164 
JOURNAL, K.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XVIII« 
The Sinhalese coins with Nagari legends date from 
1153 A.D. (Parakrama the Great) to 1296 A.D. (Bhuvaneka 
Bahu). The only forms of the old Nagari alphabet which I 
could find are contained in Burnell's " Palaeography," but they 
are of date posterior to the Sinhalese coins, viz., the 
alphabet as prevalent circa 1400 A.D. and the Nandi Nagari 
of 1600 A.D. A comparison of the Nagari characters on the 
Sinhalese coins, together with those given by Burnell and 
with the modern Nagari, is full of interest as showing the 
development of the Nagari alphabet through four distinct 
stages of its growth. 
These are the characters appearing on the Sinhalese coins : 
... sri 
... ra 
ka 
... ma 
... Ka 
... la 
... kra 
... li 
... ke 
... la 
S 
... hainSahasaMalla 
... ta 
... hu in Bahu, letter 
... ti 
not complete 
d 
..• dha in Dhamma- 
a 
... va 
soka Deva 
... vi 
... so 
... ja in Vijaya and 
... de 
Sri RajaLilavati 
n 
... ne 
... ja in Raja Raja 
S3 
••• sa 
a 
... ya 
... ga 
d 
... ba 
m 
... CO, evidently an 
ai 
... ba 
obliterated form 
a 
... pa 
of 1^ 
1 
... ra 
3 
... bhu 
