Page:The Origin of the Bengali Script.djvu/34

14 (d) ga occurs several times in the name Kuraṅgi where it has two varieties:—(1) cursive as in Pl. X, p. 4 and (2) the angular as in Pl. X, 6-7;

(e) gha also occurs only once in Amoghasa ; its appearance shows great change, though it resembles one of the forms used in the Kālsi edicts (Pl. II, Col. 3-12); it is, on the whole, different from the form to be found in the North-Eastern variety of the early Maurya alphabet;

(f) ca occurs twice in Cetika, but its form does not show much difference from that of the older Maurya one;

(g) two forms of ja are to be found in these inscriptions:—(i) one form resembles the ja in Bühler's Pl. II, Col. X, 15, while (ii) the other form is the usual older Maurya one with a dot in place of the central loop;

(h) ta resembles the southern form in Bühler's Pl. II, Col. VII, 23 and the usual form of later Brāhmī inscriptions;

(i) da occurs in all of the inscriptions discovered on the pillars, copings and cross-bars of the Bodh-Gayā railing, and resembles the angular form of the older Maurya alphabet (Bühler Pl. II, Col. V-VI, 23);

(j) dha occurs once only in Bodhirakhitasa; there is no change in the form of this letter from the 3rd century B.C. till the 10th or 11th century A. D.;

(k) na also occurs in all of the inscriptions from Bodh-Gayā and its base line shows no curvature at all, proving that these inscriptions cannot be placed later than the 2nd century B. C.;

(l) pa shows a greater degree of change; in all cases of its occurrence, it shows two well-formed right angles, at its lower extremeties [sic]; cf. Tabapanakasa, Sakaputrasa, Jivāputrāye, Pājāvātiye, Jivāputrāye and Pāsādā.