Pallava script

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Pallava script
File:Shukla Pallava.svg
'Pallava' in Pallava script
Script type
Period
4th century CE to Present[1]
LanguagesTamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Konkani, Marathi, Old Khmer, Old Malay, Burmese, Thai, Sinhala, Lao, Mon, Balinese, etc.
Related scripts
Parent systems
Child systems
Tamil, Grantha, Mon-Burmese, Khmer, Cham, Kawi
Sister systems
Vattezhuthu, Kolezhuthu
 This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.
Brahmic scripts
The Brahmi script and its descendants
Northern Brahmic
Southern Brahmic

The Pallava script, or Pallava Grantha, named after the Pallava dynasty of Southern India (Tamilakam) and is attested to since the 4th century CE. The Pallava script evolved from Tamil-Brahmi.[2] It was used to originally write Tamil and Sanskrit texts  – the court languages of Pallavas, thus, it features glyphs to render the sounds of both languages. Both the Tamil script via the intermediate script/step called Chozha-Pallava-Script[3][4] and Grantha script have originated from the Pallava script.[5]

Pallava also spread to Southeast Asia and evolved into scripts such as Balinese,[6] Baybayin,[7] Javanese,[8] Kawi,[9] Khmer,[10] Lanna,[11] Lao,[12] Mon–Burmese,[13] New Tai Lue,[14] Sundanese,[15] and Thai.[16] This script is the sister of the Vatteluttu script which was also used to write Tamil and Malayalam in the past.[17]

Epigrapher Arlo Griffiths argues that the name of the script 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.[1]

History

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During the rule of the Pallavas, the script accompanied priests, monks, scholars, and traders into Southeast Asia. Pallavas developed the Pallava script based on Tamil-Brahmi. The main characteristics of the newer script are aesthetically matched and fuller consonant glyphs, similarly visible in the writing systems of Chalukya,[18] Kadamba, and Vengi at the time of Ikshvakus. Brahmi's design was slightly different from the scripts of Cholas, Pandyas, and Cheras. Pallava script was the first significant development of Brahmi in India, combining rounded and rectangular strokes and adding typographical effects, and was suitable for civic and religious inscriptions.

It served as parent script for several modern-day-scripts, such as Chozha-Pallava-Script, which ultimately gave rise to Tamil script and also Grantha script. Once the Pallava dynasty was integrated via the conquest by Aditya I in 897 CE,[19] which laid the foundation for the future Chola Empire  – the Chozha-Pallava was subsequently developed under that dynasty and replaced both the Pallava and Grantha scripts to write Tamil texts, whereas Grantha remained to be in usage for rendering Manipravalam texts.[20] It also supplanted the Vatteluttu, when the Pandya Nadu in c. 850 CE was conquered by the Cholas as well.[21] The Chozha-Pallava script resembled the same glyph developments like its counterpart Grantha script, but it didn't feature any foreign sounds from Sanskrit, thus, simplifying the script and ultimately becoming the modern-day Tamil script.[3][4]

Kadamba-Pallava script[22] evolved into early forms of Kannada and Telugu scripts. Glyphs become more rounded and incorporate loops because of writing upon leaves and paper.[22]

The script is not yet a part of Unicode but proposals have been made to include it. In 2018, Anshuman Pandey made a proposal.[23]

Characteristics

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The form shown here is based on examples from the 7th century CE. Letters labeled * have uncertain sound value, as they have little occurrence in Southeast Asia.

Consonants

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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.

ka kha ga gha nga
File:Pallava Ka.svg File:Pallava Kha.svg File:Pallava Ga.svg File:Pallava Gha.svg File:Pallava Nga.svg
ca cha ja jha* nya
File:Pallava Ca.svg File:Pallava Cha.svg File:Pallava Ja.svg File:Pallava Jha.svg File:Pallava Nya.svg
ṭa ṭha* ḍa ḍha* ṇa
File:Pallava Tta.svg File:Pallava Ttha.svg File:Pallava Dda.svg File:Pallava Ddha.svg File:Pallava Nna.svg
ta tha da dha na
File:Pallava Ta.svg File:Pallava Tha.svg File:Pallava Da.svg File:Pallava Dha.svg File:Pallava Na.svg
pa pha ba bha ma
File:Pallava Pa.svg File:Pallava Pha.svg File:Pallava Ba.svg File:Pallava Bha.svg File:Pallava Ma.svg
ya ra la va
File:Pallava Ya.svg File:Pallava Ra.svg File:Pallava La.svg File:Pallava Va.svg
śa ṣa sa ha
File:Pallava Sha.svg File:Pallava Ssa.svg File:Pallava Sa.svg File:Pallava Ha.svg

Independent Vowels

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a ā i ī u e o ai* au*
File:Pallava A.svg File:Pallava Aa.svg File:Pallava I.svg File:Pallava Ii.svg File:Pallava U.svg File:Pallava E.svg File:Pallava O.svg File:Pallava Ai.svg File:Pallava Au.svg

Examples

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Unicode

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A proposal to encode the script in Unicode was submitted in 2018.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b University of Madras Tamil Lexicon, page 148: "அலியெழுத்து [ aliyeḻuttu n ali-y-eḻuttu . < அலி¹ +. 1. The letter ஃ, as being regarded as neither a vowel nor a consonant; ஆய்தம். (வெண்பாப். முதன்மொ. 6, உரை.) 2. Consonants; மெய்யெ ழுத்து. (பிங்.)."][permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  19. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  20. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  21. ^ Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta. (1958, second ed.) A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar. Madras, Oxford University Press. 167–68.
  22. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  23. ^ a b Pandey, Anshuman. (2018). Preliminary proposal to encode Pallava in Unicode.

Bibliography

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  • Sivaramamurti, C, Indian Epigraphy and South Indian Scripts. Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum. Chennai 1999
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  • Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
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