Nagari script

Origins

By the 6th century 'Kuṭila' or 'Siddhamātṛkā', a descendant from the Gupta script, forms as a major intermediate stage in the northern Indian Brahmic script tradition. Changes in its consonants, vowels, medial signs and ligatures can be traced towards later Nāgarī forms. By the end of the seventh century A.D. the proto-Nagari script developed in the region of Malwa. This Proto-Nagari script shows broader triangular head-marks, or replaces them with a small stroke; and tails or footmarks are added to the bottom of the letters. The Kuṭila script developed its final form between the ninth and tenth centuries, and subsequently transforms into a mature form of the Nagari script. Scholars disagree on the exact point in time of this transition. During this period, forms displaying characteristic features of Nāgarī became increasingly widespread. Among these was the increasing prominence of the horizontal head-line, alongside changes in the proportions and shapes of consonants and vowel signs. These features did not appear simultaneously in every region, and different areas retained older forms while developing other new features.