Indian Palaeography c12.s7.5

c12.s7.5

(iv, v, and vi) The long vowels (i.e. *dīrgha* in Sanskrit) are formed by an additional stroke in the same manner: two verticals on the top for *ī*, and two strokes downward (e.g. *sū* and *pū*) or horizontal (e.g. *dhū*) for long *ū*. The principle governing the long medial *ā* is the same as that of deriving the initial *ā* from the initial *a*, i.e. the addition of an horizontal stroke to the top right, but sometimes it is also placed in the middle right (e.g. *ṭhā*, *thā*, *bā*, and *mā* only in the Girnar R.E.).