Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c25.s12.t1.10

c25.s12.t1.10

Dani derives Tamil-Brāhmī *ḻ* from Southern Brāhmī *ḷ*.⁷ His view is based on a comparison of the looped form of *ḻ* at Tirupparankunram with the form of *ḷ* occurring at Sanchi in ca.1st century A.D.⁸ Bühler derives *ḻ* from an even later prototype, the *ḷ* of the Gupta period.⁹ There is, however, hardly any resemblance between the two letters. In any case, we now know of the existence of much older forms of *ḻ* with the circular top (e.g., Corpus: Nos. *1-3*, ca. 2nd century B.C.) which bear no likeness to the Southern Brāhmī *ḷ*.