1897 .] 
Central Asian Manuscripts. 
215 
No. X, paper 20 pieces. 
„ XI, do. 36 „ 
,, XII, do. 9 ,, 
Total 145 pieces 
Quite irrespective of tlie material, these fragments are inscribed 
with two quite distinct types of Brahml character, viz., Northern Indian 
(Gupta) and what I have called in my paper on the Weber MSS. 2 3 4 
Central Asian. To the former division belong Nos. I, II, III (with the 
exception of piece No. IIIc), Y, VI, VII, VIII (probably), and XI. Of 
these No. I is of palm-leaf, No. II of birch-bark,• and the others of 
paper. To the Central Asian division belong Nos. IV, IX, X and XII. 
The best test-letters for distinguishing the North-Indian from the 
Central Asian are the superscribed vowels e and ai. These, in the 
Central Asian, are made in the form of an almost perpendicular stroke 
with a slight top-curvature to the right, 3 while for the short vowel i the 
same form is used which the North-Indian uses for t. Hence what is e 
in the North-Indian, is i in the Central Asian. Regarding the time when 
these Central Asian forms of e and ai originated, I may offer the 
following suggestions. In the Northern Indian Gupta, at a certain 
time, the tendency shows itself, to give to the usual superscribed curve 
of e a serpentine form. This form may be seen on one of the Godfrey 
MSS., on Plate VIII, leaf 11, reverse, line 3, in the word manase , while 
the usual form occurs just below in ghose. Now by straightening the 
serpentine line, but preserving the upward curve, at the left end, 
the Central Asian form of e is produced. The serpentine line was a 
mere artistic fancy in vogue at a certain time, but I believe it eventually 
led to the evolution of the Central Asian forms of e and ai. A look at 
Professor Biihler’s Table IV (column XII-XIX) in his Indian Palaso- 
graphy 4 shows that the period during which the fashion of writing the 
serpentine forms of e, ai , o, au prevailed in Northern India with regard 
to engraved documents was the 6th and 7th centuries A.D. For manu¬ 
scripts the fashion must have commenced much earlier. Manuscripts, 
therefore, showing that fashion cannot be well dated later than the 6th 
century A.D., and may be placed the earlier, the more sporadic the 
observance of the fashion shows itself. To that period, say the fourth 
or fifth century A.D., may be referred the evolution of the Central Asian 
forms of medial e and ai. See also the remarks, infra, p. 257. 
2 See Journal, As. Soc. Bengal., Yol. LXII, page 4. 
3 The same is the case, of course, with the superscribed vowels 6 and au; only 
with them, from the nature of the case, the distinction'is not so clearly marked. 
4 In the Encyclopedia of Indo-Aryan Research. 
