Shankhalipi

Why in news?

• Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered remains of an ancient temple dating back to the Gupta period (5th century) in Etah district of Uttar Pradesh.

More about the news:

• The stairs of the temple had 'shankhalipi' inscriptions, which were deciphered by the archaeologists as saying, 'Sri Mahendraditya', the title of Kumaragupta I of the Gupta dynasty.

About Shankhalipi:

• Shankhalipi or “shell-script” is a term used by scholars to describe presently undeciphered ornate spiral characters assumed to be Brahmi derivative that resemble conch shells or shankhas.
• They are found in inscriptions across north-central India and date to between the 4th and 8th centuries.
• Both Shankhalipi and Brahmi are stylised scripts used primarily for names and signatures.
• The inscriptions consist of a small number of characters, suggesting that the shell inscriptions are names or auspicious symbols or a combination of the two.
• The script was discovered in 1836 on a brass trident in Uttarakhand's Barahat by English scholar James Prinsep, who was the founding editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Which of the following statements are correct regarding ‘Shankhalipi’

1. They are stylised scripts used primarily for names and signatures.

2. They are found in inscriptions across various parts of India.

3. The script was discovered in 1836 by James Prinsep.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1,2 and 3

Answer