Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages c9.s2.t7.52

c9.s2.t7.52

The Sanskrit inscriptions of Cambodia have won praise for their literary and scholarly qualities and the skill of their composition and execution. They are composed, almost without exception, in classical verse, and many are quite long, consisting of as many as 218 (Mébon inscription of Rājendravarman, K 528) or even 298 verses (Prè Rup inscription of Rājendravarman, K 806).¹¹⁴ Ornate meters such as *Śārdū-* *lavikrīḍita* or *Sragdharā* are frequently used, as is learned vocabulary (see K. Bhattacharya, “Recherches sur le vocabulaire”). The style is typically highly ornate, especially in the eulogistic portions of royal grants, which often carry the *praśasti* style to extremes. Also characteristic of the Cambodian Sanskrit inscriptions are learned references to literary and technical texts, some of which are useful for historical studies of Sanskrit literature.¹¹⁵ Pāṇinian grammatical allusions, as in vv. 48, 124, 214, and 219 of Prè Rup, are also typical.