A Cultural Study of Medieval Sanskrit and Vernacular Inscriptions of Bundelkhand CE 1203 1800

Abstract

Inscriptions form a very important and authentic source of information regarding the history of India. Their importance for the reconstruction of history of India has been recognized and acknowledged by all historians. They build up a data base for critically looking at issues from different angles and perspectives in the reconstruction past. Dr. D. C. Sircar, an eminent epigraphist, in his presidential address of the second annual congress of the Epigraphical Society of India (1976), after giving an excellent review of the growth and importance of Indian epigraphy , ended up with a section titled decline in the study , wherein he made a haunting remark that it has, however, to be admitted that the subject lost its popularity with western students considerably before the middle of the 20th century while there are very few successful epigraphists even in India today. It is feared that soon there will nobody to read and interpret an inscription correctly. The latter part of his statement has fortunately been disproved so far to some extent. We may understand what Sircar may have had in his mind in using the term decline , when we compare the past and recent epigraphical publications in the field of history. Even though dozens of inscriptions are coming to light every year, these new discoveries hardly excite us as they used to be in olden days. The reason behind this appears to be the wide gap between the galloping changes coming up in objectives and methodological approaches in history and a static situation in the field of Indian epigraphy. Accumulation of new knowledge and constant endeavor to reach distant horizons of learning are eternal process and India epigraphy too has to pace with it. Exploration of inscriptions in an inhospitable region, their time consuming decipherment and editing are a difficult task, which deter a researcher to venture in this field. Medieval Indian history is chiefly based on Arabic and Persian literary sources of conflicting and biased nature. The limited medieval inscription