Grantha script:

Writing system, evolutionary

history and inscriptions
 Introduction
• Grantha (Also Grantham, Grandham) is currently used to write Sanskrit,
and is now exclusively used by Tamil & Malayali Brahmins, especially for
Vedic studies and astrology.

• It was earlier used for writing Malayalam, Tamil and 'Manipravalam'.

• It is a descendant, through the Southern Branch, of the Brahmi script.

• And like it, is classified as an abugida (i.e. each unit or akshara is made of
a consonant + inherent vowel).

• Grantha takes its name from the Sanskrit word for 'book', and true to its
name, is found a lot more on books and palm leaf manuscripts than on
epigraphs.
Writing System
 Writing System
• Vowels - 14
• Consonants - 34
• Numerals - 10

• Grantha, like all other Brahmic scripts except Mahajani has

special diacritics called mātrā for vowels

• Complex conjuct forms are rampant in Grantha, unlike

northern scripts. Malayalam also had them, till simplification
of orthography in the 1960s & 70s.
 Vowels - simple

अ आ इ ई उ ऊ
അ ആ ഇ ഈ ഉ ഊ
அ ஆ இ ஈ உ ஊ
 Vowels - consonantal

ऋ ॠ ऌ ॡ
ഋ ൠ ഌ
ൡ

As far as I know, ऌ is attested in only one Sanskrit word, the verb क् ऌप meaning to
manage or to be well ordered.
The only purpose of ॡ seems to be to preserve the symmetry of the vowel
arrangements.
Vowels - derived

ए ऐ ओ औ
ഏ ഐ ഓ ഔ
ஏ ஐ ஓ ஔ
 Vowels - nasal

अं अः
അം അഃ
- ஃ

अँ is unrepresented in the known Grantha corpus, though Telugu uses the half-moon
(c) character to represent the anunāsika.
(http://sanskritdocuments.org/learning_tutorial_wikner/P003.html)
Consonants - guttural (kaṇṭhya)

क ख ग घ ङ
ക ഖ ഗ ഘ ങ
க ங
 Consonants - palatal (tālavya)

च छ ज झ ञ
ച ഛ ജ ഝ ഞ
ச ஜ* ஞ

*This character has been borrowed from Grantha into Tamil for writing loan words.
Consonants - retroflex (mūrdhanya)

ट ठ ड ढ ण
ട ഠ ഡ ഢ ണ
ட ண
Consonants - dental (dantya)

त थ द ध न
ത ഥ ദ ധ ന
த ந, ன
Consonants - labial (oṣṭhya)

प फ ब भ म
പ ഫ ബ ഭ
മ
ப ம
Consonants - approximant (antastha)

य र ल व ळ
യ ര ല വ ള
ய ர ல வ ள
 Consonants - fricative (ūṣma)

श ष स
ह
ശ ഷ സ ഹ
ஶ* ஷ* ஸ* ஹ*

As in other Indian languages, the vocalisations of श and ष have merged into one
sound.
 Numerals

As in other Indian scripts, these numerals are no longer in use.

 Mātrās

ക് ക കാ കി കീ കു കൂ
க் க கா கி கீ க க
 Mātrās

കൃ
 Mātrās

െക ൈക െകാ െകൌ കം കഃ
ெக ைக ெகா ெகௌ
Special Mātrā placements
 Some consonant ligatures

Ligatures are written when possible, else the letters are stacked.
Stacking
-y and -r
Repha
Now write your name
in Grantha
 Write the name
of someone you love
Write your classmates' names
Write your address
 Homework:
write your favourite Bollywood song
in Grantha
Evolutionary History
INTERVAL
 Pallava*

Tigalari

http://www.ancientscripts.com/sa_ws.html
 Southern Brahmi

• The south developed a more cursive form of

Brahmi, that by the 3rd c. AD had developed into
the proto Kadamba-Pallava script
 Chalukya scripts
• The script under the patronage of the
Kadambas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas,
Shilaharas and Hoysalas would ultimately evolve
into the Halegannada script in the Deccan

• Under the later Western (Kalyani) & Eastern

(Vengi) Chalukyas, the Cholas and then the
Pandyas, the Kadamba-Pallava script underwent
further evolution, to a tighter, less grandiose
form, now looking more like modern Grantha

http://www.skyknowledge.com/pallava.htm
Burnell, Elements of South-Indian Palaeography, plate I
 Vengi copper plate

http://www.skyknowledge.com/pallava.htm
Burnell, Elements of South-Indian Palaeography, plate III
 Chalukya copper plate, 622 AD

http://www.skyknowledge.com/pallava.htm
Burnell, Elements of South-Indian Palaeography, plate IV
 Pallava script
• Under Pallava
patronage, the script
developed into an
elaborate form with
large strokes

http://www.skyknowledge.com/pallava.htm
 Cave temple inscription
• Dhalavanur rock-cut
temple of
Mahendravarman I
Pallava (580-630 AD)

http://travel.bhushavali.com/2012_11_01_archive.html
 Cave temple inscription
• Mahendravadi rock-
cut temple of
Mahendravarman I
Pallava

http://travel.bhushavali.com/2012_11_01_archive.html
 Mahendravaraman's coinage
Pa ka meaning either
– 1 panam
– short for 'Pakapetuku' (Terror to the Enemy)

http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php?topic=31274.0
 Pallava in
South East Asia
Merchant contact with South
East Asia in the Pallava and
Chola periods took the
Pallava-Grantha script
continuum thither.

Pyu script (4th - 6th c AD)

http://lionslayer.yoeyar.com/?p=823
 Examples
Purnavarman
of Java

Fang in North
Thailand, est.
late 7th c. AD

tp://www.skyknowledge.com/pallava.htm, http://tamilnation.co/heritage/pallava.htm
 Post-Pallava period
• The Pallava script seems to be the basis for both the later
Tamil script and the Grantha script.

• This is a possibly unique case of sympatric evolution of two

scripts, each adapted to writing a different language.

• By Vijayanagar times, the Grantha script had stabilised to its

current form.

http://www.skyknowledge.com/pallava.htm
 Development of Grantha

ttp://www.ciillibrary.org/Sites/Photography/Images/Grantha - Tamil.jpg
ttp://www.ciillibrary.org/Sites/Photography/Images/Grantha - Tamil.jpg
 Chera period inscription
• Prasasthi of King Rama Rajasekhara of
Mahodayapura, 24 May 871

p://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/ancient-inscription-throws-new-light-on-chera-history/article1200089.ece
 Grantha - Pillar edict
Rajaraja I (985-
1012),
Thanjavur Museum

http://www.tnarch.gov.in/epi/ins3.htm
 Grantha - copper plate grant
Uttama Chola (Parakesarivarman), Chennai
Museum

http://www.tnarch.gov.in/epi/ins3.htm
 Grantha - coin
Travancore Velli Fanam - 1036 KE (1861 CE) 1
fanam
Symbol for 10 Symbol for year
(varusha)

Symbol for panam

Symbol for 1000

tp://www.coinnetwork.com/photo/travancore-rama-varma-iv-1860-1880-velli-fanam-km-22-reverse
 Grantha - manuscript
• Sarvamoola granthas attributed to Madvacharya (1238-
1317)

http://phys.org/news77908116.html
 Grantha - manuscript
• Sarga 131 of the Yuddha Kanda of the Valmiki
Ramayana

http://www.vidyavrikshah.org/manuscripts/mssa.html
 Grantha - manuscript
• 19th c. palm leaf manuscript, Kaumara
vyakaranam

http://www.tnarch.gov.in/epi/ins3.htm
 Cursive scripts
• In addition to the formal Tamil script, the Vatteluttu (rounded writing)
script developed alongside as a cursive for writing Tamil and Malayalam.
• There are two more scripts from this period, Kolezhuthu (straight writing)
and Malayanma.
Vattezhuttu Malayanma Kolezhuttu

tp://chintha.com/keralam/malayalam/vattezhuthu-kolezhuthu-malayanma.html
 Vattezhuthu inscriptions
Rajaraja Chola I, Brihadisvara 849 AD copper-plate grant issued by the King of
Venadu to the Syrian Christians
temple wall, Thanjavur.

http://www.tnarch.gov.in/epi/ins3.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tharisapalli_plates
 Derivatives of Grantha
• A Western form of Grantha developed into the Tigalari script,
from which both modern Malayalam and Tulu scripts are
derived.
• Modern Malayalam owes its current form to Benjamin
Bailey's CMS Press (1821). The advent of the press and the
choice of a Tigalari-derived font led to the decline of other
scripts used to write Malayalam, especially Grantha.
 Tigalari/Tulu
script
• Abandoned after 1841,
with the advent of Samuel
Hebich's Basel Mission
Press. Hebich used a
version of the Kannada
script for Kannada, Tulu
and Kodava Takk
documents.
• Now being revived by the
Tulu Sahitya Academy.

ttp://shivallibrahmins.com/tulu-language/tulu-language-and-script/
 Another version

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigalari_alphabet
 Palm leaf manuscript
• Vidyamadhaviyam-Jyotisha Shastram

tp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Tigalari-manuscript-Vidyamadhaviyam.jp
 Decline of Grantha
• The advent of printing to India led to a gradual decline of
Grantha, due to a two-pronged attack.
• The first Tamil press set up in 1712 at Tranquebar
(Tarangambadi) churned out tonnes of printed material in
Tamil, especially Christian evangelical literature. To counter
this, the native Tamil elite set up their own presses to mass
produce Hindu religious literature (starting with Kalvi
Vilakkam in 1834). This led to widespread literacy in Tamil,
including among Tamil Brahmins, custodians of Grantha.
• The Devanagari script became prevalent for the mass printing
of Sanskrit books, with publishers such as Gita Press of
Gorakhpur.
 Printing Press in South India
• As an aside, Hebich's standardisation also led to the evolution
of the modern Kannada script from the Halegannada script.
• The modern Telugu script was standardised from an eastern
version of Halegannada by Vavilla Sastrulu's Adi Saraswathi
Nilayam (1854).
 Homework:
transcribe the given page into Devanagari.