The brahmi script was first used by letters engraved on

We have seen that some sort of writing existed in India during the time of the Buddha; and the earliest known „ name of a script written from leftt to right was Brahml. This script appears for the first time in the edicts of Asoka in its almost finished and perfect state* The Asokan inscriptions show that it was most popular,and was known right through y the country from one end to another. During later centuries, the regional scripts developed from it and underwent gradual evolution until the present age, when the modern Indian scripts attained their final shapes, which have now hecome standardised through the use of the press. Remarkable peculiarities are to he noticed in later inscriptions found in different parts of the country and in different periods. These scripts have received their names hy the period when they were prevalent or hy the region where they were known. Sometimes they are also called after the names of the langu­ ages for which they are used, for instance, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil etc. In some cases other factors also were responsible for the nomenclature of these later scripts. Devanagarl, flarada etc. have been given divine names; while G-urumukhI is connected with a religious sect, the Sikhs, In modern times, scholars had to give names to the scripts prevalent in a particular time or area - thus, the Brahml in which the Gupta kings wrote their records is generally known as Gupta Brahml script, and that of the YSkatakas as the Vakataka script. We hav...

• • Catalogs • • • • • • • Other Search Tools • • • • • • • • • & Request • Borrow • • • • • • • • • Request • • • • • • • & Teaching • Research Help & Tools • • • • • • • Teaching Support • • • • • • Digital Scholarship • • • • • • & Exhibits • Collection Materials • Collections • • • • • • • Exhibits • • • • Research Centers • • • • • • & Study • Visiting the Library • • • • Using Our Spaces • • • • • • • • • Our Locations • • • • • • • • • • • The Library • • • • • • • • • • News & Events • • • • • • Indian Epigraphy and South Indian Scripts C. Sivaramamurti, Madras: Government Press, 1952 This volume belongs to the Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum series. The author, C. Sivaramamurti, prepares in this volume a genealogical tree for each letter of the South Asian alphabet, illustrating the different stages in the development of South Asian scripts in general and south Indian scripts in particular. The page on the right side, for example, shows the changing form of the first letter of the alphabet. The Brahmi script is ancestral to almost all South Asian writing systems. It can be traced back to the 8th or 7th century BCE. The well-known stone edicts of Ashoka dated from the 3rd century BCE were inscribed in this script (the letter to the most left on the top of the genealogical tree). Over the first millennium CE, the Brahmi script develops various regional variations which gradually form into more angular northern group and the more rounded southern group (show...

Brāhmī Alphabet The Brāhmī alphabet is the ancestor of most of the 40 or so The earliest known inscriptions in the Brāhmī alphabet are those of King Asoka (c.270-232 BC), third monarch of the Mauryan dynasty. Brāhmī was used to write a variety of languages, including Sanskrit and Prakrit. Notable features • • • • Letters are grouped according to the way they are pronounced. • Many letters have more than one form. • Vowels and vowel diacritics Consonants Numerals Sample text Asokan Edict - Delhi Inscription Transliteration devānaṁpiye piyadasi lājā hevaṁ āhā ye atikaṁtaṁ aṁtalaṁ lājāne husa hevaṁ ichisu kathaṁ jane dhaṁmavaḍhiyā vāḍheya nocujane anulupāyā dhaṁmavaḍhiyā vaḍhithā etaṁ devānaṁpiye piyadasi lājā hevaṁ āhā esame huthā atākaṁtaṁ ca aṁtalaṁ hevaṁ ichisu lājāne katha jane Translation Thus spoke king Devanampiya Piyadasi: "Kings of the olden time have gone to heaven under these very desires. How then among mankind may religion (or growth in grace) be increased? Yea, through the conversion of the humbly-born shall religion increase" Source: Some modern descendants of Brāhmī Links Information about Brāhmī Brāhmī fonts The Edicts of King Asoka ALPHABETUM - a Unicode font specifically designed for ancient scripts, including classical & medieval Latin, ancient Greek, Etruscan, Oscan, Umbrian, Faliscan, Messapic, Picene, Iberian, Celtiberian, Gothic, Runic, Old & Middle English, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Old Nordic, Ogham, Kharosthi, Glagolitic, Old Cyrillic, Phoenician, Avestan,...

An inscription in Dravida Brahmi characters, reported from the government forest division, Karadukka, in the Kasaragod district of Kerala, has been deciphered. The inscription in bold and legible letters was discovered recently. There are 14 letters, and the use of pulli (dot), peculiar to Southern Brahmi for denoting half-sound, is conspicuous by its presence in the record. Such label records are not uncommon in Kerala, but this is the first time an inscription engraved on laterite has been found. The record is in good state of preservation even though the place is infested with wild animals such as elephants and bison, M.R. Raghava Varier, a notable epigraphist, who visited the site and deciphered the inscription, told The Hindu . According to Dr. Varier, the record reads, kazhokora pattan makan charuma . The writing, in all probability, records the name of the person who was responsible for constructing the channel. Until recently, this facility was utilised by people of the locality to water the low-lying fields. Dr. Varier says the letters in the inscription are comparable to those of the Ammankoyilpatti and Arachallur of Tamil Nadu dated 3rd Century CE. The record may be tentatively dated to that period, he says. But it cannot be compared with the Brahmi inscriptions on the walls of the Edakkal rock shelter in Wayanad, he adds. Mechanical estampage of the inscription was prepared by K. Krishnaraj, field assistant, Department of Archaeology, Kerala, and E. Kunhikrishn...

The earliest undisputed deciphered If epigraphy of Writing in Many of the inscriptions are couched in extravagant language, but when the information gained from inscriptions can be corroborated with information from other sources such as still existing monuments or ruins, inscriptions provide insight into India's dynastic history that otherwise lacks contemporary historical records. Of the c. 100,000 inscriptions found by the First appearance of writing in the Indian Subcontinent [ ] The plate is a record documenting a donation in the reign of king circa CE 477–88) in year 168 of the Gupta era. The date is equivalent to CE 487–88. The plate was found in mahārāja Gītavarman, grandson of mahārāja Vijayavarman and mahārāja Harivarman son of Rānī Svaminī and mahārāja Harivarman, donated a village named Citrapalli to a Gosvāmi brāhmaṇa. The text was written by Dūtaka Rūparāja(?), son of Nāgaśarma. The inscription was published by B. C. Jain in 1977. Inscriptions of Mahakoshal. The inscription is of considerable importance for the history of the siddham [||] samvatsara-ṣa(śa)te=ṣṭsa=ṣaṣṭyuta (yutta)re mahāmāgha-samvatsara(re) Śrāvaṇa ... myāṃ paramadeva-Budhagupte rājani asyāṃ divasa-pūrvāyāṃ śrī-mahārāja-Sāṭana Sāla (or rya) na kul-odbhūtena śrī-mahārāja [Gī]tavarman-pautreṇa śrīmahārāja-Vijayavarmma-sute[na] mahādevyā[ṃ] Śarv asvāminyām utpanneana śri mahārāja Harivarmmaṇā asya brāhmaṇa-Kautsa- sagotra-gosvāmina [e]tac=Citrapalya tāmu(mra)paṭṭen=āgrahāro-tisṛṣṭaḥ akaraḥ acaṭa-...

• አማርኛ • العربية • অসমীয়া • भोजपुरी • Català • Čeština • Deutsch • Ελληνικά • Español • فارسی • Français • 한국어 • हिन्दी • Bahasa Indonesia • Italiano • ಕನ್ನಡ • Lietuvių • Magyar • മലയാളം • मराठी • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • پنجابی • Português • Русский • Simple English • Svenska • தமிழ் • Türkçe • Українська • اردو • 中文 • v • t • e The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Dhaṃma These inscriptions proclaim Ashoka's adherence to the Buddhist philosophy. The inscriptions show his efforts to develop the Buddhist dhamma throughout his kingdom. Although Buddhism as well as In these inscriptions, Ashoka refers to himself as "Beloved of the Gods" ( Devanampiya The inscriptions revolve around a few recurring themes: Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism, the description of his efforts to spread Buddhism, his moral and religious precepts, and his social and Decipherment [ ] The Edicts are divided into four categories, according to their size (Minor or Major) and according to their medium (Rock or Pillar). Chronologically, the minor inscriptions tend to precede the larger ones, while rock inscriptions generally seem to have been started earlier than the pillar inscriptions: • • • • General content The On the contrary, the Minor Rock Edicts [ ] The Minor Rock Edicts are often Buddhist in character, and some of them specifically mention the name "Asoka" ( , center of the top line) in conjunction with the title "Devanampri...

• • Catalogs • • • • • • • Other Search Tools • • • • • • • • • & Request • Borrow • • • • • • • • • Request • • • • • • • & Teaching • Research Help & Tools • • • • • • • Teaching Support • • • • • • Digital Scholarship • • • • • • & Exhibits • Collection Materials • Collections • • • • • • • Exhibits • • • • Research Centers • • • • • • & Study • Visiting the Library • • • • Using Our Spaces • • • • • • • • • Our Locations • • • • • • • • • • • The Library • • • • • • • • • • News & Events • • • • • • Indian Epigraphy and South Indian Scripts C. Sivaramamurti, Madras: Government Press, 1952 This volume belongs to the Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum series. The author, C. Sivaramamurti, prepares in this volume a genealogical tree for each letter of the South Asian alphabet, illustrating the different stages in the development of South Asian scripts in general and south Indian scripts in particular. The page on the right side, for example, shows the changing form of the first letter of the alphabet. The Brahmi script is ancestral to almost all South Asian writing systems. It can be traced back to the 8th or 7th century BCE. The well-known stone edicts of Ashoka dated from the 3rd century BCE were inscribed in this script (the letter to the most left on the top of the genealogical tree). Over the first millennium CE, the Brahmi script develops various regional variations which gradually form into more angular northern group and the more rounded southern group (show...

An inscription in Dravida Brahmi characters, reported from the government forest division, Karadukka, in the Kasaragod district of Kerala, has been deciphered. The inscription in bold and legible letters was discovered recently. There are 14 letters, and the use of pulli (dot), peculiar to Southern Brahmi for denoting half-sound, is conspicuous by its presence in the record. Such label records are not uncommon in Kerala, but this is the first time an inscription engraved on laterite has been found. The record is in good state of preservation even though the place is infested with wild animals such as elephants and bison, M.R. Raghava Varier, a notable epigraphist, who visited the site and deciphered the inscription, told The Hindu . According to Dr. Varier, the record reads, kazhokora pattan makan charuma . The writing, in all probability, records the name of the person who was responsible for constructing the channel. Until recently, this facility was utilised by people of the locality to water the low-lying fields. Dr. Varier says the letters in the inscription are comparable to those of the Ammankoyilpatti and Arachallur of Tamil Nadu dated 3rd Century CE. The record may be tentatively dated to that period, he says. But it cannot be compared with the Brahmi inscriptions on the walls of the Edakkal rock shelter in Wayanad, he adds. Mechanical estampage of the inscription was prepared by K. Krishnaraj, field assistant, Department of Archaeology, Kerala, and E. Kunhikrishn...

• አማርኛ • العربية • অসমীয়া • भोजपुरी • Català • Čeština • Deutsch • Ελληνικά • Español • فارسی • Français • 한국어 • हिन्दी • Bahasa Indonesia • Italiano • ಕನ್ನಡ • Lietuvių • Magyar • മലയാളം • मराठी • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • پنجابی • Português • Русский • Simple English • Svenska • தமிழ் • Türkçe • Українська • اردو • 中文 • v • t • e The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Dhaṃma These inscriptions proclaim Ashoka's adherence to the Buddhist philosophy. The inscriptions show his efforts to develop the Buddhist dhamma throughout his kingdom. Although Buddhism as well as In these inscriptions, Ashoka refers to himself as "Beloved of the Gods" ( Devanampiya The inscriptions revolve around a few recurring themes: Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism, the description of his efforts to spread Buddhism, his moral and religious precepts, and his social and Decipherment [ ] The Edicts are divided into four categories, according to their size (Minor or Major) and according to their medium (Rock or Pillar). Chronologically, the minor inscriptions tend to precede the larger ones, while rock inscriptions generally seem to have been started earlier than the pillar inscriptions: • • • • General content The On the contrary, the Minor Rock Edicts [ ] The Minor Rock Edicts are often Buddhist in character, and some of them specifically mention the name "Asoka" ( , center of the top line) in conjunction with the title "Devanampri...

Brāhmī Alphabet The Brāhmī alphabet is the ancestor of most of the 40 or so The earliest known inscriptions in the Brāhmī alphabet are those of King Asoka (c.270-232 BC), third monarch of the Mauryan dynasty. Brāhmī was used to write a variety of languages, including Sanskrit and Prakrit. Notable features • • • • Letters are grouped according to the way they are pronounced. • Many letters have more than one form. • Vowels and vowel diacritics Consonants Numerals Sample text Asokan Edict - Delhi Inscription Transliteration devānaṁpiye piyadasi lājā hevaṁ āhā ye atikaṁtaṁ aṁtalaṁ lājāne husa hevaṁ ichisu kathaṁ jane dhaṁmavaḍhiyā vāḍheya nocujane anulupāyā dhaṁmavaḍhiyā vaḍhithā etaṁ devānaṁpiye piyadasi lājā hevaṁ āhā esame huthā atākaṁtaṁ ca aṁtalaṁ hevaṁ ichisu lājāne katha jane Translation Thus spoke king Devanampiya Piyadasi: "Kings of the olden time have gone to heaven under these very desires. How then among mankind may religion (or growth in grace) be increased? Yea, through the conversion of the humbly-born shall religion increase" Source: Some modern descendants of Brāhmī Links Information about Brāhmī Brāhmī fonts The Edicts of King Asoka ALPHABETUM - a Unicode font specifically designed for ancient scripts, including classical & medieval Latin, ancient Greek, Etruscan, Oscan, Umbrian, Faliscan, Messapic, Picene, Iberian, Celtiberian, Gothic, Runic, Old & Middle English, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Old Nordic, Ogham, Kharosthi, Glagolitic, Old Cyrillic, Phoenician, Avestan,...