Page:The Origin of the Bengali Script.djvu/65

Rh lowest limit for the use of this form of ya in Northern India:— "Any inscription in the North-Western Indian alphabet, which shows the more or less exclusive use of the old form of ya, must date from before 600 A.D., while any inscription showing an exclusive use of the cursive form of ya must date after 600 A.D."

The force of Dr. Hoernle's argument has been weakened by the discovery of the Udaypur inscription of the Guhila Aparājita, of V. E. 716 = 659 A.D. "The discovery of an inscription of the 7th century", observes Dr. Bühler, "with mostly tripartite ya, E. I. 4, 29, makes a modification of Hoerule's argument necessary but does not invalidate his final result". It will be observed that no limit has been fixed for the use of the tripartite form of ya in a North-Eastern inscription. In the Bodh-Gay inscription of Mahnman, we find that, the bipartite form had, entirely, displaced the tripartite one. Consequently, it has been supposed that the bipartite form has displaced the tripartite form, in the North-Eastern inscriptions, almost about the same time as in North-western records. Subsequent discoveries now enable us to prove beyond doubt that in North-eastern India, the use of the tripartite form of ya, lasted about half a century longer than the limit of North-western India. For example we have the form used in the Amaun grant of Nandana. The date of this inscription is not far removed from that of the Bodh-Gay inscription, and it was found in a place not very far off from Bodh-Gay, yet we find that in all cases the tripartite form of ya has been used. So again, in the case of Paṭikell grant of ivarja, we find that