Tamil-Brahmi

Tamil-Brahmi is an early script used to write Tamil, attested in inscriptions from the last centuries BCE. Its signs adapt the Brahmi writing system to represent features of Tamil.

Brahmi script: Brahmi is an ancient South Asian writing system from which many later scripts developed. Tamil-Brahmi adapts Brahmi signs and conventions for writing Tamil.
Mangulam inscriptions: Mangulam inscriptions are early Tamil-Brahmi records carved in rock shelters in Tamil Nadu. They provide some of the earliest securely dated evidence for the script.
Ashoka: Ashoka was a Mauryan emperor whose inscriptions spread across much of South Asia in the third century BCE. His Brahmi inscriptions provide a major comparison for dating and explaining Tamil-Brahmi.
Sangam literature: Sangam literature is a body of classical Tamil poetry traditionally associated with ancient Tamil academies. Inscriptions provide independent evidence for the language and society behind this literary tradition.
Tamil language: Tamil is a Dravidian language with a long literary and inscriptional history. Tamil-Brahmi records early forms of the language.
Jambai inscription: The Jambai inscription is a Tamil-Brahmi record naming the Satyaputo ruler Atiyaman Neduman Anci. Its royal title links the script to political history in ancient Tamilakam.
Tamilakam: Tamilakam is the historical region of southern India associated with ancient Tamil-speaking polities. Tamil-Brahmi emerged in this region’s early communities and political networks.
Tamil epigraphy: Tamil epigraphy is the study of inscriptions written in Tamil and related scripts. Tamil-Brahmi is a foundational source for the study of early Tamil inscriptions.
Abugida: An abugida is a writing system in which consonant signs normally include an inherent vowel. This script follows Brahmi’s consonant-based structure, modified for Tamil sounds.
Pugalur inscriptions: The Pugalur inscriptions are Tamil-Brahmi records associated with the Chera dynasty. They show the script used in dynastic and genealogical contexts.

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