1080 Note on Inscriptions from [Dec. 



at the lower corner, where a perforation is made to conduct the water 

 without. 



The great inscription is cut over the entrance of the largest cave 

 called Hat hi Gumpha, and occupies a space of 75 square feet." 



Nothing short of an impression (and from the nature of the rock 

 an impression was impossible) could surpass in fidelity Mr. Kittoe's 

 twice-compared facsimile, which is given on a reduced scale in plate 

 LVIII. The only liberty taken by the transcriber is in arranging the 

 lines parallel and even, whereas on the stone they run very irregu- 

 larly as represented in Stirling's lithograph. Want of space also has 

 made me crowd the letters in the lithograph too much, to the abridg- 

 ment of the spaces which in the original most usefully mark the con- 

 clusion of each compound word. 



One prominent distinction in the alphabetical character would 

 lead to the supposition of its posteriority to that of the Idts, but 

 that the same is observable at Girndr : I allude to the adoption of 

 a separate symbol for the letter r ( | ) instead of confounding it 

 with / (-J ). Hence also it should be later than the Gaya inscrip- 

 tion, which spells Dasaratha with an /, — (dasalathena) . There are a 

 few minor changes in the shape of the v, t, p and g ; and in the 

 mode of applying the vowel marks centrally on the letters, as in the m 

 of namo ; the letter gh is also used : but in other respects the alphabet 

 accords entirely with its prototype, and is decidedly anterior to the 

 modifications just observed in the Sainhadri cave inscriptions. 



The opening words of the inscription command our curiosity 

 from the introduction of a regular invocation, in lieu of the abrupt 

 stvle of Asoka's edicts. Namo arahantdnam namo sava sidhdnam! 

 " salutation (or glory) to the arhantas, glory to all the saints; (or those 

 who have attained final emancipation !)" These words evidently 

 betoken a more matured and priestly style of composition. It should 

 also be noted that the termination in dnam, which in Sanskrit only 

 belongs to the genitive plural, in Pali serves also for the dative — the 

 Sanskrit would be «ffin '^W T*T« ^T# f%l ; the orthography of the text, 

 however, differs materially from that of the modern Pali. 



The next words, Airena mahdrdjena mahdmeghavdhanena chetakdjate. . 

 chhadhanena pasathasukelakhanena chaturantalathaganena, are almost 

 pure Sanskrit,— ^^ ^r*!F§J*r ^T^ERr^r ^^T^r^WfTT^^if 

 W^r^pfi^r^'" 5 ! ^gri^^l^^N', — ' by Aira the great king, — 

 borne on his mighty cloud-chariot, — rich in possession of the purest 

 wealth of heart and desire, — of exceeding personal beauty, — having an 

 army of undaunted courage.' 



