​Nature of Brahmi Script during the Period of Emperor Ashoka

The Brahmi script during the time of Emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE) represents one of the
earliest and most well-documented stages of writing in ancient India. It was a syllabic script,
meaning each character represented a consonant-vowel combination. The script was written
from left to right and used for administrative, religious, and moral communication. Ashoka
used Brahmi extensively in his edicts, which were inscribed on pillars, rocks, and cave walls
throughout his vast empire. The script of this period is relatively simple and angular, suitable
for engraving on hard surfaces like stone. It lacked diacritical marks that later developed in
Indian scripts, and vowel signs were limited but effective. The language of most inscriptions was
Prakrit, a language easily understood by common people, showing Ashoka’s intent to
communicate his dhamma to the masses. The uniformity and widespread use of Brahmi during
Ashoka’s reign highlight both the script’s importance and its role in statecraft and religious
propagation. This phase laid the foundation for the script’s later development into regional
variants and its transformation into scripts like Devanagari, Tamil, and others.

​History of the Decipherment of Brahmi Script

The decipherment of the Brahmi script marks a major milestone in the study of ancient Indian
history. The earliest serious attempts to understand Brahmi began in the early 19th century
when British scholars encountered inscriptions on Ashokan pillars and rocks. James Prinsep, a
British antiquarian and official of the East India Company, played a crucial role in this process. In
1837, after years of comparative study and analysis, Prinsep successfully deciphered the
Ashokan Brahmi script using bilingual inscriptions and pattern recognition. His breakthrough
came when he identified the names of Ashoka and his titles, which repeated across multiple
inscriptions. This discovery enabled scholars to link the script with the Mauryan period and
provided insights into early Indian political and religious life. Later scholars like Alexander
Cunningham and Georg Bühler further expanded this work by collecting more inscriptions and
systematizing the script's regional variations. Indian scholars such as Gauri Shankar Ojha and
Rajbali Pandey also contributed by emphasizing the script’s indigenous origins. The
decipherment of Brahmi not only opened the door to understanding India's early historical
records but also helped trace the evolution of later Indian scripts, making it a cornerstone of
Indian epigraphy.

​ Short notes-​
1. George Prinsep

George Prinsep was one of the earliest British scholars to attempt the decipherment of
the Brahmi script. He studied Ashokan inscriptions and tried to match the unknown
characters with known scripts. Although his efforts were limited and not fully successful,
they were important because they initiated scholarly interest in decoding ancient Indian
scripts. His preliminary work laid the groundwork for later researchers to build upon.
2. Alexander Cunningham

Alexander Cunningham, often called the "father of Indian archaeology," made significant
contributions to the study of Brahmi. He systematically collected inscriptions during his
archaeological surveys and analyzed them, especially using coins and monuments to
compare symbols and verify letter forms. His work provided evidence that helped confirm
many Brahmi characters, making his contributions critical to the progress of Indian
epigraphy.

3. Georg Bühler

Georg Bühler was a renowned German Indologist who contributed extensively to the
study of ancient Indian scripts, especially Brahmi. He classified the Brahmi script into
different regional and chronological forms and wrote the important text Indian
Palaeography. His systematic approach to the script’s development helped scholars
understand its transformation over time and its connection to later Indian scripts like
Devanagari.

4. Gauri Shankar Ojha

Gauri Shankar Ojha was a distinguished Indian historian and epigraphist who focused
on the origins and evolution of Indian scripts, including Brahmi. Unlike many Western
scholars, he emphasized the Indian cultural and historical context of the script. Ojha’s
work aimed to decolonize the narrative by asserting the indigenous development of
Brahmi, making his research valuable in constructing a national perspective on Indian
script history.

5. Rajbali Pandey

Rajbali Pandey was an Indian scholar known for his deep research into the cultural and
historical aspects of Indian writing systems. He contributed to the understanding of how
the Brahmi script evolved within the framework of Indian civilization. His writings
explored not only the technical development of the script but also its role in religious and
literary traditions, strengthening the idea of Brahmi’s indigenous roots and cultural
importance.
​ Letters

Sound Brahmi
(IAST) Letter

अ (a)

आ (ā) 𑀆

इ (i) 𑀇

ई (ī) 𑀈

उ (u) 𑀉

ऊ (ū) 𑀊

ऋ (ṛ) 𑀋

ए (e) 𑀏

ऐ (ai) 𑀐

ओ (o) 𑀑

Sound Brahmi
(IAST) Letter

क (ka) 𑀓

ख 𑀔
(kha)

ग (ga) 𑀕

घ 𑀖
(gha)

ङ (ṅa) 𑀗

च (ca) 𑀘
 छ 𑀙
(cha)

ज (ja) 𑀚

झ (jha) 𑀛

ञ (ña) 𑀜

​What were the reasons for the changes in the characters (letters) of
the Brahmi script?

The characters of the Brahmi script underwent significant changes over time due to several
historical, cultural, and practical reasons. These changes helped shape the various regional
scripts that evolved from Brahmi.

1. Regional Influence:

●​ As Brahmi spread across different parts of India, it was influenced by local languages
and dialects.​

●​ Different regions required new letter forms to suit their phonetic needs, which led to
variation in script styles.​

2. Material and Writing Tools:

●​ The medium of writing played a major role in character transformation.​

○​ On stone (like Ashokan edicts), letters were angular and straight.​

○​ On palm leaves and birch bark, used later, more rounded letters were
preferred to avoid tearing the surface.​

●​ The writing instruments, such as styluses or brushes, also affected the shapes of the
letters.​

3. Artistic and Aesthetic Changes:

●​ Over time, scribes and calligraphers introduced decorative elements to make the script
more visually appealing.​
 ●​ This led to curved, flowing, and more ornate forms, especially during the Gupta
period.​

4. Influence of Religion and Literature:

●​ The spread of Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism increased the demand for writing
scriptures in regional languages.​

●​ As more texts were written, the script evolved to better express religious and
philosophical ideas, leading to the development of new symbols and refinements.​

5. Administrative and Practical Needs:

●​ With the rise of regional kingdoms, there was a need to standardize scripts for
administration and communication.​

●​ This led to the simplification or modification of characters to increase speed and

6. Time and Natural Evolution:

●​ Like all living languages and scripts, Brahmi changed gradually over time through usage
and natural linguistic evolution.​

Conclusion:

The changes in Brahmi script characters were the result of regional, practical, artistic,
religious, and historical factors. These gradual transformations led to the birth of many
modern Indian and Southeast Asian scripts.

​Describe the development of the Brahmi script.

The development of the Brahmi script took place over several centuries and marks one of the
most important phases in the history of writing in India.

1. Early Brahmi (3rd century BCE):

●​ These inscriptions were mostly carved on rocks and pillars across the Indian
subcontinent.​

●​ The script at this stage was simple and angular, used primarily for Prakrit language.​

2. Regional Variations (Post-Mauryan period):

●​ After the Mauryan Empire, Brahmi evolved differently in various regions.​

●​ It began to adopt more rounded shapes in southern India and sharper, more angular
forms in the north.​

●​ New letters were added over time to accommodate sounds of regional languages.​

3. Gupta Brahmi (4th to 6th century CE):

●​ During the Gupta Empire, Brahmi became more refined and artistic.​

●​ It was used for Sanskrit inscriptions and became more calligraphic in style.​

●​ This stage shows a shift toward more cursive and rounded letters, especially in
manuscripts.​

4. Later Developments and Derivative Scripts:

●​ Brahmi eventually gave rise to several regional scripts:​

○​ In northern India, it evolved into Nagari, which later became Devanagari.​

○​ In southern India, it developed into Grantha, Tamil-Brahmi, Kannada, and

○​ It also influenced Tibetan and Southeast Asian scripts like Khmer, Thai, and
Burmese.​

Conclusion:
The development of Brahmi was a gradual and dynamic process, influenced by regional,
linguistic, and cultural changes. It is the foundation of most Indian scripts in use today and
played a key role in the literary and cultural history of South and Southeast Asia.

​How did the Brahmi script originate? Write in both Indian and
Western perspectives.

The origin of the Brahmi script has been a subject of debate among scholars. Two main
perspectives exist regarding its development — the Indian perspective and the Western
perspective.

Indian Perspective:

According to traditional Indian scholars and ancient texts, the Brahmi script is considered to be
of indigenous origin. It is believed to have evolved from earlier symbols or scripts used in
the subcontinent, possibly even from the Indus Valley script, though this connection remains
unproven due to the undeciphered nature of the Harappan script. Indian scholars also associate
the development of Brahmi with religious and cultural growth, especially with the need to
record sacred texts like those of Buddhism and Jainism during the Mauryan period.

Western Perspective:

Western scholars, particularly during colonial times, proposed that the Brahmi script may have
originated under the influence of foreign scripts, especially from the Aramaic script used in
the Persian Empire. They argue that certain shapes and directions of writing (initially right to left
in some Brahmi variants) resemble Semitic scripts. According to this view, Brahmi might have
been adapted by Indian scribes from foreign scripts, possibly for administrative and political
communication under foreign rule.

Conclusion:

While the exact origin remains uncertain, the majority of modern scholars now believe that
Brahmi was a unique Indian development, perhaps with minor foreign influences, but
largely shaped by the social, political, and religious needs of the Indian subcontinent during
the early historic period.