The present work does not profess to introduce the subject of Indian Epigraphy but is, on the other hand, the result of the author’s long and intimate acquaintance with Indian ins criptions in his capacity as a professional Epigraphist. Start ing with a chapter on the nature and importance of Indian inscriptions, the author has attempted in the subsequent chapters to draw attention to some of the popular notions and theories propounded by the earlier scholars and implicitly followed even today and argues that they are no longer tenable or need to be revised. In particular, the chapters on the language media of Indian inscriptions, palaeographical zonalisation of Indian scripts and palaeographical dating of undated inscriptions break new ground while the last chapter emphasises as well as illustrates the need for tackling inscriptions from newer angles. The author plans to bring out soon a second volume mainly dealing with the palaeographi cal development of Indian scripts and the problems per taining to decipherment. The volume will also contain practical and well illustrated lessons on how to decipher inscriptions in different Indian scripts and belonging to different periods and regions.
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