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The oldest script in India, engraved on seals and discovered in the Indus Valley, has a history dating back over 2000 years BCE. This script vanished along with the civilization of the Indus River, no longer in use or understood. Both indigenous peoples and Indo-European language-speaking tribes from around the mid-2nd millennium BCE went through a long period without writing.
Indian script appeared on seals from ancient times (Image: collected)
Around 800 years BCE, written script began to appear on artifacts. The earliest was the Kharosthi script, originating from the Aramaic script in West Asia used in Iran and the northwest of India. On the Indian peninsula, the Brahmi script, originating from the Semitic script also in West Asia, was more widely used. Shortly after, perhaps around the 7th century BCE, from these scripts, Devanagari script was derived to record the Indo-European languages and the birth of the Sanskrit script.
Many artifacts bear inscriptions of Indian script (Image: collected)
However, in Northern India, especially in the Magadha region, people increasingly adopted a transformed Indo-European language, evolving into vernacular (Prakrit). When Buddha preached, to ensure understanding, a system of characters was devised to transcribe Prakrit, known as Pali.
Compared to Sanskrit, Pali is simpler in terms of syllables, morphology, syntax, and even script. Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts continued to be used for several more centuries, especially in communication and commerce. However, Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts had no opportunity to develop further as they were not indigenous languages and scripts of India.
Sanskrit script was the common script of ancient India (Image: collected)
Therefore, Sanskrit script and the Sanskrit language remained the official lingua franca in India from the 6th century BCE until around the 10th century CE, before it evolved into Apabhramsa, bridging Sanskrit with modern indigenous languages (Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, etc.).
2. Indian Alphabet Chart
The official alphabet of India is Hindi. Hindi (Devanagari: हिन्दी, IAST: Hindī) or Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: मानक हिन्दी, IAST: Mānak Hindī) is the standardized and Sanskritized form of Hindustani.
Modern Hindi Alphabet Chart of India (Image: collected)
On September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted that Hindi written in Devanagari script would be the official language of the Republic of India. It is one of the 22 recognized languages of the country. However, it is not the national language as it is not mentioned in the constitution.
Hindi employs the Devanagari script, modeled after the Brāhmī script, an ancient script developed between the 1st and 4th centuries CE. It contains 11 vowels and 33 consonants. The Hindi alphabet chart is called Varnmala.
3. Identifying Indian Script
Identifying Indian Script (Image: collected)
Indian script is sometimes mistaken for Persian or Arabic script. Recognizing the signs to identify Indian script is crucial: - Indian script combines straight and curved lines. - Indian script features pictorial elements within each letter, a characteristic unique to Indian writing today.
- Indian Hindi script is written from left to right.
4. Writing in Indian Script using Software
4.1. HindiWriter Software
HindiWriter is a free software that allows you to type in Hindi without installing new fonts or remembering special Hindi keyboard layouts. This software utilizes Indian language fonts pre-installed with Windows PC. Simply download and install the free software on your Windows PC, and it will convert your English words into Hindi with just a few clicks.
HindiWriter is familiar to those who need to handle Indian language text (Image: collected)
This is a compact and useful free software with advanced features to translate English language into equivalent Hindi words. With user-friendly interface, this program is very easy to use. The program utilizes the phonetic scheme of typing Hindi, meaning you have to input words in English using your keyboard according to the phonetic sound of the word in Hindi.
Example: if you want to input bharat in Hindi; you have to type bharat on your English keyboard.
4.2. Baraha Software
Baraha Software (Image: collected)
Baraha is a professional Indian language software comprising text editor, Unicode editor, a module enabling keyboard layout modification, and translation of any text into Hindi or other Indian languages.
Features of Baraha: - Baraha - standalone editor for document editing and printing - BarahaPad - standalone editor for editing Unicode text documents
- BarahaIME - composing Indian language text in any application
4.3. Lipikar Software
Lipikar Software (Image: collected)
Lipikar is software that allows users to type in Hindi and various other popular Indian languages with a balanced, intuitive interface. The application integrates comprehensive help documentation, suitable for users at all levels.
Above are our insights into Indian script, which are essential for those who wish to travel to India for tourism or for those who want to study, work, or simply self-study at home in India.
In addition to the above information, if you are planning to travel to India and are looking for Indian tour packages or need assistance with Indian visa issues, such as how to obtain an E-visa for India, please refer to our website.
Posted by: Nhan Le
Keywords: Indian Characters - top complex writing characters in the world
