As both of these records mention Kumāragupta I by name, so there cannot be any doubt as to their proper date. The Mathurā inscription shows the typical forms of the Western variety.[1] In the Dhānāidaha grant of Kumāragupta I, we find—
| (i) | in all cases, the looped form of the dental sibilant śa, has been used,
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| (ii) | in all cases, the looped form of the lingual sibilant ṣa, has been used,
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| (iii) | in all cases, the hooked form of ha, has been used,
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| (iv) | in the majority of cases the hooked form of la has been used. In one solitary instance the Western variety form has succeeded in replacing the older one, viz:—Vakkralana (?) in L. 8.[2]
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But in a stone-inscription incised sixteen years later, we find Eastern variety forms of sa, ṣa and ha in all cases. In the Mānkuwār inscription of Kumāragupta I, we see that ṣa, sa and ha have not changed in the year 129 G.E. = 448 A.D. The discrepancy may be explained thus. The current script of a country, as found on copper-plates, generally shows a more advanced form than that of the Epigraphic alphabet, found in stone-inscriptions. Copper-plates, in ancient India, should be taken to belong to the same class of records, as paper manuscripts or papyri of other countries. The forms of the alphabet used in them should be distinguished from the forms used in epigraphs proper. Twelve years later than the date of this inscription, we find the Eastern forms of ṣa, sa, la and ha still persisting in all cases, in the Kahāuṁ pillar-inscription of Skandagupta, of
