Indian Epigraphy c9.t12.14

c9.t12.14

The writing on cloth and birch bark referred to by Nearchus and Curtius suggests that ink was used by the Indians in the 4th century B.C. The word *lipi*, from the root *lip*, found in Pāṇini’s grammar (c. 5th century B. C.) and the inscriptions of Aśoka (c. 272-232 B.C.), points to the same conclusion. A pre-Christian record written in ink has been found on a relic vessel from the ruins of Andher.⁴ One of the earliest manuscripts written in ink is the Kharoṣṭhī *Dhammapada* from Khotan. Several records painted in ink on stone have been discovered in different parts of India.⁵