Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages c9.s2.t7.8

c9.s2.t7.8

Several thousand inscriptions in Sanskrit, Pāli, Tamil, and especially in various stages of Sinhalese have been discovered in Sri Lanka. The scripts employed include early regional varieties of Brāhmī, the Sinhalese script at various stages of development, and occasionally other northern and southern Indian scripts. Most of the Sri Lankan inscriptions are on stone, especially cave walls; a few are on copper and other metals. The great majority of Sri Lankan inscriptions are concerned with dedications of various kinds to the Buddhist monastic community and regulations concerning its affairs.