- Tamil-Brahmi
Tamil-Brahmi was an early variant of the
Brahmi script used to write Tamil characters. It is also known as the Tamili script.Origin
Iravatham Mahadevan , an authority on the Tamil-Brahmi script states that the Brahmi script reached the Tamil country due the southern spread ofJainism andBuddhism , and was adapted to suit the Tamil phonetic system.cite news | first= Subramanian| last=T.S. | coauthors= | title= `Rudimentary Tamil-Brahmi script' unearthed at Adichanallur| date=February 17, 2005 | publisher=The Hindu | url =http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/02/17/stories/2005021704471300.htm | work =| pages =| accessdate = 2007-12-06 | language = English]Early Tamil Brahmi, unlike Asokan Brahmi, had a system to distinguish between pure consonants and consonants with an inherent vowel. In addition, early Tamil-Brahmi used slightly different vowel markers, and had extra characters to represent letters not found in
Sanskrit . The earliest surviving inscriptions in Tamil found atAdichanallur inTamil Nadu .Fact|date=August 2008Tamil-Brahmi eventually evolved into the "Vatteluttu " script.Adichanallur excavations
It has been tentatively suggested by the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) archaeologists that graffiti etched into a potsherd tentatively dated to the 5th century BC is an example of a "very rudimentary" form of Tamil writing. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/17/stories/2005021704471300.htm 'Rudimentary Tamil-Brahmi script' unearthed at Adichanallur] . The Hindu, Feb 17, 2005]The recent archeological findings at Adichanallur, Tamil Nadu by ASI have indicated that the Tamil-Brahmi inscription may have dated from as far back as 7th-8th century BC [ [http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/26/stories/2004052602871200.htm Skeletons, script found at ancient burial site in Tamil Nadu] ] , earlier than the
Sangam period , but a final verdict on the age of the stone age burial awaits radiocarbon dating.Tamil Brahmi findings
* A broken storage jar with inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi script in
Egypt . [cite news | first=| last=| coauthors= | title= Tamil Brahmi script in Egypt| date=November 21, 2007 | publisher=The Hindu | url =http://www.hinduonnet.com/2007/11/21/stories/2007112158412400.htm | work =| pages =| accessdate = 2007-12-06 | language = English]
* An urn at the Iron Age burial site atAdichanallur .
* Tamil-Brahmi inscription on pottery found inThailand . [cite news | first=| last=| coauthors= | title= Tamil-Brahmi inscription on pottery found in Thailand| date=July 16, 2006 | publisher=The Hindu | url =http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/16/stories/2006071603952000.htm | work =| pages =| accessdate = 2007-12-06 | language = English]
* Potsherds with Tamil Brahmi inscriptions found in Poonagari,Jaffna .cite book | last=Mahadevan | first=Iravatham | author-link=Iravatham Mahadevan | title=Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. | series=Harvard Oriental Series vol. 62 | publisher=Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University | place=Cambridge, Mass | year=2003 | isbn=0-674-01227-5 p. 48.]ee also
*
Indian inscriptions
* [http://www.ponniyinselvan.in/tamil-brahmi-script-by-venkateswaran-kasirajan-vkasirajan-f30/ Tamil Brahmi Script]References
Further reading
* Champakalakshmi, R. "A magnum opus on Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions", [http://www.rootsweb.com/~lkawgw/tamil-brahmi.htm]
* Mahadevan, Iravatham, "Orality to literacy: Transition in Early Tamil Society ", [http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2007/stories/20030411001208100.htm Frontline, Volume 20 - Issue 07, March 29 - April 11, 2003]
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