Question

What is the study of inscriptions called?

Answer 1

Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions. The study of written historical records is known as Epigraphy. it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the writing and the writers.

Indian Epigraphy

• Indian epigraphy became more widespread over the 1st millennium, Writing in Sanskrit appears in the 1st to 4th centuries CE.
• Indian Epigraphy was drawn in caves and on rocks, engraved on tablets of stone, engraved on pillars, cliffs.
• Indian Epigraphy was also inscribed on coins, palm leaves, temple walls, and copper plates.
• Belonging to the time period, 3rd century BCE, the Edicts of Ashoka of the are the earliest undisputed undeciphered epigraphy found in India.
• It was written in Brahmi Script, a very early form of middle Indian-Aryan language.
• In South India, Samanam inscriptions were written in Tamil-Brahmi, Kadamba alphabet, Bhattiprolu alphabet.
• Ancient Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions belonging to 6th Century BCE were discovered at Erode, Palani, Adichanallur, Keeladi.
• There are older epigraphs, which dates back to the early 3rd millennium BCE, in the Indus script.
• Inscriptions throw light on the dynastic history of India which did not have historical records of the contemporary period.
• In Karnataka over 25,000 Kannada inscriptions were unearthed.
• Approximately 60,000 inscriptions were found in Tamil Nadu out of the 100,000 inscriptions discovered by ASI (the Archaeological Survey of India).
• Of the 60,000 inscriptions found in Tamil Nadu around 5% were in other languages such as Sanskrit, Telugu, Marathi, and Kannada. The remaining of these inscriptions were in Tamil.
• Some of the well-known earliest inscriptions found were the Inscription of Badli pillar, Piprahwa relic casket inscription, inscription of the Mahasthangarh Brahmi, the Taxila coin legends, the inscription of the Bhattiprolu relic casket, the Eran coin legend, silver coins of Sophytes, the Sohgaura copper plate inscription.
• Some of the most Notable inscriptions that were found are 33 inscriptions of emperor Ashoka on the Pillars of Ashoka (272 to 231 BCE), the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela (2nd century BCE), the Aihole inscription of Pulakesi II (634 CE), the Besnagar pillar inscription of Heliodorus, the Nasik cave inscriptions, the Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta, the Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman I (150 CE), he Rabatak inscription.