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Art. XIII.—The Semitic Origin of the Indian Alphabet
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
Extract
In my note on the above subject which appeared in the Royal Asiatic Society's Journal for 1895 (Vol. XXVII, pp. 895–898), I brought to notice the existence in Ceylon of several ancient inscriptions in Southern Maurya characters (Brāhmī lipi), which read from right to left. I stated further that “this oft repeated peculiarity of so many inscriptions certainly cannot be merely accidental or due to the ignorance of the inscribers; the more so, because of the important fact that the anomaly is to be met with only in the most ancient inscriptions in the Southern Aśoka character.” I hope before long to obtain ink ‘estampages’ of some of these from the indefatigable Archæological Commissioner in Ceylon, Mr. H. C. P. Bell, to whom should be given the credit of first suggesting a reading of one of them from right to left. Facsimiles will, in due course, be included in the forthcoming “Epigraphia Zeylanica.”
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References
page 301 note 1 Professor Bühler's “Indische Palaeographie,” pp. 8, 9.
page 301 note 2 Cf. Professor Macdonell's “History of Sanskrit Literature,” p. 16; Professor Bühler's “Indische Palaeographie,” pp. 3–4.
page 302 note 1 The pillar edicts are later than the rock edicts. See Bühler's, article in Epigraphia Indica, vol. ii, p. 268.Google Scholar
page 303 note 1 Cf. Bühler's Palaeographic Tables, pls. ii and iii.
page 303 note 2 Cf. Bühler's Palaeographic Tables, pls. ii and iii.
page 304 note 1 Cf. Bühler's, article on the Aśoka Edicts in Epigraphia Indica, vol. ii, pp. 447–472.Google Scholar
page 304 note 2 Bühler has read this symbol as vya in Girnār iii, 5, 6, and Kālsi iv, 10, but in all other places as yva (see Ep. Ind., ii, pp. 447–472). Senart and Bhagwānlāl Indraji have, on the other hand, always read it as vya.
page 304 note 3 See Indian Antiquary, vol. xxi, 1892, p. 2.Google Scholar
page 304 note 4 Ep. Ind., vol. ii, p. 451.
page 304 note 5 Ind. Antiq., vol. x, p. 107.
page 305 note 1 śm, shm, sm : at first to hm and then to mh by confusion of the pronunciation of 
.
page 305 note 2 Cf. Bühler's “Indische Palaeographie,” p. 75 ; J.R.A.S., 1889, p. 128.