Inscriptions
The oldest Hindu inscriptions are the
edicts of Ashoka, which were either
carved on rock faces or on stone
pillars; many of these inscriptions are
still readable today, despite being
more than two thousand years old.
Inscriptions on pillars were ordered
by rulers, and were concerned with
more sweeping issues, probably due
to the inscriptions’ public quality
and their often monumental nature.
Aside from stone, the inscriptions
were often done on copper plates.
These were often used to record land
grants, deeds, and other sorts of
bequests, since their permanence
made them more preferable than paper
for safeguarding property rights. In
themselves such inscriptions generally
contain very specific historical informa-
tion, which can help to fill out more gen-
eral knowledge about their time.
Installation
This is a general term that refers to
the rites for both constructing and
establishing the image of a deity in
a temple setting (devapratishtha), and
for ritually “awakening” the image
so that it becomes a seat for the
deity (pranapratishtha).Intentional Language
General term for a cryptic and coded
language (Sandhabhasha) intended to
conceal information from people who
have not been initiated into that partic-
ular religious group. See Sandhabhasha.Intercalary Month
The Hindu ritual yearis largely based on
a lunar calendar, whose twelve lunar
monthsare finished in about 354 solar
days (as opposed to our 365-daycalen-
dar). This disparity with the solar calen-
dar means that each lunar year begins
eleven days earlier than the previousInscriptions
Inscription of the edicts of Ashoka.