Allahabad :

Contrary to the popular belief – both of Indian and foreign historians – that ‘Brahmi’ is the oldest Indian script as the same is used in the pillars and other inscriptions of emperor Ashoka, a young assistant professor from the University of Pune, Anirban Dash, claims that the script used in Ashokan pillars is infact ‘dhammlipi’ (script), very much similar to ‘prakrit’.

Dash, who has a long experience of working with national mission for manuscripts, Delhi was talking to media at the workshop organised by the central library on manuscripts. He further said that it is the western historian, Gorge Buhler who claimed that these inscriptions are written in Bhramhi, the fact which is distorted.

“Starting from ‘Kilakshar’ script of the Mesopotamian rule, script has travelled a long way but continued to follow three bases including pictographic, ideographic and phonetic scripts. In India we have phonetic script”, said Dash. In terms of India, the inscriptions of Ashoka are the first proof of usage of any script i.e. Brahmi and it is here that the script of Ashoka (Dhammlipi) bears significance.

Brahmi is generally believed to be attested from the 3rd century BCE during the reign of Ashoka, who used the script for imperial edicts. Br?hm? alphabet is also believed to be the ancestor of most of the 40 or so modern Indian alphabets, and of a number of other alphabets, such as Khmer and Tibetan. It is thought to have been modelled on the Aramaic or Phoenician alphabets, he explained.

Substantiating his notion that the scripts used in Ashoka inscription is infact Dhammlipi and not Brahmi, the exprt said, “Lalitavistara, (a detailed narration of the legendary life of the Gautama Buddha), is written in a combination of Sanskrit and a vernacular mentions 64 scripts, Brahmi being the first in the list of these 64 scripts”.

Those who termed the script of Ashoka’s inscriptions as Bhramhi could have just picked up the first script in the list of scripts in Lalitavistara because Ashoka has himself mentioned that ‘eyam dhamm lipi’, which leaves no doubts that it is Dhammlipi (script) which was used prior to Brahmi, said Dash. He also informed that a pot found in Dwarika is written in a script, around 30% of which is Brahmi, rest being another script.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / Rajiv Mani / TNN / May 25th, 2016