Editing Brahmic scripts (section)

== History ==
Brahmic scripts descended from the [[Brāhmī script|Brahmi script]]. Brahmi is clearly attested from the 3rd century BCE during the reign of [[Ashoka]], who used the script [[Edicts of Ashoka|for imperial edicts]]. Northern Brahmi gave rise to the [[Gupta script]] during the [[Gupta period]], which in turn diversified into a number of cursives during the [[Middle kingdoms of India|medieval period]]. Notable examples of such medieval scripts, developed by the 7th or 8th century, include [[Nāgarī script|Nagari]], [[Siddhaṃ script|Siddham]] and [[Sharada script|Sharada]].

The [[Siddhaṃ script]] was especially important in [[Buddhism]], as many [[sutra]]s were written in it. The art of Siddham [[calligraphy]] survives today in [[Japan]]. The tabular presentation and [[Collation|dictionary order]] of the modern ''[[kana]]'' system of Japanese writing is believed to be descended from the Indic scripts, most likely through the [[spread of Buddhism]].<ref name="Frellesvig"/>

Southern Brahmi evolved into the [[Kadamba script|Kadamba]], [[Pallava script|Pallava]] and [[Vatteluttu]] scripts, which in turn diversified into other scripts of South India and Southeast Asia. Brahmic scripts spread in a peaceful manner, [[Indianization of Southeast Asia|Indianization]], or the spread of Indian learning. The scripts spread naturally to Southeast Asia, at ports on trading routes.<ref name="Court">Court, C. (1996). Introduction. In P. T. Daniels & W. Bright (Eds.) ''The World's Writing Systems'' (pp. 443). Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref> At these trading posts, ancient inscriptions have been found in Sanskrit, using scripts that originated in India. At first, inscriptions were made in Indian languages, but later the scripts were used to write the local Southeast Asian languages. Hereafter, local varieties of the scripts were developed. By the 8th century, the scripts had diverged and separated into regional scripts.<ref name="Spread">Court, C. (1996). The spread of Brahmi Script into Southeast Asia. In P. T. Daniels & W. Bright (Eds.) ''The World's Writing Systems'' (pp. 445–449). Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
Image:Asokan brahmi pillar edict.jpg|A fragment of [[Edicts of Ashoka|Ashoka's 6th pillar edict]], in [[Brahmi]], the ancestor of all Brahmic scripts
File:Brahmic script travel from India.png|Spread of Brahmic family of scripts (and Kharosthi) from the subcontinent.
</gallery>