Computer Application in Indian Epigraphy: Pallava Period (3 Vols-Set)
 
It is indeed axiomatic that the written records form the skeletal element for reconstructing the political vicissitudes and cultural matrix of the land. However, using inscriptions as evidence to substantiate theories is often nebulous and arbitrary. The premature notations, bypassing the experimentation of browsing the entire gamut of historical records, not only generate misconceptions in the minds of readers but also supply a distorted picture of history. Therefore, it is found inevitable to study the inscriptions through the process of statistical analysis to overcome the above shortfall. The statistical methodology thus gradually gains currency among the academicians, and a few attempts made recently in consonance with this have yielded welcome results. However, the scheme of analytical investigation concentrated essentially on the Cola and later periods, and the coverage of this fascinating experiment is hardly extended to the Pallava period. The present work is an outcome of the authors' endeavor to fill, to the extent possible, the vacuum of systematic analysis of the entire inscriptional data of the Pallava period applying computer technology. The inscriptions subjected to scrutiny in the present work range from the last decade of the third century AD to the beginning of the tenth century AD and are distributed in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu and its adjoining districts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The author scanned all the epigraphs as much as possible to cull out the following relevant information from them. They are: Proper names, divinities/legendary names, place names, corporate bodies, big territories, tenures, land, water sources, roads, taxes, crafts and communities, official designations, industries, weights and measurements, imprecatory terms, temples, coins and currency, technical and administrative terms, etc. Each classification has many subcategories. All the information classified is arranged chronologically along with related information. The concordance is so rich that it can be referred to and analyzed from various angles and for various purposes.