Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages c13.s1.t3.2

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The largest, most complete, and most reliable anthology is Dinesh Chandra Sircar's *Select Inscriptions Bearing on Indian History and Civilization* [SI], in two volumes. *SI* is unquestionably the authoritative collection of inscriptions in the Old and Middle Indo-Aryan languages,⁹ and Sircar's selections have virtually defined the scope of the field for students and nonspecialists. Subsequent anthologies, such as Sadhu Ram's *Some Important Inscriptions of Asoka, The Guptas, The Maukharis and Others*, Raj Bali Pandey's *Historical and Literary Inscriptions*, Śrīrāma Goyala's *Prācīna Bhāratīya Abhilekha Saṃgraha*, Parameśvarīlāla Gupta's *Prācīnā Bhārata ke Pramukha Abhilekha*, Vāsudeva Upādhyāya's *Prācīna Bhāratīya Abhilekha* (vol. 2), and Radhakrishna Chaudhury's *Inscriptions of Ancient India*, are more or less derivative of *SI*. K. G. Krishnan's *Uṭṭaṅkita Sanskrit Vidyā Araṇya Epigraphs*. Vol. 2: *Prakrit and Sanskrit Epigraphs 257 B.C. to 320 A.D.* is a more extensive anthology (218 inscriptions) than most of the others, and seven further volumes of Sanskrit inscriptions up to A.D. 1600 are planned (foreword, v–vi). Jan Gonda's *Twenty-five Sanskrit Inscriptions for Use in Universities* presents an interesting selection in a small pamphlet, including several little-known late inscriptions. G. S. Gai's recent book *Some Select Inscriptions* consists of reprints of his articles from *EI*.