Hinduism - What Is Kharoshthi?

 


 (“ass-lip”) One of the ancient characters employed in the inscriptions of the Maurya dynasty's greatest figure, Emperor Ashoka (r. 269–232 B.C.E.).

Ashoka's empire included the entire Indian subcontinent (with the exception of the deepest areas of southern India) as well as sections of modern-day Afghanistan.

The first notable Indian written records are Ashoka's Rock Edicts and Pillar Edicts, which provide essential information on contemporary social, political, and religious life.

The Kharoshthi script was only employed in Ashoka's empire's northern regions, and it was undoubtedly derived from the Aramaic alphabet of Achaeminid Persia.

The Kharoshti derives its name from the sage who invented it. 

This script like Hebrew, Persian, and other Semitic languages, is written from right to left. 

It was spoken in the region called Kharoshtra, and unlike Brahmi(derived from the God Brahma, the mother language of Sanskrit) the Kharoshthi script died a natural death approximately around the 5th century A.D. 

Despite the fact that the alphabet was altered to fit the sounds of Indian languages, it plainly reflects Persian cultural influence.

It was significantly less prevalent than Brahmi writing, and by the early years of the common period, it had all but vanished from India.

 

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