Component-I (A) – Personal details: Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati . & Dr. K. Muniratnam Director i/c, Epigraphy, ASI, Mysore. Prof. S.Rajavelu Tamil University, Thanjavur. Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. 1 Component-I (B) – Description of module: Subject Name Indian Culture Paper Name Indian Epigraphy Module Name/Title History of Epigraphical Studies in India Module Id IC / IEP / 02 • Knowledge of English Pre requisites • Basic Knowledge in History and Epigraphy • To know the History of Indian Epigraphy • To understand the importance of the History of Objectives Epigraphical Studies in India • To know about the use of Epigraphy as a Primary source material for writing the History of India. Epigraphy / History /Archaeology/ Scripts / Foreign / Keywords scholars / Inscriptions E-text (Quadrant-I) : 1. Introduction The term Epigraphy is derived from the Greek words Epi+Graphic. The terms Epi-means on or upon and graphic denotes to write. Hence the word Epigraphy gives the meaning any writing on any material. The word inscription is a Latin word derived from inscriber which means to write on or upon. Both words Epigraphy and Inscriptions are synonyms to each other. Simply it can be otherwise called as the study of inscriptions or old inscriptions. Any writings or engravings cut upon stone, metal, conch, shell, bricks, pottery, wood or any other permanent materials which forms the subject matter of Epigraphy. Epigraphy concerns with inscriptions and paleography. In India the study of Epigraphy is considered to be the part of Archaeology. Engraving is the chief characteristic of an epigraph, however the old writings were written in ink or paint on rocks, boulders and caves. These writings are also considered to be as Epigraphs. Embossing or engravings of the letters on the surface of the slab are the main characteristic feature of an inscription. There is a difference between Manuscript and an epigraph. Manuscript is a copy of a copy of the original but the inscription is the original itself.. However we do come across the later copies of the earlier inscriptions on the surface of the walls of the temples or slabs. In Tamil Nadu, these kind of re engraving of old inscriptions are referred to in the renovated temples. While the old temple got renovated, the old inscriptions of the old temple again re engraved by the renovator and those old inscription have been specifically mentioned as the copy of the old inscription (idu palankarpadi). In the states of Karnataka and Andhra, the practice of copying the old records were in vogue. Some of the copper plate records are fine examples of this kind. 2 2. History of Epigraphical studies in India There is a strong belief that the Epigraphical studies in India were practically begun only after the arrival of Europeans in India around 18th century C.E. However, there are quite a number of references to reveal that the Indians had the sound knowledge of reading and preserving the old records. Rajatarangini of Kalhana of 11th century C.E., a book on the History of Kashmir narrates the old copper plate charters have been consulted for practical purposes. Shams-I Siraj, the historian of Muhammadan period mentions that the Firuz Shah Tughlug,(1351-88) the Suldan of Tughlug dynasty of Delhi took interest to know about the old writings which were engraved on the Asokan Pillars. He brought some of the Asokan Pillars to his capital city Delhi from faraway places and ordered the Brahmin Pandits to read them. The Asokan Pillars from Meerut and Topra were some of them which were transported to his capital city. Delhi-Topra Pillar Edict of Asoka In South India, the practice of preserving the old record is very common. The Velvikkudi Copper Plate of Pandya dynasty issued by Parantaka Nedunchadayan (765-790) records the practice of keeping the old records and further the king ordered the beneficiary that he should show the original document that was issued by his ancestors and to get the benefit from the royal throne. An interesting painting on the wall of Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur belonging to the period of Rajaraja I narrates the story of Sundarar, one of the Saiva saints of 7th century C.E. The Lord Siva appeared as a old Brahmin priest and prevented the marriage of the Saint Sundarar after showing the palm leaf document which was written by the Saint as a promissory deed to Lord Siva that he was a eternal slave of him. When the saint had forgotten his promise the promissory note in the form of Palm leaves has been shown. 3 Whenever the old temple or brick temple either got renovated or replaced with stone slabs, the existing old records in the temples were once again re engraved without changing the contents and referred to as that was a old document (idu palankarpadi). Kurralam inscription of Rajaraja I refers to the order of the king that the replacement of old Vatteluttu inscription of the temple in to Tamil script in to newly renovated temple at that time. Thus shows that the people knew the art of reading the old scripts and the government had the curiosity to preserve the old records. All these evidences clearly suggest that the preserving and keeping the records were very common in India prior to the Europeans arrival. 3. Foreign Scholars Charles Wilkins (1749-1836) We should also remembered that the systematic research in this field have been appeared during the British rule in India. Charles Wilkins, the pioneer Indologist initiated the first publication of an old inscription in Sanskrit published in 1781. The same was later on translated in to English published in Asiatic Researches in 1788 by him. His article entitled “An inscription on a Pillar near Buddal” is also appeared in the Asiatic Researches Journal. Wilkins also translated the Nagarjuni hill cave inscription which is considered to be the important one in the history of early Maukari king Anantavarman. In the early stage, the most of the articles related to Epigraphy were mere translations without any texts or introductory matters. Wilkins attempted all the inscriptions accurately but he wrongly fixed the chronology of these inscriptions wrongly.For instance, he fixed the date of Mungir inscription to 23 B.C.E on the basis of Vikrama era which was fall on 58 B.C. The corresponding date is recorded in the inscription as samvat 33. It is also true that Charles Wilkins tried to decipher the late Brahmi inscriptions earlier than to James Prinsep. He was a master in Late Brahmi or Early Siddhamatrika script of 6th century C.E. Charles Wilkins was the first scholar who translated Bhavad Gita in to English. In 1784, Wilkins helped William Jones to establish the Asiatic Society of Bengal and in 1788, he became the member of the Royal Society. As a writer in the East India Company, he learned Persian and Bengali very quickly He was also engaged in the design of the first type for printing Bengali. 4 Sir William Jones (1746-1794) Sir William Jones was another renowned Indologist who made significant contribution to the study of Indian Epigraphy. He was an Anglo-Welsh philologist, started his career as puisne judge on the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort Willliam in Bengal. As a scholar in Indo- European languages he founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784. He knew thirteen languages thoroughly and another twenty eight languages basically i the end of his life. He commented the works of Charles Wilkins published in Asiatic Researches as "Remarks on the two Proceeding Papers by the President" (Jones). He founded the Asiatic Society in Calcutta on 15th January 1784. Jones studied Vedas with a Sanskrit teacher Ramalocana. He was keen interest to learn Hindu astronomy. As a genies in many languages he produced many works on social science, local laws, music, literature, botany and geography and translated many Indian ancient literatures in to English. He propounded that Sanskrit, Greek and Latin languages had a common root and they had related to each other. He commanded that Sanskrit language has a wonderful structure, more perfect than the Greek and Latin. In the early publications of Asiatic Society of Bengal, Jones encouraged inscriptional studies and researches. He died in Calcutta in the year 1794. Sir William Jones Henry T.Colebrooke (1765-1837) Henry Thomas Colebrooke was an English orientalist and mathematician. He has been described as the first great Sanskrit scholar in Europe. He published epigraphic paper in the Asiatic Researches on the title "Translation of one of the inscriptions on the pillar at Delhee, called the Lat of Feeroz Shah" In which he translated the inscription of the Chamana king Vigrahapala. The most interesting aspects in this article is that Colebrooke has correctly identified the date of the inscription as Vikrama Era 1220 = 1164 CE. which the earlier scholar Radhacanta Sharma had been wrongly identified as 123. In this article Colebrooke published the facsimile of the text as well as correct transliteration of the inscription. The editing method initiated by Colebrooke then followed by the successors while dealing with the epigraphical researches. The methodology of Colebrooke's became the permanent pattern in the study of Epigraphy. Colebrooke also tried to attempt the decipherment of Asokan inscription which is found on the same pillar at Delhi. He published the facsimile of the Asokan inscription which was later on used by the Epigraphists for decipherment. In the 5 Asiatic Researches- vol-9 (1807) he contributed an article entitled “On Ancient Monuments containing Sanskrit inscriptions" containing nine inscriptions mostly on Copper Plates.