Brahmi script is one of the oldest writing systems, having been used in the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia during the final centuries BCE and the early centuries CE. Some believe that Brahmi was derived from the modern Semitic script, while others believe it was an Indus script. The Brahmi is the ancestor of all surviving Indic scripts in South East Asia. In India writing developed during the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. Brahmi script is credited with giving rise to several modern scripts found in South and Southeast Asia. In this article, we will study various aspects of the Brahmi script which is important for the UPSC examination.

Origin and Evolution

Various schools of thought are prevalent regarding the origin of Brahmi script, some of which are discussed below:

• Georg Bühler argued that Brahmi was initially derived from the Semitic script that was later used by the Brahman scholars as appropriate for Sanskrit and Prakrit.
• Professor K Rajan thought that the ancestor of the Brahmi script is a combination of symbols present on graffiti marks in various places in Tamil Nadu.
  • This argument ha has been supported by excavations at Mangudi, Tamil Nadu
• Some believe that Brahmi has its origin from the Indus script used during Indus Valley Civilization.
• Some think that the Brahmi script has its origin earlier to the 3rd century BCE.
  • The above argument is supported by the existence of Brahmanas, which were attached to the Vedic literature during the 6th century BCE.
  • This belief was further strengthened by the discovery of pottery belonging to the 450-350 BCE period from Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka.

Brahmi Script

Characteristic Features of Brahmi Script

• Initially, Brahmi was referred to as the “pin-man" script or the “stick figure" script, a clear reference to the appearance of its letters.
• The best-known Brahmi inscriptions are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka, which date from 250–232 BCE and are found in north-central India.
• James Prinsep deciphered the script in 1837.
• Brahmi is typically written left to right.
• Brahmi is an abugida, which means that each letter represents a consonant, while vowels are written with obligatory diacritics called matras in Sanskrit unless the vowels begin a word.
• Its writing units include different types of syllables such as CV, CCVV, etc
• It is an alpha syllabic writing style.
• The V and C components of the Brahmi script are distinct.
• In the north and central India it represents the Prakrit language.
• In southern India it represents Tamil-a Dravidian language.
• It became widespread in usage from the 2nd century BCE.
• It evolved into various regional forms.
• It uses three vowels a; I; u.

Features of Brahmi Script

Usage of Brahmi Script

• It found its use on various Ashokan inscriptions.
• During the Mauryan period it was also used on carved rocks, caves, stones slabs, etc.
• It was used on copper plates.
• With the spread of Buddhism it was used on various structural monuments.
• From the 2nd century BCE it was also used on coins.
• It was also used on ceramic surfaces to suggest ownership of the item.

Various Scripts Derived from Brahmi

• It became an ancestor to several languages as it could be modified to suit the phonetics of different languages.
• Various languages across the south and southeast Asia such as Gurmukhi, Kanarese, Sinhalese, Telugu, etc. trace their origin to Brahmi script.
• Punctuation is rarely used in Ashokan Brahmi.
• It developed into a rounded form in southern India.
• In northern India it was commonly used as a regularized form.
• Northern Brahmi in turn gave rise to the Gupta script called Late Brahmi.
• The Gupta script gave rise to Siddham (6th century), Sharada (9th century), and Nagari (10th century).
• Southern Brahmi is responsible for the origin of Pallava Grantha (6th century), Vatteluttu (8th century) scripts.

Conclusion

While Brahmi's influence appears to have been limited to areas with a strong early Indian influence, the Baybayin script system of the Philippines is an exception. Brahmi's colossal influence can still be felt today, from modern-day Punjab and Kashmir to South-East Asia and beyond.