Numerals in Orissan Inscriptions

The book aims at discussing different systems of numeration prevalent in early Orissa. That the typologies of the numerical symbols are part of an evolutionary process has been well defined and illustrated. The polemic about the earliest epigraphic evidence of the use of the decimal system in India has been resolved. The systematic displacement of the numerical symbols by the decimal figures and the experiment with the application of positional value and the potential zero in Orissan records form an interesting dimension of study. It further addresses the problem of the advent of modern Oriya numerals and examines how the geo-political and linguistic-palaeographical forces operated in determining and standardising them. The chronograms included in the book largely supplement the existing lists prepared by earlier authorities.