ANCIENT SCRIPTS

Question 1

Brahmi Script

Answer 1

z It is considered as the precursor to many modern Indian scripts, including Devanagari,
Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Odia, Assamese, and Bengali.
z It is written from left to right.

Question 2

Grantha Script

Answer 2

z Widely used from the 6th to the 20th centuries in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu
and Kerala.
z Used for writing Sanskrit and Manipravalam.
z It is a Brahmic script, evolving from Brahmi in Tamil Nadu, and a precursor to Malayalam,
Tigalari, and Sinhala scripts.

Question 3

Gupta Script

Answer 3

z Associated with the Gupta Empire and used for Sanskrit.
z Descended from Brahmi.
z Gave rise to various scripts, including Nagari, Sharada, Siddham, Devanagari, Gurmukhi
(for Punjabi), Assamese, Bengali, and Tibetan scripts.

Question 4

Gurmukhi Script

Answer 4

z It was standardised during the 16th century by Guru Angad and derived from the
Sarada script.
z Used for writing the entire Guru Granth Sahib and is commonly used by Sikhs and Hindus
for Punjabi language.

Question 5

Indus Script

Answer 5

z The Indus Valley Civilization produced it. It comprises symbols, but it has not been
deciphered to date.

Question 6

Kharosthi Script

Answer 6

z It is considered the Sister script of Brahmi and was used in ancient Gandhara to write
Gandhari Prakrit and Sanskrit.
z James Prinsep deciphered it.
z Includes numerals similar to Roman numerals.
z Written mostly right to left, but some inscriptions show left to right direction.

Question 7

Modi Script

Answer 7

z Historically, it was used to write Marathi and other languages.
z It was Marathi’s official script until the 20th century when Devanagari was promoted.
z Known to have been used for Urdu, Kannada, Gujarati, Hindi, and Tamil.

Question 8

Sarada Script

Answer 8

z It developed around the 8th century and was written in Abiguda style.
z Initially used for Sanskrit and Kashmiri, but later limited to Kashmir.
z At present, it is rarely used except for ceremonial purposes by the Kashmiri Pandit
community.

Question 9

Urdu Script

Answer 9

z It is written from right to left by modifying the Persian alphabet.
z It was influential in the development of the Nastaliq style of Perso-Arabic script.
z Its extended form, Shahmukhi, is used for writing other Indo-Aryan languages like Punjabi
and Saraiki.

Question 10

Vatteluttu Script

Answer 10

z It was developed from Tamil-Brahmi and written in Abiguda style.
z Used to write Granthi, Pallava, and Tamil scripts.