Rising KashmirRising KashmirRising Kashmir
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • News
    • Kashmir
    • City
    • Jammu
    • Politics
  • Health
  • Anchor
  • Features
  • Interview
  • Video
Search

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022

Categories

  • Anchor
  • Breaking
  • Business
  • City
  • Developing Story
  • Editorial
  • Education
  • Features
  • Health
  • Interview
  • Jammu
  • Jammu and Kashmir News
  • Kashmir
  • Kashmir Tourism
  • Kath Bath
  • National
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Top Stories
  • Trending
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Viewpoint
  • World
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Exploring the Ancient Epigraphic Heritage
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Rising KashmirRising Kashmir
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • News
  • Health
  • Anchor
  • Features
  • Interview
  • Video
Search
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • News
    • Kashmir
    • City
    • Jammu
    • Politics
  • Health
  • Anchor
  • Features
  • Interview
  • Video
Follow US
© 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Rising Kashmir > Blog > Opinion > Exploring the Ancient Epigraphic Heritage
Opinion

Exploring the Ancient Epigraphic Heritage

IQBAL AHMAD
Last updated: December 28, 2023 7:19 am
IQBAL AHMAD
Published: December 28, 2023
Share
8 Min Read
SHARE

The story of the ancient scripts and languages is a very interesting subject to explore and there are several such scripts and languages which have altogether disappeared or turned outdated one. It is just like in other fields of life; things automatically turn outdated and thereby get neglected.

The change is felt even in the science and technology fields, the old technologies and machineries   get replaced by the new and more convenient inventions, similar is the case with different humanities fields. The linguistic field has also gone under tremendous changes. The olden classical scripts and languages have either been discontinued or forgotten all together.

The history  of scripts and languages  is  as old as the development of human civilisation, the  story of the writings on  rocks  and metallic objects  goes  thousands of years back  and  with the inception of archaeological researches,  thousands of  epigraphs inscribed  in a variety of classical scripts and languages  have been so far  discovered and identified.

The task is not over; the process of discovering and identifications of inscriptions is a routine process of institutions and individuals involved in the archaeological, numismatic and epigraphic researches. At the government level there is epigraphic centre working under the aegis of archaeological of India, entrusted with job of identification and documentation of   ancient scripts and epigraphs of India. The centre has identified and documented hundreds of ancient epigraphs, which included the rock edicts of Maharaja Ashoka.           

Notwithstanding with the wonderful archaeological works undertaken by experts, there are still certain scripts and epigraphs which have become a mystery for the epigraphers and researchers.  

Indus script 

In the subcontinent the Indus valley Alphabet is perhaps the oldest Alphabet, which despite of successive efforts made by the archaeologists and paleographers had not been de-coded yet.   While on the other hand, the major epigraphs of other    classical scripts and languages found in the subcontinent has mostly been identified and deciphered.

 

Different scripts

Number of Kharoshti, Brahmi, Sharda, Persain and Arabic inscriptions found in Kashmir have also been identified and deciphered.  While exploring  the epigraphic  heritage of Jammu and Kashmir, it looks  Prakrit, Sanskrit   Kharoshti, Brahmi, Sharda , Persian and Arabic  have  served the most  prominent  written  letter  and   word  for  ancient Kashmir and  several  of the  artifacts of this heritage has been identified and deciphered.

 

Kharoshti script 

In fact we knew  that Arabic, Persian andUrdu Alphabet is usually written from right to left,  but very few people know that in ancient times  there  was a script which was also written in the same style.  This script is known as Kharoshti, which has been written from right to left like Persian and Arabic scripts

 

  

Kharoshti rock inscriptions

 

Most of the scholars believed that this Alphabet has been more popular  in the north western parts of the then India which included modern day Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Afghanistan, and Central Asian states.  The languages which have been written in this script were identified as Pali, prakrit and sanskrit.

Evolution of the script

The script as per historical records evolved in 3rd century BC, in the time of Muryan Period and is learnt to have been in use up to 3rd century AD during Kushan period. Besides Mauryans, indo Greeks, indo Scythians, indo parathions has also used this script. Their silver and copper coins carried legends in Kharoshti with their special titles 

 

 

The reverse of an Indo Scythian Coin carried legend in Kharoshti in Sanskrit

  

The script has been also in usage in the Jammu and Kashmir including Gilget and Baltistan regions, scores of epigraphs written Kharoshti have been identified from Jammu and Kashmir and Gilget and Baltistan regions.

 Identification of the script  

This script was identified and de-coded during early 19th century; the historical accounts say that the   Kharosthi script was deciphered by one European epigraphist James Prinsep (1799–1840). In identification and deciphering of this kharoshti alphabet, he had used   the bilingual coins of the Indo-Greek Kingdom, on which Greek legends are given on obverse and kharoshti on reverse. Since he knew the Greek alphabet and could read the Greek legends on these coins, he could therefore understand the kharoshti legends which are written on this coin in pali.    This in turn led to the reading of the Edicts of Ashoka, some of which, from the northwest of South Asia, were written in the Kharosthi script.

 

Number of the epigraphs of this script have been located in the Jammu and Kashmir, most of those have been found on Kashmir coins of indo Greek, Indo Scythain, Indo Parthain and   on Kushan coins of Kuzulakhadphsis, Wema Kadphsis, and  Vima takto  periods. Kanishka looks to have discontinued the usage of this Alphabet and shifted towards Bactrian Greek Alphabet.

The kharoshti inscriptions are inscribed on the reverse side of the coin in prakrit and Sanskrit langusages. The tiles carried on these coins reads as, Rajaderajsa, Mahatasa,  etc

Ancient greek and Kharoshti inscriptions on obverse and reverse of the Appollodotus’s Coins (Indo Greek) rarely also found in Kashmir. The titles carried in kharoshti letters   reads rajaderajsa mahatasa appalodatasa in prakrit.

Kharoshti   rock inscriptions   have been discovered on the rock edits of Hunza and Nager on Karokarum Highway in Gilget area of the Jammu and Kashmir.  One of the Kharoshti inscription carrying the name of Kushan  king  Wima Kadphsis was way back found in  Khalsti village of Ladakh. Archaeologists claim to have found an inscribed pottery object carrying the name of Indo Greek king Menander in Kharoshti   letters at Semithen Bijbehera area of South Kashmir,   The numerals of this script were also encountered on the tiles recovered from scores of archaeological places of Kashmir dated to 1st and 2nd century AD.

 Few of the artifacts discovered from time to time in this land also carried the evidences of Kharaoshti letters and numerals. The terracotta tiles discovered at Harwan, Darkote, Isratnar and Kotebal  also bear the numerals in Kharoshti.

 

The tile in centre depicts the kharoshti numerals

 

No doubt the Kharoshti script very early has turned an out dated script and nobody can think of its revival,   but as a civilized society it is our moral responsibility to explore this epigraphic heritage and preserve it for the generations to come so that they can also have glimpses of this forgotten heritage.  

(Author is an archeologist and can be reached at: [email protected])

 

Inclusion of the ‘Third Gender’ In Job Applications
Quiet Life: A Lasting Legacy
Overcoming Bipolar Disorder
The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Human Creativity
Tobacco Use: Don’t love the killer

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp Copy Link Print
Previous Article Fortifying digital literacy
Next Article Women Voice in Assembly
Leave a Comment Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected

1MFollowersLike
262kFollowersFollow
InstagramFollow
234kSubscribersSubscribe
Google NewsFollow

Latest News

Ashmita Paul, Self-Defence Instructor from Guwahati Calls on LG Sinha
Breaking National
May 29, 2025
“PoK part of India, it will voluntarily return to our mainstream”: Rajnath Singh
Breaking National
May 29, 2025
CDS Gen Anil Chauhan to engage with global military leadership at Shangri-La Dialogue 2025
Breaking National
May 29, 2025
How Platforms Like A23 Rummy Are Navigating Online Gaming Regulations in India
How Platforms Like A23 Rummy Are Navigating Online Gaming Regulations in India
Sports
May 29, 2025

Recent Posts

  • Ashmita Paul, Self-Defence Instructor from Guwahati Calls on LG Sinha
  • “PoK part of India, it will voluntarily return to our mainstream”: Rajnath Singh
  • CDS Gen Anil Chauhan to engage with global military leadership at Shangri-La Dialogue 2025
  • How Platforms Like A23 Rummy Are Navigating Online Gaming Regulations in India
  • Pahalgam’s incident, an attack on humanity, brotherhood, says PM Modi

Recent Comments

  1. BASHIR AHMAD BHAT on Poor hotel accommodation, lack of medical facilities irk Kashmiri pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, video goes viral
  2. sree vishnu movies on Pahalgam attack shatters Kashmir’s film tourism revival
  3. SavePlus on AI and Behavioural Analytics in Gaming: Making the World of Gaming Better
  4. Parul on Govt acknowledges faulty streetlights on Narbal-Tangmarg road
  5. dr gora on Women Veterinarians and the Goal of Viksit Bharat

Contact Us

Flat No 7,Press Enclave, Srinagar, 190001
0194 2477887
9971795706
[email protected]
[email protected]

Quick Link

  • E-Paper
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Top Categories

Stay Connected

1.06MLike
262.5kFollow
InstagramFollow
234.3kSubscribe
WhatsAppFollow
Rising KashmirRising Kashmir
Follow US
© 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?