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Evolution of South Indian Scripts from Brahmi

5.1 Do you know?

Description Image Source

Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions are generally found Photo :Rajavelu engraved on the Irvatham Mahadevan, eye brows or Early Tamil stone beds of inscriptions, natural cavern in

Maṅgulam natural cavern- Inscription found above the water drip line.

Sources Sangam Age Photos: A.sittaraman Chera coins and Rajavelu bearing the Tamil-Brahmi Iravatham legend Mahadevan, Early Tamil inscriptions Makkotai and kuttuvan kotai coins in Tamil Brahmi characters with bust.

. Pottery from in District bears the Tamil- Photo: Y.Subbarayalu Brahmi legend. It and Rajavelu shows that the K.Rajan, From Graffiti people from rural to area knew the art of writing around 3rd century B.C.. Kodumanal pottery- “Satantai antava” in Tamil Brahmi letters

Vattezhuttu of transition period. Memorial stone inscription. Source: Photo: Memorial stone S.Rajavelu was erected for the victory over another Cock in Cock fighting-

Arasalapuram,in Villupuram Cock from Melcheri encountered with another cock at Mugaiyur.

Pallan Kovil Copper Plate Sources- Thirty Pallava Earliest Copper Copper Plates,Tamil Plate in Tamil Valarchi kazhagam, Characters of Chennai Pallava period

Early Grantha inscription of Pudukkottai region Sources

Language- Photo: S.Rajavelu of 7th century C.E

Malaiyakovil- Pudukkottai, Tamil nadu, reads “Parivaathinih” - of musical instrument in Grantha Characters of Sanskrit

Earliest Telugu inscription – 5- C.E. Sources- Epigraphia Kalamalla Indica Vol- pp. inscription of Erikal Muturaja Dhananjaya.

Earliest of 5-6th century C.E.-Kalamalla inscription

5.2 Timeline

Timelines Image Description

From Tamil Sources- Rajavelu Brahmi To TB Vattezhuttu and VATTEZHTTU TAMIL Tamil-

5-4th Century B.C.E to 12th Century C.E

Evolution of Vattezhuttu and Tamil – .Grantha letters Soruces- Modern evolved from Pallava grantha,

Modern Grantha letters

Evolutuion of Telugu Soruces: Somasundrarao Script -

From A to Na. ( cont)

Evolution of Telugu From Ta to na. Courtesy- Somasundara script (Continuation Rao

5. 3 Glossary

Staring Related Term Definition Character Term

A

B Bilingual Using two for same message or contents.

B Brahmi The script employed by Asoka during Third Century B.C.E. It was used in Asokan inscriptions. Asokan Many of the Indian and Southeast Asian scripts Brahmi & evolved from this script. The rudimentary and Tamil simple form of the utilized in Tamil Brahmi Nadu without aspirate and soft sounds is known as Tamil-Brahmi. D Decipher Decrypt. To read the script with meaningful Script manner.

E Greek word. It deals with the Study of inscriptions Inscription

G Graffiti Engraving on the earthen ware

K Kharoshthi The Indian running from right to left which was employed by Asokan in the north-western part of Asokan , region. The term is derived from Edicts Khara-postha meaning ass lips. The script is more curvature form like an unshaped ass lips. P The early Indo- language predominated during Asoka Maurya period. In the early stage the language Asokan was not standardized. The Colloquial form of Sanskrit Brahmi especially the dialect.

5.4. Weblinks

Web links https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Prinsep

http://www.ancient.eu/image/6648/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wilkins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka%27s_Major_Rock_Edicts

https://www.amazon.in/Bhagavad-Gita-First--English-ebook/dp/B00ACX08Z2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jones_(philologist)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Hultzsch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Faithfull_Fleet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatteluttu_alphabet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_script

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grantha_alphabet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telugu_script

www.ancientscripts.com/telugu.html

https://www.omniglot.com/writing/kannada.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kannada_alphabet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayalam_script

5.5. Bibliography

Bibliography Buhler, George, 1980, Indian , Munshiram Manharlal Publishers Pvt.Ltd, New Delhi

Dani, Ahmad Hasan, 1986, Indian Palaeography, Munshiram Manharlal Publishers Pvt.Ltd, New Delhi

Dringer, David. 1949, The Alphabet, 2nd edition,

Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum (CII) Volumes , Archaeological Survey of India

Epigrahia Carnatica (EC) vols, Ed. B. Lewis Rice et at. Archaeological Survey

Epigraphia Indica (EI) vols, Archaeological Survey of India

Gai, G.S.,1986., Introduction to Indian Epigraphy, Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore.

Hultzsch, E. Inscriptions of Asoka, in CII vol.1

Mahadevan, Iravatham., 2003, Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest times to the Sixth century A.D. Cre-A Chennai and Harvard

Parabrahma Sastry,P.V., and Ramachandra Murthy, N.S. Telugu Script, Origin and Evolution, Andhra Pardesh Government Oriental Manuscripts Library & Research Institute, Hydrabad.

Pandey, R.B. 1957 Indian Palaeography, 2nd edition, .

Mahalingam T.V.,1988, Early South Indian Palaeography, University of Madras, Madras

Rajan. K., 2012, Recent Researches in The Archaeology of Tamil Nadu, Banaras Hindu Univeristy, Varanasi

Rajan.K. Early , AJourney from Graffiti to Brahmi, Pandya Nadu Centre for Historical Research,.2015.

Ramesh.K.V., Indian Epigraphy, Vol.I, 1984., Sundeep Prakashan, New Delhi

Richard Salomon, 1996, Indian Epigraphy, Publishers Pvt.Ltd, Delhi

Sircar.D.C., Indian Epigraphy,1965, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi.

Sivaramamurthi, C., 1966, Indian Epigraphy and South Indian Scripts, Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum, New Series, Section, Madras Upasak,C.S.,1960, History and Palaeography of Mauryan Brahmi Script., The Printing works, Varma, T.P., 1971, The Palaeography of Brahmi Script in (from 236 B.C to c.200 A.D) Varanasi