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Writings> History> Letterform - Type Design History of Letterform Design in India  Early History 2600 BC to 1800 AD: |
| Indus Valley Script - 2600BC: |
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2600-1900 BC Writings from Indus Valley civilisationThe earliest script in India so far known is the Indus Valley pictographic script. Over 4000 symbol bearing seals have been discovered in the Indus Valley. |
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2600-1900 BC Writings from Indus Valley civilisation Another seal from the Indus Valley - the Harappan signs are associated with flat, rectangular stone tablets called seals |
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2600-1900 BC Indus valley scriptIndus Script it is said to be the ancestor of the both, the secular Brahmi as well as the traditional vernacular scripts of India. (This theory is still being debated) |
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| Chart showing the development of Devanagari Letters from Indus script |
| Oral Tradition: |
Even though the system of writing was known, the preservation of knowledge was mainly done through an oral tradition - this was because oral means was believed to be better than writing in terms of capturing the expressions and meanings of language. |
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| Ashoka and the Brahmi Script - 3rd Century BC: |
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3rd Century BC Brahmi InscriptionAsoka Edict on the Rummindei pillar Brahmi, the script of the brahmans is written from left to right. It is the mother of all Indian scripts including the Devanagari script. -Ashoka used this script for his inscriptions, carved into the face of rocks or on stone pillars |
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3rd Century BC Brahmi InscriptionFragment of the 6th Pillar Edict of Ashoka (238 BCE), in Brahmi, sandstone |
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3rd Century BC Kharoshthi inscription derived from brahmi scriptRock Edict at habazgarhi Kharoshthi or Zarthustri, the script of the clerks is written from right to left |
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another example of Kharoshthi inscription: |
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3rd Century BC Girnar Inscription, BrahmiAshoka's First Rock inscription at Girnar These inscriptions on rocks and pillars, proclaim Asoka's reforms and policies and promulgate his advice to his subjects. |
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3rd Century BC Simplified BrahmiThis are the basic forms of the letters of Brahmi Script |
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3rd Century BC to 12th Century Brahmi DevelopmentThis chart depicts the development of other scripts from the brahmi script |
| Ashoka to 14th Century - development of Brahmi Script: |
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3rd Century BC to 540AD Brahmi VariationsThese are the variations of the Brahmi Script |
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2nd Century BC Barahut stupa, Brahmi Inscription:The stupa contains numerous birth stories of the Buddha's previous lives, or Jataka tales. |
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1st Century BC Phabosa Inscription, Brahmi:Inscriptions from the temple of Parisnath at Phabosa |
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4th Century AD Allahabad Pillar Inscription:The stupa is belongs to Samudragupta, Gupta Script |
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5th Century AD Siddham Letter 'a' :The siddham letterforms have been used for meditative purposes. These are a varient of the Brahmi script. |
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992 AD Deval Inscription, Brahmi:Inscription by King Lulla, Nagari Lipi, 992 A.D. |
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11th CentuaryAD Tamil manuscripts Tamil inscription, from the Brihadisvara temple in Thanjavur |
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12 Centuary AD Ratnapur Inscription, Brahmi:Inscription by King Jajalladev, Nagari Lipi, 12th Century A.D. |
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1337 AD Telgu-kannada script:Donepundi Grant-deed of Namaya-Nayak, Telgu-Kannada 1337 A.D. |
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1400 AD Nandi Nagari Incription
from Vijaynagar |
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14th Centuary AD Veeraraghava Grant-deed Vettelulu Lipi, |
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| This chart shows the modern descendants of the ancient Brahmi script. - Brahmi seems ancestral to most of the scripts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, some Central Asian scripts like Tibetan and Khotanese, and possibly Korean hangul (1444 AD). |
| Tamil Manuscripts - 6th - 18th Century: |
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16th CentuaryAD Christian prayers written in Tamil, on palm leaf manuscripts |
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18th CentuaryAD Tamil manuscripts Stack of manuscripts in Palm leaves enclosed in a brass frame |
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18th CentuaryAD Scribe Scribe using metal pen to write on dried palm leaves. |
| Devanagiri Manuscripts - 9th - 17th Century: |
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Bamboo pens - also known as Reed pens used for writing devanagiri script. The 45 degree cut is the reason for the thick and thin features of the letterings. |
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1630 AD Devanagiri Manuscript of Bhagavata Purana |
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16th CentuaryAD Jain Instructions using old Gujarathi prose describing how to live a jain way of life. |
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17th CentuaryAD Devanagiri Manuscript |
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17th CentuaryAD Devanagiri Manuscript |
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Details of the above Devanagiri Manuscript |
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18th CentuaryAD Devanagiri Manuscript - depicting the battle of Kurukshetra |
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18th CentuaryAD Devanagiri ManusScript |
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Details of the above Devanagiri ManusScript |
| Mughal Writings - 14th - 18th Century: |
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16th CentuaryAD A page from the copy of the holi Quran - probably transcibed in Lucknow. |
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16th CentuaryAD Detail from a painting depicting a massacre following the destruction of the tomb of Imam Husayn at Kerbela. 1595, India |
| Part II (to be continued) | The next section will illustrate the history of typography using the technology of the printing press. |
| References for the above history and images courtesy: Typography of Devanagri, Volume I, by Bapurao S. Naik and The Book in India, edited by B. S. Kesavan, National Book Trust India, N Delhi, 1986 Other useful Links: The Ancient Indus Valley Script and Interpretations Indus Script from Wikipedia: Indus Script from Ancient Scripts: Brahmi Script from Wikipedia: Brahmi Script from Ancient Scripts: Devanagiri Script from Wikipedia: The Indic Language Fonts |
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