104 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. _[{ March, 1908. 
is exactly like that of the early nailheaded type. Further progress 
' shows the gradual curvature of the other two horizontal lines, 
which genitals assume the Bengali form to be found in the in- 
scriptions of the 10th and 11th centuries as well as in those of 
Gopaladeva. 
(3) The pecultaxity of the Ja of the inscription of Dharma- 
pala, year 26, se 0 be that the second horizontal line is 
strictly parallel ra ‘the Aas thus Serine from the Ja in the 
Lakkhamandal Pragasti in which the lip shows a marked ineli- 
nation downwards! Buhler, Ep, Ind. 1, 10. 
This Pala Ja throwsashred of doubt on Biihler’s remark in his 
Indian Deseo page 54. 12, where he says:—‘‘The central 
is first made to slant downwards (plate iv, 14, xxi-xxiii, 
etc. ), Px then changed into a vertical (v, 17, xiii, etc. ; vi, xii, 
t the same time, the upper bar becomes the top-stroke of 
se ae and the lowest is gradually converted into a double 
= ee czamanetion of these test letters shows that the difference 
in time between Bodh Gaya and Nalanda inscriptions of Gopala 
and the ineoeigiton of the 26th year of Dharmapala is considerable. 
At the same time the affinity of the characters of Bodh Gaya 
and eaeds aOR PEON of Gopala with those of the Badal pillar 
inscription of Narayanapala (Ep. Ind. ii, p. 160) is remarkable. 
If we take the test letters Ja and Sa into consideration, we find that 
the inscriptions of Gopala must be referred very close to the reign 
of Narayanapala. The palatal Sa appears in the Badal pillar in- 
scription in two distinct forms. One of them is the form which 
occurs Sagat tag in the Bodh Gaya and Nalanda insoripHans of 
Gopala, v7z., Sa in Sandil The other form is peculiar and 
resembles to some extent Biihler, Indian Paleography, p late v, 39, 
ii. This form of Sa is only explicable as a provincial poculianke 
The other test letter Ja is throughout identical in form and with 
that in the inscriptions of Gopéla. Now we know from other Pala 
inscriptions that the second Gopala was the grandson of Nara- 
yanapala, and proven is very strong in favour of the identifica- 
tion of we ala of Bodh Gaya and “Nalanda inscriptions with 
Gopala I 
The object of the inscription is to record the consecration of 
an image of Buddha by one Sakrasena, who was known as 
Dharmabhima and who —_ himself Sindhidbhava. M. M. Hara- 
Sindhidbhava, might have been related to the Palas. Sindhid- 
bhava may be taken in its ordinary sense to mean a person born in 
Sindhu-dega, Cf. the expression Sindiddega vinirgata which is 
evidently a mistake for Sindhu-desavinirgata i in the inscriptions 
Nos. v an 

I Bihler assigns an earlier date to the Lakkhamandal Prasasti than that 
done by Kielhorn to this inscription of the 26th year of Dharmapala. 


a 
