230 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XVIII, 
Asokan records in general. Now this is the type mostly to be 
found in al! decidedly later inscriptions, such as those of 
Sodasa, the Kushanas, the Andhras, the Western Kshatrapas, 
etc., and the later the period almost exclusive becomes its use. 
But it is the second type of a that is used exclusively in the 
inscription of Heliodorus and almost exclusively in the Safichi 
and Bharhut inscriptions. Now if the greater or less frequency 
tions, is looked upon as indication of later or earlier age, the 
Heliodorus inscription together with the Safichi and Bharhut 
inscriptions must be looked upon as earlier in point of time 
than the records of Asoka! 
Now there can be no question that at the time when the 
Heliodorus inscription was composed all the types of a were 
known,—for this is conclusively prove by the fact that they — 
were all used in later times. And yet the engraver selected 
only one of them to the exclusion of the other two. This 
proves, if proofs were necessary, that the greater or less fre- 
quency of the different forms of a letter which were all fairly 
in use at a particular period does not necessarily indicate an 
earlier or later age,—I use the expression ‘ fairly in use’ for the 
stray occurrence of an irregular form which may possess some 
affinity to a much later type does not at all count in this con- 
sideration. Mr. Chanda has not, however, kept this point in 
view in selecting ra and bha as test letters. Thus the type of 
bha which is mostly to be found in Asokan records also occurs 
in the Safichi inscriptions, and, reversely, the type mostly to 
be found in the Safichi inscriptions also occurs in the Asokan 
records. Both the types were thus known to the engravers of 
the two series of inscriptions and no necessary indication of 
age is furnished by the fact that one of the types predominates 
more in one series than in another. 
ably later date, on the strength of other tests. This is @ 
It may be noted in this connection that the dagger-shaped 
ka which is exclusively met with in all decidedly later inserip- 
tions including those of the Kshatrapas and the Kushanas 
occur in the inscriptions of Heliodorus as well as those of Asoka. 
but are practically absent from those at Safichi which preserve 
only the regular monumental form of ka used in Asoka inserip- 
tions. Thus the line of argument by applying which in the 
case of ra Mr. Chanda places Heliodorus’ inscription before the 






