On the Origin of the Indian Brahma Alphabet c5.14

c5.14

It must, however, be noted that the first among these theories seems to have been almost given up by its chief advocate some time before his death. For in his last discussion of the Indian alphabet⁷ Sir A. Cunningham says, “The origin of the Indian alphabet is still unsettled. According to Lassen, Dowson, Thomas and myself, its origin was indigenous, [3] that is, it was invented by the people of India. But continental scholars are generally in favour of its derivation from some unknown Western source”, and in the sequel, after criticising the latest theory, which he takes to be that of Dr. Taylor, he adds,⁸ “It seems not improbable that this old Indian alphabet, when it was first framed *or adopted*, did not possess any cerebral letters.” These utterances indicate that in 1891 Sir A. Cunningham himself no longer felt as certain of the soundness of his views as in 1876, when he wrote the introduction to the Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum. As far as has become known, they have not gained of late any new adherents, and with the death of the illustrious archaeologist they have probably become entirely a matter of the past. Sir A. Cunningham himself has furnished a very strong argument in favour of the opposite theory by publishing, op. cit., Plate XI. 18, a coin from Eraṇ, which shows an inscription in Brāhma characters running from the right to the left. This is really the link, which was wanted in order to complete the chain of arguments, proving the Semitic origin of the Brāhma alphabet.