48 
A. Rea— Pre-historic Burial-places in Southern India. [No. 2, 
of the Tibetans. It has four subforms ; viz., Plate II, c, d, and Plate 
III, a, b, c. 
(1.) Pema tshug-clihun :—small roundish letters, used in elegant 
writings, epistles, and love-letters.—Plate III, a, b. 
(2.) Khyug yig :—running hand letters, used entirely in business 
and correspondence.—Plate III, c. 
(3.) Ka-dpe or Kliugs yig rKan rin :—long-legged letters for copy- 
writing, exercises in penmanship, &c.—Plate II, No. c. 
* (4.) Dpe yig rKan thun :—short-legged letters for manuscripts, 
books, &c.—Plate II, d. 
III. The third form called Du-tsha (Hbru-tshag), which is seldom 
used for the above four purposes, is used in public notices, placards, 
signboards, names of books on covers, and in making covers of goods, bales, 
furniture, &c., (see Plate III, d). Almost all the Pon books are written 
in this form. It appears to me that the Pons, out of their antagonism to 
Buddhism, were averse to adopt the Lan-tsha form of Sanskrit in their 
sacred writings and inscriptions. They, therefore, gave the ornamental 
shape to the U-me characters, and thereby formed the Du-tsha, (see Plate 
III, e). As in course of time the Pon religion declined, it (DuAsha) fell 
into disuse. Still the largest use is made of it only in Pon monasteries. 
The U-me form is now-a-days taking its place in the writing of notices 
and signboards. The three forms of characters are, however, modifica¬ 
tions of that form of the Devanagari which was current in Magadha 
during the 7th and 8th centuries A. DA The U-chan, U-me, and 
Du-tsha run parallel to each other in their shape.—Plates II and III. 
IY. The Lan-tsha (Ranja) form of Sanskrit is exclusively used in 
writing title-pages, headings of books, ornamental inscriptions, tapes- 
teries, painting, sacred objects and symbols, &c., &c. It was introduced 
in Tibet from Magadha.—Plates VIII and IX. 
Some Pre-historic Burial-places in Southern India.—By A. Rea, M. R. A. S. 
(With two plates.) 
Megalithic and earthenware tombs at Pallavaram. 
These remains, consisting of groups of dolmens, and round and 
oblong earthenware sarcophagi, are found around and over a range of 
hills to the east of the village of Trisulur about a mile to the east of the 
# “ The Tibetan alphabet itself, as has been noticed in other places, is stated to 
have been formed from the Devanagari, prevalent in Central India in the seventh 
century. On comparing the forms of its letters with those of various ancient 
Sanskrit inscriptions, particularly that at Gya, translated by Mr. (now Sir Charles) 
Wilkins, and that on the column at Allahabad, translated by Captain Trover and Dr. 
Mill, a striking similitude will be observed.” Csoma’s Tibetan grammar, page 204. 
