1922.] Dates of the Votive Inscriptions. 229 
meet but leave a little intervening space on the vertical line, 
fifty examples of the third tvpe in which the two arms 
meet at a point to the left of the vertical line and joined to 
the latter by a short horizontal stroke, and there is one 
example of a minor variety. This analysis makes it difficult 
for us to accept Mr. Chanda’s views that the first type is the 
characteristic of almost all the as and @sin the edicts of Asoka 
and that the second type is exceptional. It is equally difficult 
to accept his statement that “‘in the Nagarjuni Hill Cave in- 
scription of Dasaratha the arms of all the as and ds make 
a sharp angle on the vertical line.”’ It is quite clear even from 
the blurred facsimile given in Plate I of his Memoir that some, 
if not most, of the as and as helong to the third type (ef. e.g. 
a in anamtaliyam in No. H, 1. 2. @ in @namtaliyam in No. IU, 
1. 2, anda in abhishitena in No, III, 1. 2). 
It is thus quite clear that the first type of a cannot be 
looked upon as the regular momumental type either in the 
time of Asoka or in that of his grandson, and that as such it 
cannot be taken as a test letter to denote the age of the epi- 
graphs. The same conclusion is also forced upon us when we 
remember that this type of a was in use throughout the perio 
Mr. Chanda has passed in review and oceurs not only in the 
Saiichi inscriptions but also in the inscriptions of the time of 
Sodasa and the Kushanas. (Cf. e.g. a in (1), acha plate IV, 
No, 2,1. 1; (2) @chariya and arahamta, Ep. Ind., Vol. I, p. 396, 
No. 377, 11. 2,4. (3) amohiniye. @yavati and arahata in plate 
VI, No. 6, 11. 3~4. (3) araha Ep. Ind, Vol II. p. 386 No. VI 
1. 2. Mr. Chanda has noticed the occurrence of this type in the 
Safichi inscriptions and has explained it away as archaic, but 
he has not referred to its continued use till the time of the 
Kushanas. 
This follows quite clearly from his arguments in the case of 
the other two test letters bha and ra. He admits that the types 
of these letters which are most in use in the Safichi Inscriptions 
