D.C. Sircar
Topic: Studying Indian History: Sources, Dating and Historiography · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"
Meaning
D.C. Sircar was a leading Indian epigraphist of the twentieth century. An epigraphist is an expert who studies inscriptions. In 1965–66 he published two standard reference books, Indian Epigraphy and Indian Epigraphical Glossary. They taught later scholars how to read inscriptions and what their terms mean. He strongly believed in the value of inscriptions as a source.
Example
Sircar wrote: "There is no aspect of life, culture and activities of the Indians that is not reflected in inscriptions." The NCERT chapter "Kings, Farmers and Towns" questions this claim. It points out that inscriptions rarely record everyday farming or daily life. They also show only the view of the person who ordered them. So epigraphy alone cannot give a full political and economic history.
Don't confuse with
- James Prinsep: an officer of the East India Company mint. In the 1830s he deciphered the Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts, and he read Asokan Brahmi in 1838. Sircar came more than a century later and wrote the reference books built on that work.