Indian Palaeography c17.s8.1

c17.s8.1

The early styles of writing in Burma can be divided into three groups: (A) The writing adopted in the Sanskrit inscriptions found mostly in Arakan. Only one bilingual text, the Sanskrit being in this character, has been found at Hmawza. This style is connected with the proto-regional scripts of Eastern India. (B) The writing adopted in the Pyu inscriptions, the origin of which is discussed below. (C) The characters employed in the Pali or Prakrit inscriptions. These are derived from the Pallava records and resemble the sixth-century writing in South-east Asia. The Kawgun cave inscription has been placed in this last group, though it shows some North Indian letter forms. We have no example of early writing in the Burmese language. The later Burmese script is not derived from these characters.