The interested world of scholars is sure to receive with gratitude this
latest work from the erudite pen of Prof. D.C. Sircar who has opened up for
us new vistas in the study of Indian antiquities. Prof. Sircar's Indian
Epigraphical Glossary, characterised by a wide sweep of vision based on a
meticulous attention to details, is a contribution of the utmost
importance. Here one finds an embarras de richesses in a comprehensive
dictionary of technical expressioins found in documents embracing nearly
2000 years in time and the entire Indian sub-continent in space and written
in a variety of languages. It offers a panorama of Indian political and
cultural life as enshrined in a series of expressions which are precise and
historically important. Many of them remained obscure, and Prof. Sircar,
with his thorough knowledge of the subject in the study of which he has
spent a life-time, has succeeded in most cases in giving quite satisfactory
interpretations. The mass of material in this invaluable publication, which
will continue to be an indispensable work of reference for many years to
come, brings in a volume of lexical material for the compilation of an
exhaustive Dictionary of Sanskrit. The importance of the work, which I
would consider epoch-making in the domain of Indology, has been
considerably enhanced by three remarkable Appendices.
Review(s)
About the Author(s)
D. C. Sircar (1907-1984) was an epigraphist, historian, numismatist and folklorist, known particularly for his work deciphering inscriptions in India and Bangladesh. He was the Chief Epigraphist, Archaeological Survey of India (1949-1962); Carmichael Professor of Ancient Indian History and Culture, University of Calcutta, (1962-1972) and the General President of the Indian History Congress. In 1972, Sircar was awarded the Sir William Jones Memorial Plaque.
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