The Pallava script or Pallava Grantha, is a
Brahmic script, named after the
Pallava dynasty of
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and T ...
, attested since the 4th century AD. As epigrapher Arlo Griffiths makes clear, however, the term is misleading as not all of the relevant scripts referred to have a connection with the Pallava dynasty. He instead advocates that these scripts be called 'late Southern Brāhmī' scripts.
[ In India, Pallava script evolved into the Tamil and Grantha script. Pallava spread to Southeast Asia and evolved into local scripts such as Balinese, Baybayin, Javanese, ]Kawi
Kawi may refer to:
* Kawi language, oldest attested phase of the Javanese language
* Kawi script, writing system used across Southeast Asia from the 8th century to around 1500 AD
::Kawi (Unicode block), the script in Unicode
* Mount Kawi, a volcano ...
, Khmer, Lanna, Lao, Mon–Burmese, New Tai Lue alphabet, Sundanese, and the Thai
A proposal to encode the script in Unicode
Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology standard for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems. The standard, ...
was submitted in 2018.
History
During the rule of Pallavas, the script accompanied priests, monks, scholars and traders into Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
. Pallavas developed the Pallava script based on the Tamil-Brahmi. The main characteristics of the newer script are aesthetically matched and fuller consonant glyphs. Similar to Pallava script, also visible in the writing systems of Chalukya,[http://www.skyknowledge.com/burnell-plate4.gif ] Kadamba, Vengi at the time of Ikshvakus. Brahmi design was slightly different of the scripts of Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras. Pallava script is the first significant developments of Brahmi in India, by combining rounded and rectangular strokes and adding typographical effects, and was suitable for civic and religious inscriptions. ''Kadamba-Pallava script''
Characteristics
The form shown here is based on examples from the 7th century AD. Letters labeled * have uncertain sound value, as they have little occurrence in Southeast Asia.
Consonants
Each consonant has an inherent /a/, which will be sounded if no vowel sign is attached. If two consonants follow one another without intervening vowel, the second consonant is made into a subscript form, and attached below the first.
Independent Vowels
Examples
References
Bibliography
* Sivaramamurti, C, ''Indian Epigraphy and South Indian Scripts.'' Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum. Chennai 1999
External links
*
{{list of writing systems
4th-century introductions
Obsolete writing systems
Brahmic scripts
Pallava dynasty