Indian Epigraphy c6.s2.5

c6.s2.5

As early as 1837, the necessity of arranging epigraphical records systematically for the reconstruction of the ancient history of India was pointed out by James Prinsep, to whom goes the credit of first placing the study of Indian archaeology on a sound and critical foundation. Many inscriptions appeared in periodicals like the *Asiatic Researches* and the *Journal of the Asiatic Society* (both published by the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, established in 1784), the *Indian Antiquary* (started by J. Burgess in 1872) and others such as the *Madras Journal of Literature and Science*, the *Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society* (London), the *Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society* and the *Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay*.² The creation of the post of Archaeological Surveyor by the Government of India in 1861 encouraged official and unofficial search for inscriptions and their study and publication.