of the different parts of the country, an interest in its history and literature was awakened, and scholars took to a study of Sanskrit literature and philosophy. This gave rise to a study of Indian archæology which has, since the beginning of the last century, brought to light much important material for a proper and systematic reconstruction of the history of India. A knowledge of Indian Palæography, however, is essential for a study of Indian archæology. Ignorance of ancient Indian scripts and the consequent inability to read inscriptions on stone, copper plates and coins contributed not a little to the confused and incorrect ideas on Indian history, which prevailed in the country for a long time. Whatever light modern researches have cast on the dark pages of the early history of this country is due, to a large extent, to the labours of the pioneers among European scholars who succeeded in tracing out the various forms through which the Indian alphabets have passed. The complete reading of the Brāhmi and Kharoshṭhī characters by Princep and others marks the beginning of much valuable work done by European and Indian scholars, without which our present knowledge of the early history of India would have been impossible.