Indian Epigraphy c7.s1: 1. Study of the Subject
Indian Epigraphy c7.s1
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1. Study of the Subject
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The contributions of the pioneers in the study of Indo-Muslim epigraphy since the middle of the 19th century can be assessed from the list of published inscriptions compiled by J. Horovitz² about half a century ago. A large number of Arabic and Persian inscriptions were received by the Asiatic Society of Calcutta from officials in various parts of India and these were deciphered and published in the Society's journal by H. Blochmann. The *Asiatic Researches* and *Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal* did valuable work in this direction, which was followed by other periodicals such as the *Indian Antiquary*, *Journal Asiatique* and *Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland*. Among books published in the last century and dealing specially with inscriptions, mention may be made of the *Corpus Inscriptionum Bhavnagari* which is a collection of fiftyone inscriptions from Kathiawar and Gujarat, published in 1889 by the former State of Bhavnagar.
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² *Epigraphia Indo-Moslemica*, 1909-1910, pp. 30-44. For the notices and copies of some inscriptions, see also Sangin Beg, *Sairu'l Manāzil* (published about 1835); Sayyid Ahmad Khan, *Āthāru'ṣ ṣanādīd* (1846), J. H. Ravenshaw, *Gaur: its Ruins and Inscriptions* (London, 1878); Saiyid Muhammad Latif, *Lahore: its History, Architectural Ruins and Antiquities* (Lahore, 1892) and *Agra: Historical and Descriptive* (Calcutta, 1896); Muhammad Akbar Jahan, *Aḥsanu's Siyar* (Agra, A. H. 1320); Raziuddin Bismil, *Kanzu't Tawārīkh* (Badaun, A. H. 1319); and M. Nur Ahmad Chishti, *Taḥqīqāt-i-Chishtī* (Lahore, A. H. 1324
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A few such inscriptions were published in the *Epigraphia Indica*, a publication of the Department of Archaeology, which was, however, meant primarily to deal with epigraphs in the Sanskritic and Dravidian languages. A biennial supplement to the *Epigraphia Indica* to deal specially with Indo-Muslim inscriptions was later conceived and its issue for 1907-1908 was publisled under the editorship of E. Denison Ross. Its next issue for 1909-1910 was, however, published under the independent title *Epigraphia Indo-Moslemica* which was edited by J. Horovitz who was appointed Government Epigraphist for Muslim Inscriptions. The next issue of the periodical was edited by Ghulam Yazdani who succeeded Horovitz in the said honorary post and successfully ran the series for about quarter of a century, bringing out in all fourteen issues and one supplement, the last issue being for 1939-1940. The fifteenth issue was published as the one for 1941-1950 due to the conditions created by World War II. In 1946, the post of Assistant Superintendent for Epigraphy for Arabic and Persian inscriptions was created and the issue for 1941-1950 was published under the editorship of Muhammad Ashraf Husain who had been appointed to the post. The issues for 1951-1952 and the following years are being published under the new name *Epigraphia Indica: Arabic and Persian Supplement*.
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The prominent Indian contributors to the said periodical of the Department of Archaeology, besides Yazdani, are Zafar Hasan, M. Nazim, Shamsuddin Ahmad, Ramsingh Saksena and Khwaja Muhammad Ahmad. Most of the inscriptions published in it came from the former Hyderabad State and Bombay Presidency, though many inscriptions were found also in other parts of the country.¹ From time to time, the Archaeological Survey published inscriptions in its series of Memoirs. A monograph on the Qurānic and non-historical epigraphs in the protected monuments in Delhi, edited by M. Ashraf Husain, and another on the inscriptions of Bijapur, edited by M. Nazim, were published as Memoirs Nos. 47 and 49 in 1936.
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¹ Cf. J. Cumming, *Revealing India's Past*, London, 1939, p. 220; V S Bendrey, *A Study of Muslim Inscriptions* Bombay, 1944, p. 22.
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Amongst epigraphical works recently published by scholars unconnected with the Department of Archaeology, mention may be made of *Important Inscriptions of the Baroda State*, Vol. II, edited by G. Yazdani and R. G. Gyani and a monograph containing fiftynine inscriptions, mostly from Ahmedabad, with facsimiles of 46 out of them, edited and published by M. A. Chaghtai in the *Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute*, Vol. III, No. 2, 1942.¹ A few inscriptions studied by different scholars have also appeared in Indian periodicals like the *Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal*, *Indian Historical Quarterly* and *Oriental College Magazine* (Lahore). V. S. Bendrey’s *Study of Muslim Inscriptions* (Bombay, 1944) deals specially with the inscriptions published in the *Epigraphia Indo-Moslemica* from 1907 to 1938 and contains summaries of epigraphs, arranged chronologically, with four appendices. The introductory portion of the work explains the principles on which a methodical study of epigraphical material should be based and contains suggestions to be followed by the students of Indo-Muslim epigraphy.
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¹ The article has been separately printed under the title *History of Muslim Monuments of Ahmedabad through their Inscriptions*, Poona, 1942.