Palaeographical Remarks On Horiuzi Palmleaf MSS

Here's a comprehensive summary of G. Bühler's "Palaeographical Remarks on the Horiuzi Palm-leaf MSS.":

Overall Significance of the Horiuzi Palm-leaf MSS.:

Bühler emphasizes that the discovery of the Horiuzi palm-leaf manuscripts, made accessible through reliable facsimiles, is of paramount importance for Indian palaeography. Their existence provides crucial, unassailable external evidence for the age of Indian palm-leaf manuscripts, a point previously clouded by doubts about the authenticity of dates in colophons. The Horiuzi leaves, though undated, can be confidently placed in the first half of the 6th century AD based on their provenance (brought to Japan in 609 AD from China, possibly belonging to monks who died in 577 AD and emigrated in 520 AD). This establishes that a palm-leaf manuscript could survive over thirteen hundred years in good condition, thus validating the age of much later Nepalese Buddhist and Western Indian Jain manuscripts.

Key Palaeographical Findings:

1. Writing Materials and Techniques: The Horiuzi leaves demonstrate the use of identical writing materials and techniques to those employed later by Buddhists and Jains. The writer's method and the formation of letters show similarities to those still in use by Indian scribes (Lekhakas). The writing was done with a hard-nibbed pen, likely a reed pen, not a brush. The ink quality was also similar to that used in ancient Jain manuscripts.

2. A Developed Literary Alphabet: The manuscripts reveal the existence of a perfectly developed literary or cursive alphabet in Central India during the first half of the 6th century AD. This alphabet's characters are largely identical to those found in the oldest Nepalese palm-leaf manuscripts.

3. Challenging Existing Theories on Alphabet Development: A major conclusion is that inscriptions do not always provide a faithful representation of the history of the Indian alphabet. The Horiuzi leaves show that literary alphabets were often more advanced than those used in contemporary official documents (inscriptions). Inscriptions tended to lag behind, with their characters being gradually modified under the influence of the literary scripts. This contradicts the commonly held theory that inscriptions faithfully track the gradual development of alphabets.

4. Emergence of Two Literary Alphabets: The evidence suggests that by the beginning of the 6th century AD, two somewhat differing literary alphabets existed in Northern India.

5. Detailed Character Analysis and Comparison: Bühler undertakes a meticulous comparison of the Horiuzi alphabet with various other contemporary and later Indian scripts, including:

   • Gupta inscriptions: (Kuhaon, Indokhera)
   • Nepalese manuscripts and inscriptions: (Cambridge Collection, Dr. Bhagvanlal's series)
   • Kashmir's Sarada alphabet
   • Inscriptions from Gujarat and other regions: (Ghalapathan, Samangadh plates of Dantidurga, Gurgara plates of Dadda Prasåntarága, etc.)
   • Southern Indian scripts: (briefly mentioned as needing further investigation)

   This comparative analysis highlights specific letter formations, the adoption of new features like wedges (nailheads), flat tops, projecting verticals, and the retention of open tops. The analysis aims to trace the evolution of individual letters and their variations across different scripts and periods.

Key Principles of the Horiuzi Alphabet:

Bühler identifies five general principles governing the formation of letters in the Horiuzi manuscript:

1. Separation of Aksharas: Letters are clearly separated from each other.
2. Preference for Wedges (Nailheads): These are used in various ways: at the top of down-strokes, at the end of horizontal strokes, or as substitutes for curved lines.
3. Substitution of Flat Tops: Flat tops replace angular or round ones for regularity and to mark the line.
4. Development of Right-Hand Verticals: These project beyond the body of the letter, a feature likely stemming from the scribe's natural pen movement.
5. Retention of Open Tops: Open tops are preserved where they existed in older alphabets.

Implications for Palaeographical Methodology:

The study necessitates a shift in palaeographical research, moving beyond exclusive reliance on epigraphic evidence. Greater attention must be paid to literary scripts for a more accurate understanding of alphabet history.

Broader Historical Context and Inscriptions:

Bühler uses the Horiuzi leaves to illustrate how inscriptions often exhibit a tendency to preserve archaic forms, while literary scripts evolve more rapidly. He points to several phenomena in inscriptions, such as the occasional use of modern-looking characters in signatures or attestations within archaic documents, and the mixed use of alphabets, as evidence for this divergence. The study of the Horiuzi leaves and their comparison with dated inscriptions allows for a re-evaluation of the development of Indian scripts, suggesting that literary alphabets were often the driving force of change.

In conclusion, Bühler's work on the Horiuzi palm-leaf manuscripts provides a foundational analysis that significantly advances the field of Indian palaeography by offering concrete evidence for the age of manuscripts, highlighting the distinct evolutionary paths of literary and epigraphic scripts, and identifying key features of an important early Indian alphabet.