Epigraphical Survey of India

Epigraphical Survey of India
Name	Epigraphical Survey of India
Established	1886
Headquarters	Mysore, Madras Presidency
Area served	Indian subcontinent
Leader title	Superintendent
Parent organization	Archaeological Survey of India

Epigraphical Survey of India.

The Epigraphical Survey of India is a long-standing initiative associated with the Archaeological Survey of India and the colonial Madras Presidency that documented stone and copper inscriptions across the Indian subcontinent during the late 19th and 20th centuries. It operated in tandem with institutions such as the British Museum, the Asiatic Society of Bengal, and the Royal Asiatic Society, producing corpora that informed scholarship on dynasties like the Gupta Empire, the Chola dynasty, and the Mughal Empire. Its work influenced studies by scholars connected to the Sanskrit revival, the Bengal Renaissance, and the development of epigraphy as practiced in centers such as Oxford University, University of Cambridge, and the University of Calcutta.

History and Establishment

The Survey emerged from initiatives linked to the Archaeological Survey of India, the Asiatic Society of Bengal, and the Madras School of Orientalism following surveys by figures associated with the British Raj, the East India Company, and administrators like Alexander Cunningham. Early operations involved coordination with institutions such as the National Archives of India, the Bengal Presidency, and the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, while responding to discoveries connected to the Indus Valley Civilization, the Maurya Empire, and the Satavahana dynasty. Its formalization paralleled the expansion of colonial scholarly networks tied to the India Office, the British Museum, and universities including University College London.

Objectives and Scope

The principal aims were to locate, edit, and publish inscriptions from sites associated with rulers such as the Ashoka, the Harsa (Harsha), and the Rashtrakuta dynasty, and to compile corpora comparable to collections produced by the Epigraphia Carnatica, the Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, and the South Indian Inscriptions. The scope spanned materials in languages and scripts like Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, Tamil, Kannada, and the Devanagari script, addressing inscriptions from archaeological sites including Sarnath, Sanchi, Hampi, and Mahabalipuram.

Methodology and Fieldwork

Field methods combined techniques promoted by figures linked to Alexander Cunningham and later superintendents trained in paleography at centers such as Oxford University and the University of Leipzig. Teams undertook epigraphic surveys, estampage making, and photographic documentation using equipment prevalent in institutions such as the British Library and the Indian Museum, while employing comparative analysis with texts preserved in repositories like the Royal Asiatic Society Library and the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Work often required liaising with regional authorities including the Mysore Kingdom, the Nizam of Hyderabad, and colonial administrations in the Bombay Presidency.

Major Publications and Catalogues

Key outputs included series modeled on the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum and the Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, with catalogues that informed reference works in the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, and the French Institute of Pondicherry. Publications influenced compendia such as the Epigraphia Carnatica and were cited alongside editions by scholars from University of Madras, University of Oxford, and the Sorbonne. The Survey’s volumes were used by historians working on the Gupta Empire, the Chalukya dynasty, the Pallava dynasty, and the Vijayanagara Empire.

Key Findings and Notable Inscriptions

The Survey documented inscriptions that shed light on eras including the Maurya Empire and the Chola dynasty, such as royal grants, temple inscriptions, and administrative records comparable to the Ashoka edicts and inscriptions linked to the Rashtrakuta dynasty. Notable records traced land grants connected to temples at Thanjavur, legal precedents resonant with documents from Vijayanagara, and trade notices that paralleled material from Kanchipuram and Pattadakal; findings contributed to reinterpretations of sources used by historians of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.

Organizational Structure and Collaborations

Administratively the Survey functioned under the aegis of the Archaeological Survey of India and cooperated with bodies such as the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, the French Institute of Pondicherry, and the British Museum. Collaborative projects involved universities including the University of Calcutta, the University of Madras, University of Cambridge, and research centers like the National Museum, New Delhi and the Indian Council of Historical Research. Exchanges occurred with regional archives in the Bombay Presidency, the Madras Presidency, and princely states including the Mysore Kingdom.

Impact, Reception, and Legacy

The Survey’s corpora influenced historiography relating to the Gupta Empire, the Chola dynasty, the Mughal Empire, and the Vijayanagara Empire, and shaped methodologies in institutions such as the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and the Archaeological Survey of India. Its publications were integrated into curricula at universities like the University of Madras and University of Calcutta and cited by scholars associated with the Bengal Renaissance, the Cambridge School, and international centers including Sorbonne University and Harvard University. Ongoing debates over interpretation engage historians focused on the Delhi Sultanate, specialists in Indian epigraphy, and conservationists at the National Archives of India.

Category:Epigraphy