Brahmi Script Its Palaeography (From Third Century A.D. To Sixth Century A.D.)

Present work 'Brahmi script - Its Palaeography' revolves around the process which caused the changes in the Brahmi script during four centuries; from the third century A.D. to the sixth century A.D. It is during this period, the script underwent extensive changes paving way to clear division into the northern and the southern varieties within it. This evolution has been studied on the basis of the script found in the pre-Gupta and the gupta period, alongwith the Kutila type of the script and that used in the lower Deccan and south India. Numerals found used during this period has been comprehensively delt with along with the probable auspicious symbols found from the Indus valley seals upto the inscriptions of the sixth century A.D.

About the Author

Dr. Ravindra Kumar Vasishtha (b. 1952 at Amritsar, Punjab) got school education fro Delhi. He received graduate and post-graduate degrees from the University of Delhi, Delhi. He holds doctorate on the study of the Brahmi script. Presently he is teaching Sanskrit in the Shivaji College (University of Delhi), New Delhi.

Credit of publication of the manuscript of the Kuber Purana goes to him. A series of articles on the 'Brahmi se Nagari tak' (in Hindi) was published in a quarterly journal 'the Nagari Sangam' by the Nagari-lipi Parishad, New Delhi. Seven research articles have been presented by him in several seminars and conferences. A radio talk on the 'Asokan Brahmi script' is also delieved by him.

At present he is working on a detailed work on the evolution of the Nagari script. More over a extensive multi-dimensional computerized project-showing how exactly modern scripts originated from the Brahmi script is in press.