Dec 16, 2023

shell script inscription at Badami

Badami, the ancient capital of the Chalukyan empire is known for rock inscriptions. The most important ones are Kannada inscriptions dating back to VI Century CE namely-
1. cliff inscription of Pulakeshi in North fort,
2. inscription of Mangalesha besides Cave III,
3. Pallava inscription near Pulakeshi's cliff inscription and,
4. Kappe Arabhatta inscription.

Apart from these four there are several minor inscriptions on the rock faces between the rock-cut cave shrines. Some of the inscriptions are probably names of the sculptors who worked here. Then there are groups of short vertical lines lines etched on the rocks which could be sculptors work log. Lastly there's one inscription which doesn't resemble any known script known to common folks like us. This inscription is on the rock next to the steps between Cave III and Cave IV. I noticed the inscription during my visit in July 2023 and then happened to see its photo in the booklet published by The Department of Archaeology, Museums & Heritage. It is referred to as "inscription in shell script."

There is no other images on the web like this inscription. However there's a page dedicated to Shankhalipi on Wikipedia which features a picture of an pillar inscription at Deogarh in Nepal. The scripts are not alike, there could be different types of shell scripts.

Readers, please do share any information you are aware of.

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2 comments:

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