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THE ALPHABET
(4) Early Western Deccan or Andhra Script
Amongst the powers mentioned as under the empire of Asoka, were the Andhras (or Telugus, as they are now called), then apparently living along the east coast around their capital at Dhanakataka, south of the Kalingas, The dynasty of the Satavahanas were not Andhras originally: they did not settle in Telingana until late. They became, however, powerful in the deltas of the Godavari and Kistna rivers, and became a South Indian, Dravidian, dynasty. After Asoka's death, the Andhras asserted complete independence and gradually expanded north-westwards, occupying all the Deccan from sea to sea. This must have been about the middle of the second century R.C. From their secondary capital, Patitthana (Pratishthana, Paithan), in the north-west of their kingdom, they often waged war on the Aryan kingdoms in Avanti and Gujarat. Later, they extended their power northwards, and in 27 B.C. they overthrew the Brahman Kanvas and occupied Magadha.
It is evident that the Andhras, centred then in the western Deccan, had already attained a civilization comparable with that of the Aryan settlements. By A.D. 200, they spread across India to Nasik and gradually pushed their way northwards. About A.D. 236, after an existence of over four and a half centuries, the Andhra dynasty came to an end, almost at the same time as the dynasty of the Kushanias in the north. These two events occurred during one of the most obscure periods of Indian history.
The "early western Deccan" or "Andhra script" was employed from the first half of the second century B.C., till the first century A.D. Its most important document is a large inscription of the Andhra queen Naganika in the Nanaghat cave (Nanaghat Pass, Poona district, Bombay), which cannot be later than 150 B.C. Other important inscriptions written in this script were discovered in the caves of Nasik, Pitalkhora and Ajanta. (5) Late Maurya Type
It is an unfortunate coincidence that in Indian history in the five odd centuries following Asoka's death, the main parts into which the Indian sub-continent can be divided are shrouded in mist. From time to time, a name of a ruler, or of a kingdom illumines the darkness.
It seems that Asoka's pacifist policy produced political disintegration and foreign domination of the northern and north-western provinces. However, Asoka is known to have been followed by four successors; the last of the Imperial Mauryas, Brihadratha, was assassinated by his general Pushyamitra, about 184 B.C.
Few inscriptions are extant of this period; consequently the development of writing cannot be followed with accuracy.
The type of writing in this period, the end of the third century B.C. and early second century, is termed by Buchler Late Maurya. This script was used both in the north-east (Bihar) and in the north-west. GræcoIndian coins show that the use of the "late Maurya" character continued till the middle of the second century B.C. (6) Sunga Type
Pushyamitra, apparently a Brahman, was the founder of the Sunga dynasty, which lasted till about 72 B.C., and was overthrown by the Brahman Kanva.
