Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages c8.s4.4

c8.s4.4

The earliest clear-cut specimens of NIA languages (notably Marathi and Oriya; see 3.4.1 and 3.4.2) appear in inscriptions of about the eleventh century. It is often difficult, however, to specify a precise date for the earliest epigraphic attestation of a given NIA language, as their emergence is gradual (not unlike the situation with Sanskrit at a much earlier time). Occasional traces of NIA have been observed within Sanskrit records somewhat before the eleventh century, and the earliest definite specimens are typically mixed in varying degrees with Sanskrit. Even in later centuries, it is very common for NIA inscriptions to be bi- or multilingual with Sanskrit, Dravidian, other NIA languages, or Islamic languages.