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Kohi Script from Gandhra
Discovery of Another Ancient Indian Writing SystemM. Nasim Khan
While looking for ancient documents to establish
the missing links between the Middle Indo Aryan
and the Dardic languages of northern Pakistan,
different sorts of epigraphical specimens were
documented during the process of screening the
three main valleys of northern Pakistan, Dir, Swat
and the Upper Indus, including the discovery of
dozens of ancient Indian inscriptions. All but one
group of these are written in already familiarscripts and somewhat known languages. The
aberrant script was mainly found in Dir, Swat,
Buner and in the Peshawar valley and since its
discovery it has remained a puzzling job for the
epigraphist to determine the nature of its writing
and its language.
In 1999 a person from Swat informed one of my
students, who was working on Chail dialect of
Swat Kohistani, that a strange script is to be seen
engraved on the surface of a rock close toBahrain, Swat. After getting this information we
visited the area to see the inscription, but
unfortunately we were not able to find it in the
absence of the person who had brought it to our
attention, instead we were compensated by
discovering another such inscription, which was
lying in a private collection in Manglawar, Swat1.
Since this discovery the author has been trying to
document all such inscriptions situated in situ or
lying in different museums and private
collections. These inscriptions, written in astrange script hereafter called Kohi Script2, areengraved mostly on stone slabs of different types:
schist, granite, marble, etc.
It seems that reference to this strange script was
first made by M. Senart and Sir Thomas Holdich
in 1910 while referring to a large number of such
1
Thanks to its owner I could study the inscription on thespot.2
Due to discovery of these inscriptions in the mountainous
regions of northern Pakistaqn, the name Kohi Script ishere purely geographical rather than associated with any
historical accounts.
strange inscriptions collected by Col. Deane in the
area of Swat. Sir Thomas Holdich writes:
But along with these Buddhist relics there have
been lately unearthed certain strange
inscriptions, which have been submitted by their
discoverer, Major Deane, to a congress of
Orientalists, who can only pronounce them to be
in an unknown tongue. They have been found in
the Indus valley east of Swat, most of them beingengraved on stone slabs which have been built
into towers, now in ruins. The towers are
comparatively modern, but it by no means
follows that these inscriptions are so. It is the
common practice of Pathan builders to preserve
any engraved or sculptured relic that they may
find, by utilizing them as ornamental features in
their buildings. It has probably been a custom
from time immemorial. In 1895 I observed
evidences of this propensity in the graveyard at
Chagan Sarai, in the Kunar valley, where many
elaborately carved Buddhist fragments were leftinto the sides of their roughly built chabutras,or sepulchres, with the obvious purpose of
gaining effect thereby. No one would say where
those Buddhist fragments came from. The
Kunnar valley appears at first sight to be
absolutely free from Buddhist remains, although
it would naturally be selected as a most likely
field for research. These undeciphered
inscriptions may possibly be found to be vastly
more ancient than the towers they adorned. It is,
at any rate, a notable fact about them that some
of them recall a Greek alphabet of archaic
type. So great an authority as M. Senart inclinesto the opinion that their authors must be referred
to the Skythic or Mongolian invaders of India;
but he refers at the same time to a sculptured and
inscribed monument in the Louvre, of unknown
origin, the characters on which resemble those of
the new script. (Colonel, Sir Thomas Holdich:
1910: 129-129-130)
As a result of my first communiqu with scholars
in the relevant field, I had the impression that
these inscriptions were forgeries. The controversy
of the fake nature of these inscriptions has
continued for a long period with a sole argument
being that there is no parallel for such
inscriptions. Moreover Col. Deane, a British army
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officer during the 1880s, was collecting and
buying inscriptions in Swat and Buner areas and
it is generally believed that people from the
region were making fake inscriptions for him.
But these arguments did not convince me and Ihad to look for parallels by visiting different
collections, museums, societies in Pakistan and
abroad, especially the British Museum and the
Royal Asiatic Society. I could not find any
parallel in the mentioned institutions except for
the Lahore Museum, where quite a good number
of inscriptions are stored in the reserve and one is
on display. Those in the reserve collection are
mostly published in the Royal Asiatic Society
Journal but they are very fragmentary and keep
very little similarity with the Kohi Script. But the
efforts continued that resulted in the discovery of
some more slabs which are lying in different
private collections coming from different parts of
the region. At least one slab is confirmed coming
from Dir and one from Hund, Gandhara. The rest
supposedly come from Swat.
When I was on an academic visit to the Institute
of Sanskrit and Indian Philology, Freie
University, Prof. Harry Falk drew my attention tothe publication on inscribed or painted potsherds
found during excavation at Kara Tepe,
Khalchayan, etc. After a close examination it was
found that these different signs of an
undeciphered script fall under the same category
as the Kohi script.
In the area of Dasht-e-Nawar in Afghanistan, a
boulder was discovered having Kharoshthi
inscriptions that were published by Prof. G.
Fussman (Fussman 1974). However on the sameboulder another inscription is engraved having the
same characteristic as the Kohi scripts.
Similarly some other inscriptions were discovered
during excavations in Afghanistan and in Central
Asian, while others are engraved on vessels of
different kinds (Akishev 1978: 71; Bernard, P.
1992: 140. Harmatta 1999: 417).
Although the number of inscriptions discovered
during the last few years is quite impressive, the
present study is based on selected inscriptions
found in northern Pakistan. Detailed study and
analysis is under progress and the results will
hopefully be available soon. The present paper
mainly deals with the paleography of the selected
inscriptions and comparison is made with thosefound in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Granite Slab InscriptionMaterial: Granite
Condition: Complete (line no 4 is partially
defaced)
Size: 24x15 (max)
22x14 (min)
The slab is rectangular in shape and has two small
holes one on its left and the other on its right side.
These holes might have been used for fixing the
slab on to a wall with the help of nails and rust of
an iron object is still discernible
inside the holes. The reverse side of the slab is
undressed.
It is engraved with four lines inscriptionaccommodating in total 42 signs covering an area
of 22x12 cm. Each of these signs is unique in this
slab except for one which occurs twice.
Schist Slab Inscription from GandharaMaterial: schist
Condition: complete
Size: 23x9.5
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The slab is rectangular in shape with two holes on
the right side. These holes might indicate the
same function as it is the case with the granite
slab inscription. The slab was basically square in
shape but half of it is lost. It is engraved with a
nine line inscription. These lines contain in total
78 signs that are arranged in 45 different groups.
The inscription is engraved within a frame with
flowers and birds figures. To the right and left
part of the inscription are the floral designs whilethe upper part shows twenty-two squares arrange
in two rows with a bird figure, one in each square.
The reverse side of the slab is partially broken
and flaked off; it contains some geometrical
designs covering an area of about 23x7.9 cm. The
designs on the back are composed of different
circles executed with dotted techniques. Each
circle having a dot in its centre.
Schist Slab Inscription from SwatMaterial: Schist
Condition: Partially broken from theright
Size: Not available
The slab is rectangular in shape but it is broken
on its top or its right side. The surface of the slab
is properly dressed and divided into two
main areas by two parallel lines. The upper or
right part is further divided by a single line into
two parts. Apart from the inscriptions to be found
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in each of these sections there is probably a figure
of a Buddha executed in the left lower corner of
the slab. The figure is shown in profile facing
right. He is depicted with a round top chignon and
probably straight hair combed back wards.
The upper left side of the slab contains eleven
lines, the upper right shows six lines, while the
lower part is engraved with seven lines
inscription. The right upper part of the slab is
broken and it seems that part of the inscription is
missing. Lines six, seven and eight of the lower
right part of the inscription are completely gone.
Total numbers of the existing lines are about 23
which accommodate approximately 104 signs that
are arranged under 76 different groups.
Marble Slab Inscription
Material: MarbleCondition: Compete
Size 14.5x7.5 (max)
14x6.8 (min)
The slab supposedly comes from Hund area. It is
rectangular in shape and is properly dressed on its
engraved surface. The obverse is divided into two
parts by an incised horizontal line, the upper part
covers almost two third of the total surface and
contains a four line inscription. The inscription
contains about 138 signs arranged under 90
different groups. The lower part of the slab is
plain but has two holes with residue of the ironnails.
Paleography of the Inscriptions:A detailed study of the symbols in the four
inscriptions included in this paper has shown that
they can be re-grouped or classified under 160
different groups starting from Serial No. 1-160.
This number can be reduced if the study is only
based on the basic form of the symbols or could
be increased if minor details are considered.Comparison of the symbols in the present
inscriptions is made with those that
occurs in the similar inscriptions found in
Afghanistan and Central Asia and those that are
the non Indian scripts found elsewhere. Further
comparison is made between the Kohi script and
the ancient Indian scripts like Kharoshthi, Brahmi
and Indus script.
Serial No: 1This sign is composed of a vertical line with three
horizontal strokes added to the right side of the
vertical arranged in a parallel manner: top, middle
and lower end. The sign is very similar to the
Brhmletter ja. It can also be compared with acertain sign of the Indus script (Fig. 7, No. 32)
and the Roman capital E. We have six examplesin this group almost having similar shapes. They
are sometime added with different strokes or
additional marks that could be used for diacritical
marks.
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Serial No: 2
The sign of this group has close similarity with
the previous group. The main difference being
the direction of the strokes. In the present
examples the strokes are added to the left side of
the vertical. It can be compared with theKharoh letter ha (Fig. 7, No. 7). Similarsymbol is also present in the Indus script (Fig. 7,
No.7).
Serial No. 3These signs have almost the same shape as those
come under Serial No. 1. The difference is the
middle horizontal line which has a loop on its
end.
Serial No: 4There are three examples in this group; one from
each slab except the schist slab from Gandhra.The formation of the sign is the same as it is the
case for Serial No. 1 except for the loop which is
attached to the horizontal line.
Serial No: 5They are exactly the same as those that come
under Serial No. 4 except for the loop at the lower
end instead of attaching to the upper body of thevertical. One of the signs has a heart shaped
design at the bottom and to the right in place of a
semicircle. In one example the upper horizontal is
not attached to the tip of the vertical but is shown
a little below.
Serial No: 6We have two examples of this sign; both are from
the schist slab inscription from Gandhra. Thesign has close similarity with the signs of the
previous groups. In the present two examples, themain body consists of a vertical line with three
horizontal lines attached to the right of the
vertical; the upper horizontal line makes a loop
while joining the vertical. In one of these
examples, the upper horizontal line shows a
symbols similar to a trident.
Serial No: 7There is only one example in this group. It is
composed of one vertical and three horizontal
lines. The upper horizontal stroke to the right is
bent inward making a loop when passes through
the vertical; it is extended downwards and stays at
the same level as the vertical line. The other two
horizontal lines are drawn towards the right
Serial No: 8We have only one example of this sign but it is
similar to Serial No: 5. The only difference ismade by the lower horizontal line which slants
downward and then bends inward two times
giving a triangular shape to the lower part.
Serial No: 9There are three signs in total under this group.
One of these sign is composed of a vertical and
two horizontal lines; one attached to the top and
the other to the middle part- both are drawn
towards the right. In one example, a hook is
attached to the top opening leftward; it has the
same shape as the Brhmmedial vowel i. Theother two signs of the same group are added with
an additional horizontal stroke attached to the
bottom towards the right. Two hooks are attached
to the lower part of the sign.
Serial No: 10We have three signs in this group; all of these
occur in the marble slab inscription. The basic
shape of the sign is similar to Serial No. 1 but thepresent examples are added with different minor
symbols attached to the figures or placed in the
left field.
Serial No: 11There are only two examples. The signs are
composed of different lines; each has an oblique
line with three slanting strokes attached parallel to
the main line. One of the signs shows a stroke that
passes through the middle of the oblique line and
slants downward with a foot mark to the right.
Serial No: 12All the three examples in this group are found in
the Schist Slab Inscription from Swat. They are
very similar to Serial No. 6. The basic sign
consists of a straight vertical line with two
horizontals strokes one at the bottom and one at
the middle to the right. One of these is added with
a hook and the other one with trident like symbol
without the vertical bar.
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Serial No: 13There are nine signs in this group but they occur
on two slabs: the schist slab from Gandhara and
the marble slab from Hund. The signs are very
similar to the Kharohletter ti or pha (Fig. 7,
No. 19).
Serial No: 14The two examples occurring in this group seem to
be a cursive form of the sign of Serial No. 13 or it
might be the same but with additional signs.
Serial No: 15This group contains six signs; five occur in the
marble slab inscription and one on the schist slab
from Swat. They have exactly the same form asthat of the Serial No. 13. An additional stroke in
the form of a horizontal line is added to the right
bottom of the vertical giving the impression of a
Kharoshthi phra. Minor signs are also added tosome of these symbols.
Serial No: 16There are five signs in this group. They can be
compared with symbols of Serial No. 1 except for
a loop attached to the top of each of the letter.
Minor symbols are also added.
Serial No: 17We have only one sign in this group that occurs in
the marble slab inscription. It is comparable to the
previous group of signs. Minor symbol is added
to the left of the sign.
Serial No: 18There are two examples in total; both signs occur
in the schist slab inscription from Swat. The basic
body of the sign consists of a straight vertical linewith a horizontal stroke at the bottom attached to
the right. One of the examples shows a semicircle
attached to the middle of the vertical toward the
right. But in the second case, one limb of the sign
is attached to the vertical and the other to the
horizontal line. In the later case a short stroke is
also added to the top left of the vertical. It can be
compared with the Kharoh letter sra (Fig. 7,No. 27).
Serial No: 19There are three signs in this group two occurs on
the schist slab from Swat and the other on the
marble slab inscription. The symbols are very
similar to one of those placed in Serial No. 18
except for the semicircle added to the top of thevertical in the present examples.
Serial No: 20The only symbol we have in this group occurs in
the granite slab inscription. It is similar to Serial
No. 18 except for the top of the vertical that is
broken to the right; the top is bent to the right in
shape of a hook.
Serial No: 21We have four sign in this group; two occur in theschist slab inscription from Gandhra and theother two in the marble slab inscription. They are
comparable to Serial No. 19 except for the
vertical in the present example that goes through
the middle of the semicircle giving a trident shape
to the upper body. Additional marks can be seen
to the left of one of the signs on the marble slab
inscription.
Serial No: 22There is only one sign in this group, which is on
the marble slab inscription. The main body of the
sign is similar to the previous group except for
the lower limb of the semicircle that goes through
the vertical. Additional marks are added to the left
of the sign.
Serial No: 23There are two examples, both occur on the marble
slab inscription. It is comparable to Serial No. 22;
here the minor symbols are missing.
Serial No: 24There are five sign in this group. The main body
of the sign is similar to the sign of Serial No: 21
except for the semicircle, which is absent here.
Two of these examples have a horizontal stroke
which passes through the middle of the vertical;
the horizontal is broken on both of its end.
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Serial No: 25The signs in this group are of the same shapes as
those that occurred in the previous group; the
little difference that can be seen is in the tip of the
horizontal stroke, which is either bent or in a
heart shape design in the present examples.
Serial No: 26We have four signs in this group. They can be
compared with Serial No. 24.
Serial No: 27The main body of the sign is composed of a
straight vertical line and a horizontal stroke, with
a trident shape left end, which passes through the
middle of the upper half of the vertical.
Serial No: 28
The sign is similar to a trident symbol in upside
down position.
Serial No: 29The basic shape of the symbol is very similar to
Serial No. 28. An additional mark is added to the
top or middle body of the symbol. This type of
sign can also be found in the Indus script (Fig. 7:
No. 3).
Serial No: 30The formation of the symbol is the same as Serial
No. 29. In the present example the three dents are
added to the top of the vertical. The lower tip of
the symbol is either added with a minor sign or is
shown in a very cursive manner.
Serial No: 31There is only one example. It is composed of a
trident shaped symbol (Serial No. 30) and a kindof semi circle with tail that goes through the
middle of the vertical of the trident.
Serial No: 32We have two examples in this group. Both are
shaped on the model of a trident symbol. In one of
the examples a curved line goes through the
middle part of the vertical.
Serial No: 33The symbol is very similar to the Kharohlettertha (Fig. 7: No.13); the lower end of the verticalshows a hook to its left.
Serial No: 34Most probably belongs to Serial No. 32; in the
present examples an additional mark is added to
the left and the lower body of the vertical has a
spiraled hook to the left.
Serial No: 35We have four examples in this group. The main
body of the sign is composed of a straight vertical
line and an angular hook, which is attached to the
lower half of the vertical to the right. It is verysimilar to the Brhm letter ta (Fig. 7: No. 34).Serial No: 36The main body of the sign is similar to the
previous group. The top of one of the signs has
three dents added. The other symbol of the same
group is similar to the Kharoh letter ka (Fig.7, No. 2).
Serial No: 37
There is only one specimen. The lower body iscomparable to the Brhm letter ta orKharohbha. The upper part is a semi circlepresented in outline.
Serial No: 38This group contains three examples. It has close
similarity with the Kharohletter gha (Fig. 7,No. 4).
Serial No: 39
We have eight signs in this group. The symbol iscomparable to Serial No. 35.
Serial No: 40The main body of the sign is composed of a
straight vertical line and a small semicircular
opening downward, attached to the bottom of the
vertical. Additional minor signs can be seen. It
can be compared with the Brhm letter ta ofthe later period.
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Serial No: 41There is only one example. It is similar to the
Kharohletter ka (Fig. 7, No. 28).Serial No: 42All the three examples in this group come from
the marble slab inscription. The upper body of the
letter is similar to the Kharohletter ja (Fig. 7,No. 6). The lower body shows dents, hooks or
short lines. The symbol can also be compared
with one of the symbol in the Indus script (Fig. 7,
No. 6).
Serial No: 43This group contains only two examples of the
sign; both are from the schist slab inscriptionfrom Swat. The main body of the sign is similar
to the Roman letter D or Brahmi dha (Fig. 7:36). The vertical is extended upwards.
Serial No: 44We have four examples in this group. It has
almost the same shape as Serial No. 43 can be
compared to the Brahmi letter ca (Fig. 7, No.30).
Serial No: 45The sign is very similar to Serial No. 43 except
for the curved or horizontal line added to the
upper part of the vertical in the present case.
Serial No: 46The symbol can be compared with Serial No. 45.
Here the top of the vertical shows a hook to the
right. An additional mark is placed on the right
side of one of the example.
Serial Nos.: 47-50Signs belong to Serial Nos. 47-50 might come
under the same group and can be compared with
Serial Nos. 43-46.
Serial No: 51This group contains four examples. The main
body of the sign is composed of a vertical line
which bends towards the right at its lower end and
then crosses the vertical making a loop at the
bottom and towards the right. An additional mark
is added in one of the examples. Sometimes a
vertical or a curved line is added to the upper part
of the vertical. The sign has resemblance with the
Brhmletter cha (Fig. 7, No. 31).
Serial No: 52There is only one example in this group. This sign
has a close similarity with the previous group. In
the present example the loop is towards the left
side. Two parallel slanting strokes pass throughthe upper half of the vertical.
Serial No: 53This group contains six examples. The basic
shape of the symbol is a semicircle added with a
cross, hook, vertical stroke, etc. either placed in
the curve of the symbol or below. The sign can be
compared with the Kharoh letter ma (Fig. 7,No. 20).
Serial No: 54We have only one sign in this group. The main
body of the symbol is similar to Serial No. 53.
The right limb is extended upwards and a small
horizontal stroke has been placed on its top. The
semi circle is placed on top of a fish hook symbol
whereas its vertical is crossed by a slanting
stroke.
Serial No: 55
This group equally contains only one symbol. Theupper body of the sign is comparable to the main
body of the symbol in Serial No. 53. In the
present example, the ends of the limb are broken
towards the left. A vertical line that makes an
angle with a horizontal line is drawn downwards
from the outer surface of the semicircle.
Serial No: 56The group contains a total of six examples. The
symbol is very similar to the late Brahmi letter
sa (Fig. 7: 46). The tip of the limbs are brokeneither inwards or outwards. This type of sign can
also be found in the Indus script.
Serial No: 57We have only one sign in this group which occurs
in the schist slab inscription from Swat. Except
for the left hook which is missing in the present
example, the symbol has similarity with Serial
No. 56.
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Serial No: 58
This group contains only one example and is
comparable in shape to Serial No. 56 but it is
represented here in upside down position.
Serial No: 59The symbol of this group can be compared with
the Brahmi letter pha (Fig. 7, No. 39). The topof the vertical is added with a horizontal stroke.
Serial No: 60There is only one example. The sign is composed
of a victory sign with round top, shown in upside
down position, and a trident shaped symbol that
goes through the right limb of the symbol.
Serial No: 61We have only one example in this group, from the
schist slab inscription from Swat. The shape of
the sign is very close to the Brhmletter pu.
Serial No: 62This group contains five examples. It is similar to
the Roman letter v some times with a horizontalline in the middle like Roman letter A in upsidedown position.
Serial No: 63There are six examples in this group. The basic
form of the symbol is similar to the Roman
capital letter W. Minor symbols are added orplaced near to the symbols.
Serial No: 64The only sign that we have in this group is that
which is composed of a similar symbol explained
under Serial No. 63 and a L shaped symbol ontop of which is placed the first component of the
symbol. Minor strokes are added to both sides ofthe sign.
Serial No: 65We have only one sign in this group. It can be
compared with the Roman capital letter M. Suchsigns can be found in the Indus script (Fig. 7, No.
52).
Serial No: 66This group contains only one sign that is taken
from the schist slab inscription from Swat. The
sign has close similarity with Serial No: 63 except
for the loop in the middle dent.
Serial No: 67There are two examples. The symbol can be
compared with the Brahmi letter ja or Kharohdra (Fig. 7, No. 16). In one case a slantingstroke is added to the upper bar.
Serial No: 68The sign is similar to Serial No. 67 but it is
represented in the present case in reverse
direction. It can also be compared with the
Kharohletter dha (Fig. 7, No. 17).
Serial No: 69The only example that we have in this group
comes from the granite slab inscription. It has
close similarity with the Kharohsymbol for thesound tve (Fig. 7, No. 9) or can be comparedwith the Kharohsymbol for re.Serial No: 70This group is composed of only one example
which can be compared with italic form of the
Gupta Brhmletter a (Fig. 7: 37).Serial No: 71This group contains two examples both of which
occurred in the granite slab inscription. Thesymbols can be compared with Serial Nos. 31 and
34 but in the present case they are represented in
upside down position.
Serial No: 72The main body of the symbol is similar to a fish
hook which is crossed by a curved line in its
middle.
Serial No: 73
All the three examples in this group are recordedin the marble slab inscription. The main body of
the symbol is comparable to Serial No. 72. The
top hook is either pointed, round in form or
angular in shape. Apart for the horizontal stroke
that goes through the middle of the vertical, other
minor symbols can be seen close to the symbol.
The sign can be compared with the Kharohletter i (Fig. 7, No. 1).
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Serial No: 74We have three symbols in this group, all these are
taken from the marble slab inscription. The main
body of the sign is composed of a straight vertical
line with a hook at its lower end towards the left.
Another stroke is added to the top in a horizontalmanner with a short vertical stroke attached to the
tip of the main stroke.
Serial No: 75The straight line can be compared with the
Brahmi letter ra (Fig. 7, No. 42). Sometime thetop of the vertical has an additional mark. Such
type of sign is also fond in the Indus script.
Serial No: 76Very similar to the symbol of the previous group.The sign can also be compared with the Kharohletter tha or ha (Fig. 7, No. 10) or Brhmletter ka.
Serial No: 77We have three examples of this symbol. It is
composed of a vertical line crossed by a single or
two parallel horizontal lines.
Serial No: 78The main body of the letter can be compared with
Kharoh letter na. Two minor strokes aredrawn to the left of the symbol.
Serial No: 79This group contains only one sign which is seen
on the marble slab inscription. The basic form of
the letter is similar to the Kharoh letter sawhereas the upper part of the vertical is crossedby a slanting stroke or the upper limb of the loop.
Serial No: 80This group contains five signs. All symbols in this
group are different from each other in one way or
another. The basic form of the symbol can be
compared with the cursive form of the Kharohletter bha. Additional signs can be seen eitherattached to the symbol or placed nearby.
Serial No: 81The sign can be compared with the Kharohletter sa. Signs in this shape can also be found inthe Indus script.
Serial No: 82This symbol is composed of a vertical and two
strokes attached to the middle body of the vertical
towards the right. Additional marks are also
added to the symbol.
Serial No: 83
This group contains three symbols. It is a verticalline with a bend at its lower end either to the right
or to the left side. Additional mark is added in one
example. The symbol is similar to the reverse of
the Brhminitial vowel u.
Serial No: 84Very similar to the Serial No. 83 except for the
additional stroke that is added either to the top or
it crosses the middle of the vertical. The symbol
can be compared with the Kharohletter tha.
Serial No: 85This group contains three signs whereas the main
body is comparable to the Brhm letter pa.Some times one or two horizontal lines are added
to the top or upper body of the vertical.
Serial No: 86We have only two examples; both are recorded in
the schist slab inscription from Gandhara. One is
composed of a vertical line with its lower endbent towards the left. Another line almost vertical
and parallel is drawn towards the left. The second
symbol is similar to the reverse of the first
symbol; additional mark is added to the right.
Serial No: 87The sign is similar to the Brhm letter ha. Theadditional marks are hooks or a slanting line.
They are either attached to the letter or placed
below.
Serial No: 88There is only one example of this letter. It is
formed on a semicircle with a miniature loop and
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a horizontal line in its curve. This type of sign can
also be found in the Indus script (Fig. 7, 49).
Serial No: 89It is formed of a semicircle or a square opening
towards the right, whereas the right bar ismissing, and a vertical line that crosses the upper
limb. The lower end of the vertical inclines to the
right. Minor strokes are added to the symbol. The
additional signs are either two pairs of two
parallels slanting strokes, one pair in the right
field and the other in the left field, or stroke
attached to the top of the vertical.
Serial No: 90This group contains two examples. It can be
compared with the Kharohletter da or RomanS.
Serial No: 91The symbol can be compared with Serial No. 90.
In the present case a vertical line crosses the
figure creating a symbol like $. Minor symbolsare added to the sign.
Serial No: 92
We have only one example in this group. Themain body is composed of a symbol comparable
to Serial Nos. 90, 91 and a trident shaped figure
presented in upside down position.
Serial No: 93It is composed of a vertical line and a triangle on
its top left side; similar to the reverse of the
Kharohletter sa.
Serial No: 94
Having close similarity with Serial No. 94; theloop in the present symbol is more rounded.
Additional marks are also added.
Serial No: 95A compound of the previous group of symbol and
a trident shaped drawing facing left.
Serial No: 96The symbol can be compared with the Kharoh
letter na or
a with a rounded top. Additionalsigns can be seen.
Serial no: 97There is only one example of this symbol. It is a
vertical line having two loops, one on each end
towards the right. The tip of the upper hook is
extended leftwards and trifurcated into three
strokes giving the impression of a trident.
Serial No: 98The symbol can be compared to a plus + orcross sign x. In one example it is placed on thetop of a fish hook shaped symbol. The symbol
can also be compared with the letter tha or thedigit for 4 in Kharoh.
Serial No: 99
This group contains only one sign. It is similar tothe previous group of signs except for the broken
ends of the lines in the present example.
Serial No: 100A cross sign shadowed by a semicircle. Below the
symbol there is a wavy line.
Serial Nos.: 101, 102The symbol is composed of two parallel vertical
and two parallel horizontal lines that cross each
other at its right angle. Some times a loop can beseen at its top.
Serial No: 103There is only one sign in this group. It is similar
to the drawing of double ta in Brhm placedside by side. The verticals are crossed by a
victory shaped symbol opening leftwards.
Serial No: 104
A rectangle crossed by a vertical in its centre.Such symbol can be found in the Indus script
(Fig. 7, 57).
Serial No: 105We have only one example in this group. The
main body of the sign is composed of a rectangle
placed vertically. The top is surmounted with an
approximate semicircle wherein a small stroke is
placed vertically. A similar symbol is also
available in the Indus script (Fig. 7, 56).
Serial Nos.: 106, 107The signs can be compared with the Kharoh
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letter ca.
Serial No: 108The symbol is comparable to the Brhm letterdha.
Serial No: 109This group contains seven example of the symbol
whereas its shape is similar to the Brhm letterha.Serial No: 110It can be compared with the Brhmletter tha.
Serial No: 111
A round body added with two victory shapedsymbols; one attached to the top and one to the
bottom of the main symbol.
Serial No: 112The sign is oval in shape with a notch at the lower
end.
Serial No: 113The symbol can be compared with the Brhmletter va. Such symbol can also be found in the
Indus script.
Serial No: 114The same type of sign as serial No. 113 but it is in
upside down position. In one example three
dashes are added to the top of the circle. It can
also be compared with the Brhm letter hu.This shape of the sign is also found in the Indus
script.
Serial No: 115
May be of the same type of symbol as Serial No.113 except for the bend in the vertical to be seen
in the present example. It can also be compared
with the Kharohletter yo.
Serial No: 116The sign is very similar to the Brhmletter ca.
Serial No: 117A slanting stroke with a loop at its lower end
towards the right. Two parallel horizontal linesare added to the right of the vertical.
Serial No: 118The symbol can be compared with the Brhmletter pha or ha .
Serial No: 119
Comparable to the Brhm letter ma. Similarsign also occurs in the Indus script.
Serial No: 120Same as the previous group of symbol. In the
present example a trident shaped symbol is added
either to the right limb or to the left limb.
Serial Nos.: 121, 122See Serial No. 119.
Serial No: 123Comparable to Serial No. 119 but represented in
upside down position.
Serial Nos.: 124, 125Probably cursive form of Serial No. 123.
Serial Nos.: 126-160They are very complex symbols and hardly
comparable to any letter of any ancient Indian
scripts. In Serial No: 142, the symbols are
partially comparable to the Gupta Brhm lettera. Some of these symbols can be comparedwith signs in the Indus script.
ConclusionAlthough all these inscriptions are written in the
same script, the palaeography shows a very clear
development in the shape of the letters. This
suggests that the inscriptions do not belong to the
same period but may belong to different periods.Most probably the script was in use somewhere
between the 1st - 7th/8th centuries AD. The granite
slab inscription might belong to the early phase of
writing while the Hund slab inscription which
shows a more developed and complex form of
writing system might belong to the 7th/8th
centuries AD or even later. Like Kharoh, thedirection of writing is most probably from right
towards the left.
It has long been assumed that these inscriptionswere fakes. However, the number of inscriptions
recorded in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central
Asia, including bilingual inscriptions found in
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situ, examples recovered during excavation and
several from unknown provenance lying in
different museums and private collection indicate
that Kohi should be added to the list of ancient
Indian scripts: Kharoh, Brhm, Indus as it wasanother popular script that was in use in the
Northern regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan and
Central Asia.
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References
Akishev, K.A. 1978. Kurgan Issyk. Iskusstvo
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de fouilles 1978 A Khanoum : III. Le
Palais. La Trsorerie.BEFEO 68: 10-38.
Bhattacharyya, H.K. 1959. The Language and
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Daniels, Peter, T. 1996. The Worlds WritingSystems. New York
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Persiane del Gur (Afghanistan). Serie
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Harmatta, J. 1999 (Indian Edition). Languages
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II (Harmatta, J., Puri, B.N., Etemadi, G.F.
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Livshits, V.A. 1976. Nadpisi iz Dilberdzhina.Drevniaia Baktriia 1: 165, n.4
Livshits, V.A. 1979. Dva ostraka iz
Dilberdzhina. Drevniaia Baktriia 2: 95, n.
3: inscription en criture qualifiedebactrienne-aramenne.
Livshits, V.A.; Kruglikova, I.T. 1979. Fragmenty
baktriiskoi monumentalnoi nadpisi izDilberdzhina. Drevniaia Baktriia 2: 98-112.
Oranskij, Iosif, M. 1997. Les Langues Iraniennes.
Translated by Joyce Blau. Paris.
Pugachenkova, G.A. 1966. Khalchayan. K.
probleme khudozhestvennoi kulturySevernoi Bakctri. Tashkent.
Pugachenkova, G.A. 1979. Dzhiga-tepe.
Drevniaia Baktriia 2: 63-94.
Rapin, Claude. 1992. Fouilles dA Khanoum
VIII. La Trsorerie du Palais HellnistiquedA Khanoum. Paris
Robinson, A. 1999. The Story of Writing. New
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Sahni, R.B.D.R. 1932. Six Inscriptions in the
Lahore Museum. Epigraphia Indica. Vol.
XXI (1931-32): 293-301
Stavinskij, B.Ja.La Bactriane sous les Kushans.
Stavinskij, B. 1975.Novye nakhodki na Kara-tepe
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Stein, M.A. 1898 (?). Notes on New Inscriptions
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Vertogradova, V.V. 1982. Nakhodka nadpisi
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Fig. 1
Koh Script from Gandhra(Table of concordance)
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Fig. 2
Inscriptions from Afghanistan
(Comparative Table)
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Fig. 3
Inscriptions from Central Asia
(Table of concordance)
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Fig. 4
Inscriptions from Afghanistan and Central Asia
(Table of concordance)
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Fig. 5
Inscriptions from Gandhra, Afghanistan and Central Asia(Table of concordance)
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Fig. 6
Koh and non Ancient Indian scripts(Table of concordance)
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Fig. 7
Koh and Ancient Indian Scripts(Table of concordance)
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