Indian Epigraphy c11.t5.1

c11.t5.1

² See B. Ch. Chhabra, 'Diplomatic of Sanskrit Copper-plate Grants' in The Indian Archives, Vol. V, 1951, pp. 1 ff. especially pp. 6 ff. The author uses the word 'diplomatic' in the sense of 'a critical study of diplomas' and 'diploma' in that of 'documentary source of history'. The Roman 'diploma' (from a Greek verb meaning 'to double') was so called because it was formed of two sheets of metal, which were shut together like the leaves of a book. Similar is the case with the grants of some West Indian rulers, which were incised on the inner side of two plates of copper with two rings passing through holes in their upper margin holding them together (cf. above, pp. 75, 122).