Epigraphy (Study of Inscriptions)

 

Epigraphy (Inscriptions)

Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions on rocks, pillars, temple walls, copper plates and other writing material. It deals with the art of writing and provides us with an instrument for conservation and transmission of historical traditions from gen- eration to generation as they have the advantage of durability. Inscriptions are the major source for reconstructing the history and culture of ancient civilizations. It serves as primary documentary evidence to establish legal, socio-cultural, literary archaeological, and historical antiquity on the basis of engravings.

Inscriptions are of very great value as they are engraved on stone and metals which cannot be tampered without detection. Consequently, we can be sure while using the material from inscriptions that they contain what was originally written The inscriptions also give us a correct idea of the method of writing followed at a time when they were actually inscribed. The character of their script also enables us to fix their approximate age. Location can also throw some valuable light. The difficulty of deciphering inscriptions has been overcome in most of the cases al- though the script of the Indus valley still, remains undeciphered.

Comparative Importance of Inscriptions as a Historical Source Usually contemporaneous to the events.

•  More durable than manuscripts
• Information can be connected to a time and place. 
• Help in determining the extent of kingdoms/empires on the basis of geographical spread of a particular type of inscriptions
• The Prashastis give detailed description of dynasties and reigns of kings. 
• Shed light on political structure, administrative and revenue systems.
• Later inscriptions also provide records of land grants. 
• Gupta, Chola and Pallava inscriptions found in different forms help in reconstruction of political, social and religious history of their times.

With regard administrative inscriptions, mention may be made of the Sohgaura copper plate inscription of Chandragupta Maurya which suggests the State's measures to deal with the famine conditions. Ashokan edicts may be referred to as the specimen of administrative inscription. An extract from one of his inscriptions reads thus: 'Everywhere in my dominions, the Yuktas, the Rajjukas and the Prade- shikas shall proceed on circuit tour every five years as well for this purpose (for the instruction of Dhamma) as for other businesses'. The Junagarh Rock inscription of Rudradaman I talks about Sudarshana lake to facilitate irrigation for peasants. A large number of copper plate inscriptions have been found both in the north and south, and they contain many useful administrative details. Reference may be made in this connection to the Banskhera copper plate inscription of Harsha.

As regards the eulogistic inscriptions (Prashasti), they are very important from the political point of view. They contain names and genealogies of the rulers, their military, political and administrative achievements, the existence of contemporary states coming into conflict with them and the inter-state relations, the administra- tive system, the political ideals, etc. The one great difficulty in these inscriptions is that there is a tendency on the part of the authors to exaggerate the achievements of their patrons. The Hathigumpha inscription of king Kharavela of Kalinga belongs to the category of pure eulogy. It describes in detail the achievements of Kharavela in a chronological order. To the same category belongs the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta. Important specimens of the eulogistic types, though with some valuable information are to be found in the Nasik Cave inscription of Ushavadata, the Junagarh Rock inscription of Rudradaman I, the Mandasor Stone pillar inscription of Yashodharman, the stone inscription of Ishanvarman, the Aihole stone inscription of Pulakesin II, the Talagunda stone pillar inscriptions of Dantivarman, and Mandasor stone inscription of Kumaragupta II. A large number of votive or dedicative inscrip- tions have also been discovered. It is possible that some of the tablets found in the Indus valley contain votive inscriptions. The Piprahwa inscription records the ded- ication of the relic casket of Lord Buddha. The Besnagar Garuda Pillar inscription of Heliodoros also belongs to this category. Many of the dedicative inscriptions deal with the installation of images and the construction of temples. Reference may be made in this connection to the Mandasor inscription of the time of Kumaragupta IIand the Bhittari inscription of Skandagupta and the Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II. 

During the period following the Gupta and Post-Gupta ages and particularly in the early medieval phase of Indian history, several kings in their inscriptions are shown protecting and promoting the traditional social order based on varnashrama dharma as their duties. Mention may be made of the royal prashastis of Sam- udragupta, Kumaragupta, Harshavardhana, Senas of Bengal, kings of early medieval kingdoms and the Pallava, Chalukya, Chola and Vijayanagara inscriptions, where the kings are eulogized as protector of their people, custodian of dharma and maintainers of their varna and ashramas. The king in these inscriptions is often eulogized as performer of Vedic sacrifices and remover of the kaliyuga. Since the Smritis prescribed such activities, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the references to the preservation of varnashrama system by the kings eulogized in in- scriptions are, to the greater extent, the reflection of the smriti traditions.

Thus, inscriptions have proved a source of the highest value for the recon- struction of the political history of ancient India. The series of Indian inscriptions open with the memorable edicts of the great Mauryan emperor Asoka, engraved on rocks and pillars throughout his vast empire. The records of Asoka form a class by themselves and contribute largely to our knowledge of the history of the period and the spirit that animated one of the greatest men that ever sat on a royal throne. 

The inscriptions of the post-Asokan period may be broadly divided into two class- es, official and private. The official records are in most cases either Prashasti, i.e., eulogies of kinds written by their court-poets, or land-grants. The most famous example of the former is furnished by the long record of Samudragupta engraved on an Asokan pillar, now in the Allahabad fort. It describes in great detail the personal qualities and the military achievements of the great Gupta emperor and forms the chief document of his memorable region.

Among other prashastis, supplying valuable historical information, mention can be made of king Vijayasena of the Sena dynasty of Bengal engraved on a slab of stone found at Deopara. Its nominal object is to record the building of a temple by Vijayasena, but it is almost wholly devoted to a panegyric of the great king, re- cording his victories and achievements in the most high-flown language. The Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II, the Chalukya king, belongs to exactly the same type.

By far the largest number of official documents are charters conveying the sale or gift of lands. These are mostly engraved on copper plates (tamrapatra), though in very rare instances they are also found on stone pillars and in temples. These charters define the boundaries of the lands and specify the object and conditions of the grant, often enumerating other interesting details such as the price of land, the mode of its measurement, exhortations to future kings not to confiscate the grants and quotations from the scriptures threatening severe punishment after death for those who violate the grants in any way.

In case where the inscriptions are engraved on rocks or objects not easily portable, their find-spots become of great importance as indicating the territorial jurisdiction of the king. Sometimes the records of vassal chiefs and finds of coins corroborate the claims of territorial conquests. By these and other means, it is al- most always possible to make legitimate inferences from these documents about the achievements of the kings.

Despite providing dateable information about political history, the epigraph- ic sources reflect the growth and development of art and culture to a far greater extent. They provide glimpses into sects and cults such as ajivika sect and yaksha, and naga cults that were once important and did not leave any literary text of their own. Inscriptions shed sufficient light on the history of iconography, art and ar- chitecture by helping us identifying and dating sculptures and monuments. They refer to the performing arts as reflected in the seventh century Kudumiyamalai inscription, giving detail about the musical notes used in seven classical ragas. Inscriptions from south India, especially from Tamil Nadu talk about the perfor- mance of various kinds of dances; the Nataraja temple at Chidambaram has label inscriptions portraying the dance poses of 108 sculpted figures carved on its pil- lars. The entire study of art, architecture and sculptures of Mauryan period (mon- olithic pillars and their capitals, barabar and other caves, sculptures of yakshas and yakshanis), Gandhara, Mathura and Amaravati schools of art in post-Mauryan pe- riod and temple architecture of Gupta and post-Gupta period, Pallava-Chalukya art and architecture and the three major styles of temple architecture (nagara, besara and dravida) could not have been possible without epigraphic sources.

We come to know about the undeciphered script of Harappans and the de- ciphered scripts such as brahmi, kharoshthi in Prakrit and Pali languages, Greek and Aramaic scripts through inscriptions only. Hence, they reflect the history of language and literature.