1838.] Inscription on the Delhi Iron pillar. 629 



V. — Lithographs and translations of Inscriptions talcen in ectype by 



Captain T. S. Burt, Engineers : and of one, from Ghosi taken by 



Captain A. Cunningham, of the same corps. 

 Delhi Iron pillar. 



In last month's Journal I commenced the agreeable task of laying- 

 before my readers that portion of Captain Burt's budget of in- 

 scriptions (gleaned in the short interval since his return to India), 

 which was couched in the old Pdli character. I now take up the second 

 division, containing those in what has been designated by himself 

 the < No. 2 character of the Allahabad pillar :' to which series belongs 

 three very interesting inscriptions, two entirely new from central India ; 

 and one, known far and wide certainly, as far as its existence and its sup- 

 posed illegibility are concerned, but hitherto never placed before the 

 learned in its true condition, so as to allow a fair trial at its decipher- 

 ment. I allude to the short inscription on the celebrated iron pillar at 

 Delhi, of which I published in 1 834, an attempted copy taken by the 

 late Lieut. Wm. Elliot at the express request of the Rev. Dr. Mill ; 

 but it was so ingeniously mismanaged, that not a single word could be 

 made out ! and there can be no wonder at this, if the reader will take 

 the trouble to compare Lieut. Elliot's plate (PI. XXX. Vol. IV.) with 

 the accompanying reduced lithograph of Capt. Burt's facsimile ! I 

 should perhaps remark that I lithographed the present plate before 

 transcribing it for the pandit, so that there could be no partial bias to- 

 wards a desired construction of any doubtful letter. Nothing of the 

 kind however was necessary : the letters are well formed and well 

 preserved notwithstanding the hard knocks which the iron shaft has 

 encountered from the ruthless invaders of successive centuries. I have 

 been promised by Capt. Burt an account of this and the other mo- 

 numental remains visited in his journey across India ; I need not there- 

 fore enter upon the history of the Delhi iron pillar, but shall confine 

 myself to the restoration and explanation of the record it contains. 



The language is Sanskrit ; the character is of that form of Nagari 

 which I have assigned to the third or fourth century after Christ, the 

 curves of the letters being merely squared ofif : perhaps on account of 

 their having been punched upon the surface of the iron shaft with a 

 short cheni of steel, and a hammer, as the absolute engraving of them 

 would have been a work of considerable labour ; but this point 1 have 

 not the means of determining. 



The composition is poetical, consisting of six lines, or three slokas, in 

 the sardula vikridita measure : — it is observable that the first line is 

 written in a much smaller hand than the remainder. 



The purport of the record is just what we might have calculated to 



