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Development of Nāgarī Script
A circle with a dot in its middle is the form of the letter tha from the Mauryan times upto the Kushānas. Gupta inscriptions exhibit faster evolucion in which, progressively, the circle became slightly elliptical with a central dividing line in the place of the dot. The letter undergoes further progress in the Maukhari period (Table F) in which right limb becomes straight and left is formed in a bulging fashion.
The Mauryan da is a semi-circle, opening to the left, with its ends prolonged vertically to the top and bottom. The pre-Kushāna period is a transitional one from the viewpoint of the development, best understood by the forms of the letter shown in Fig. 3. In post-Gupta period its curve becomes a sort of double-curve (Fig. 1, Tables E & F).
The Mauryan dha is represented as a semi-circle with its vertical to the left or sometimes to the right also. But after Asoka the latter variety gained more currency. In post-Gupta period the lower limb becomes angular.
The letter na of the Mauryan Brāhmi is formed by a vertical line with a slightly shorter horizontal line at the bottom. In pre-Kushāna, vertical line is reduced with a clear head-mark. This letter undergoes a revolutionary development in Kushāna period (Fig. 3). First it bends its base to various degrees and finally develops into a looped form in Kaušāmbi region. In the eastern script of the Gupta period looped form of the letter is more common. In the post-Gupta period, vertical starts with triangular top, slightly inclined to the right and a loop forming to the left bends downwards.
Labials
A fish-hook drawn to the right is a shape of the Mauryan letter pa. In pre-Kushāņa period verticals are equalized in which usually the left and optionally both verticals are marked with triangular top; and the base is curved with angularized bends. From the time of the Kushānas only the left limb bears a head-mark; and in the post-Gupta scripts base of the letter is slightly slanted.
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