Indian Palaeography c18.s3.17

c18.s3.17

Thus we get: (1) the evolution of the basic form of the initial vowel, and from it other vowels with the addition of the diacritic marks; (2) one diacritic stroke for *dīrgha*, *guṇa* and *vṛiddhi*; (3) seventeen letters based on Aramaic; (4) six aspirates, *gha*, *chha*, *jha*, *dha*, *pha* and *bha*, formed by the addition of a diacritic stroke; (5) three letters, *kha*, *śa* and *tha*, again based on Aramaic; (6) the four cerebral letters, *ṭa*, *ṭha*, *ḍa* and *ḍha*, based on the form of *tha*; (7) two nasals, *ma* and *na*, based on the Aramaic; (8) the nasal *ña*, based on the form of *ja* or *jha*; and (9) *ṅa*, suggested by the Brāhmī form. Besides these two further letters evolved; these are shown on Pl. XXIII as *ṭh'a* and *chh'a*. The first is formed by adding a stroke to the form of *ṭha*, and the second is derived from *chha* by dropping its horizontal stroke. And finally we have another diacritic stroke, an upward slant at the lower ends of the verticals on the right, to make other sounds like *g'a*, *ch'a*, *ḍ'a*, &c. A similar stroke added to *sa* I have read as *s'a* instead of *sa*. Rapson argues for another form of *k'a*, in which the stroke is added to the top of the vertical upwards instead of at the bottom. This form is also met in the Kurram casket inscription.¹ From these practices it is clear that the original letter forms of Kharoṣṭhī were based on Aramaic as far as the Indian alphabet could allow. The remaining letters were evolved by the addition of the diacritic marks.