With the rise of regional languages taking the place of Sanskrit and Prakrit, regional scripts grew in number. From the sixth century to the ninth, Siddhamatrika had a very wide use from Kashmir to Varanasi. Some scholars think that these two scripts existed simultaneously. From Kutil evolved the Siddhamatrika which had the widest use in northern India. This stage of Indian script was called Kutil, meaning curved.

Immediately later, it developed, especially in northern India, fine curves and embellished flourishes with a small headline over each letter, and became rather ornamental. With the growth of literary and cultural activity during the Gupta period (4th and 5th century AD), the Brahmi script improved further and became more expansive and common. Hence, in due course, it replaced Kharosthi and became the single script with composite features effected by various local and neighbourly influences. There are coins of the Bactrian kings and inscriptions of the Kushan rulers having both Persian and Kharosthi scripts on them.īrahmi was, of course, more popular on account of its simple curves alternated with straight strokes. But even then Brahmi, which in its development in the Punjab had undergone several changes, was commonly used along with Kharosthi. their script helped in the growth of the Kharosthi script that was used in Gandhar and Sindhi and largely in the Punjab between 300 BC and 3rd century AD. Persians ruled in the Punjab in the 3rd and 4th centuries BC. It does not concern us here whether the script was foreign or local, but it has now been established, on the basis of internal evidence,(what internal evidence?) that no matter its name, the Aryans did have a system of writing which must have been borrowed freely from local scripts. According to an opinion, (?) the Brahmi script was introduced between the 8th and the 6th centuries BC. Brahmi is an Aryan script which was developed by the Aryans and adapted to local needs.

It is commonly accepted that Gurmukhi is a member of the Brahmi family.

The letters no doubt existed before the time of Guru Angad Dev (even of Guru Nanak) as they had their origin in the Brahmi, but the origin of the script is attributed to Guru Angad Dev. The word Gurmukhi seems to have gained currency from the use of these letters to record the sayings coming from the mukh (literally mouth or lips) of the ( Sikh) Gurus. Gurmukhi characters are even older than Devanagari. It is an evolute from the old Brahmi script like Devanagari and other scripts of the area like Sharda, Takri, Mahajani etc. It is used in the Sikh scripture and in contemporary India. GURMUKHI is the name of the script used in writing primarily Punjabi and, secondarily, Sindhi language.

Write in gurmukhi font online