Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages c7.s2.t6.10

c7.s2.t6.10

Notable developments of individual characters in this period include the elongation of the vertical of the old cross-shaped *ka* of Mauryan Brāhmī leading to the “dagger-shaped” form of this letter (+ > ☨); the rounding of the top of *ga* (∧ > ∩); the reversal in direction of *dha* (D > Ɑ); a tendency toward the development of angular forms in such letters as *ma* and *va* (ɤ > ⧖; 𝛿 > ⍡); and the replacement of the old curved *ra* with a straight vertical shape (⌇ > I). Among the few new characters which make their appearance in this period is the initial *ai* (𑀐), first seen in the Hāthīgumphā inscription (l. 1).