On Mon, Oct 8, 2012 at 11:24 PM, Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan <palaniappa@aol.com> wrote:

I am completely open with respect to what these markings may/may not mean. However, In my humble opinion, we need more careful work with better  equipment in order to first establish the shapes of the markings in question that all scholars can agree on. After that one can decide if they are letters or not and what those letters are. 

Very interesting analysis, Palaniappan. This inscription has assumed significance as some readings claim that the language represented early-Malayalam, and thus proving the antiquity of Malayalam. It would be interesting to know the opinions of the distinguished epigraphists on this list about your analysis.

I would also like to know what the scholars on this list think about the Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions of Adichanallur and Porunthal which some believe belong to the 6th century BCE and 5th century BCE respectively.

Regards,
Suresh.