History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c15.s1.1

v1.c15.s1.1

Speaking first of the earlier Pallavas then, the first thing to be noticed about them is that they used the Prakrit language for their inscriptional records which in the south is really strange. Only three inscriptions or grants have been found as yet and we give one of them is extenso below* for sample. This record and the other two show that these are a continuation so to speak of inscriptions in Prakrit of the Sātavāhanas of Paiṭhan. Firstly, the language of both is Prakrit and it is also akin. Secondly, the dates are in both recorded in the Buddhist Aśoka fashion viz the month is never given. The season out of the three seasons of India is given and the fortnight (not dark and half as when months are named) is given by number, the number of fortnights in a season being eight. This sort of giving the season is clearly the Aśoka Buddhist method. Aśoka’s empire had extended far down into the south and had undoubtedly included Mahārāṣṭra. The Āndhras succeeded to the Buddhist Aśoka rule and naturally followed the same system of mentioning the date.* Now the Pallava early Prakrit inscriptions contain this method of mentioning the date viz the season and the number of fortnight. It is thus clear that the early Pallavas are a continuation of the Āndhrabhritya rule at Paiṭhan.