116 N. N. Vasu— Nagaras and the Nagari-alphabet. [No. 2, 
About 750 years ago Pandita Césa Krsna! thus gives an account of 
different languages in his Prakrta-candrika : — 
aeeTal AUaAht Waa | 
areal aah Ba asa ethaaTaat: | 7 
a 
ATA MSTTATAUATALATAL | 
qUa-USIS-eTH-ATAS-HAAT: | 
A y} 
WSTS-S4-UISS-UN-AATVST: | 
aqtag-ois-atate-ataa-atfas-aNaae: I 
Bait watwls: waNeaafwar 1 
anfimeuent setetferaeat | 
‘Maharastri, Avanti, Gauraséni, Ardha-magadhi, Vahliki, Maga- 
dhi; these six are original (Prakrt) languages and they originated from 
Southern India. Bracanda, Lata, Vaidarbha, Upanagara, Nagara, 
Varvara, Avantya, Pancala, Takka, Malava, Kaikaya, Gauda, Udra, 
Daiva, Paccitya, Pandya, Kauntala, Saimhala, Kalinga, Pracya, Kar- 
nata, Kaficya, Dravida, Gaurjara, Abhira, Madhya-dé¢iya, Vaidala: 
these 27 are corrupt dialects and differ more or less from one another.’ 
It is clear from the above glokas that like the Maharastri, Caura- 
séni, Magadhi, &c., which derived their names from the provinces or 
their people, the corrupt forms of languages, viz., Nagara, Upanagara, 
and Daiva, were current in some part of the country whose name they 
bear. 
The next point to consider is, from what place did the name 
become current P 
In India we find more than one tract of land having the name 
Nagara. In Bengal we find Nagara which was formerly the capital 
of Birbhtim. The famous port Nagara is in Tanjore. In Mysore an 
extensive division goes by that name; in this division there are a 
certain village and a talug of the name of Nagara. A remarkable town 
named Nagara, and an ancient town called Nagarakota are situated on 
the Bias in the district of Kangra, Panjab. Over and above, we find 
Nagaravasti in Darbhanga, Nagaraparkar (town) in Sindh, and N agara- 
1 Also known under the name of Krsna Pandita, sonof Nara-simha, sprung in 
the Qésa-vamga. According to Dr. Bhandarkar the probable date of Rama- 
candra nephew of (ésa-Krsna is about 1150 A.D. (R. G. Bhandarkar’s Report of the 
Sauskrit MSS. 1883-84, p. 59). 
@ Another reading ‘Azali S famuen ? 
