Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages c7.s3.t7.4

c7.s3.t7.4

The diacritic vowels were also subject to minor changes, notably postconsonantal *u*, which originally was written as a short horizontal line to the left of the foot of the consonant to which it is attached (e.g., 𐨐𐨂 *ku*) but later developed into a loop (𐨐𐨂). Similarly, the original mark for *anusvāra* (e.g., 𐨒𐨎 *gaṃ*), clearly recognizable as a miniature *ma*, later changed into a hook shape (𐨒𐨎) which disguises its origin. Certain combinations of consonants and vowel diacritics were subject to special cursive developments leading to ligatures in which the constituent parts are no longer readily apparent; for example, *mu* (with several other varieties) and *de*.