Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages c7.s2.t6.28

c7.s2.t6.28

Among the new developments in this period, several characters such as *ṛ* (both initial and postconsonantal), *au*, *ṅa*, *ḥ* (*visarga*), and *halanta* (vowelless consonants)¹⁰⁸ first came into common use. These are, of course, the result of the growing popularity in this period of Sanskrit or "Epigraphical Hybrid Sanskrit" (EHS) (3.2) as inscriptional languages (see 3.3.1). For the same reason, we now see a further development of consonantal conjuncts, which become more frequent and more complex. Particularly noteworthy is the development of special modified or abbreviated forms of the semivowels *r* (in both preconsonantal and postconsonantal position, e.g., 𑀭𑁆𑀧 *rpa* and 𑀧𑁆𑀭 *pra*) and *y* (postconsonantal), reflecting their statistical frequency in consonantal combinations in Sanskrit.¹⁰⁹