Indian Epigraphy c10.s1.19

c10.s1.19

The practice of writing the text of a document on the plates first in ink is clearly indicated by a copper plate discovered at Kasia (Gorakhpur District, Uttar Pradesh), which bears 13 lines of writing of which only the first is incised while the remaining 12 are written in black ink.² This was meant to facilitate the work of engraving and also to ensure the correctness of the inscription. In many of the cases, the writing was done by a professional scribe of the court and the engraver incised the letters according to the drawing, although sometimes, especially in the case of minor ruling families, the engravers themselves wrote the text on the plates or engraved the text on the plates without previously drawing the letters on them.