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| Pallava script | |
|---|---|
 'Pallava' in Pallava script | |
| Script type | |
Time period | 4th century CE to Present[1] |
| Direction | Left-to-right  |
| Languages | Telugu,Kannada,Konkani,Marathi,Tamil,Old Khmer,Old Malay,Burmese,Thai,Sinhala,Lao,Mon,Balinese, etc. |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
Child systems | Mon-Burmese,Khmer,Cham,Kawi |
Sister systems | Vattezhuthu,Kolezhuthu |
| This article containsphonetic transcriptions in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. For the distinction between[ ],/ / and ⟨ ⟩, seeIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. | |
| Brahmic scripts |
|---|
| TheBrahmi script and its descendants |
ThePallava script, orPallava Grantha, is a style ofGrantha script named after thePallava dynasty ofSouthern India (Tamilakam) and is attested to since the 4th century CE. In India, the Pallava script evolved fromTamil-Brahmi.[2] TheGrantha script originated from the Pallava script.[3] Pallava alsospread to Southeast Asia and evolved into scripts such asBalinese,[4]Baybayin,[5]Javanese,[6]Kawi,[7]Khmer,[8]Lanna,[9]Lao,[10]Mon–Burmese,[11]New Tai Lue,[12]Sundanese,[13] andThai.[14] This script is the sister of theVatteluttu script which was used to write Tamil and Malayalam in the past.[15]
Epigrapher Arlo Griffiths argues that the name of the script is misleading as not all of the relevant scripts referred to have a connection with the Pallava dynasty. He instead advocates that these scripts be calledLate Southern Brāhmī scripts.[1]
During the rule of thePallavas, the script accompanied priests, monks, scholars, and traders intoSoutheast Asia. Pallavas developed the Pallava script based onTamil-Brahmi. The main characteristics of the newer script are aesthetically matched and fuller consonant glyphs, similarly visible in the writing systems of Chalukya,[16] Kadamba, and Vengi at the time of Ikshvakus. Brahmi's design was slightly different from the scripts of Cholas, Pandyas, and Cheras. Pallava script was the first significant development of Brahmi in India, combining rounded and rectangular strokes and adding typographical effects, and was suitable for civic and religious inscriptions.Kadamba-Pallava script[17] evolved into early forms ofKannada and Telugu scripts. Glyphs become more rounded and incorporate loops because of writing upon leaves and paper.[17]
The script is not yet a part ofUnicode but proposals have been made to include it. In 2018, Anshuman Pandey made a proposal.[18]
The form shown here is based on examples from the 7th century CE. Letters labeled * have uncertain sound value, as they have little occurrence in Southeast Asia.
Each consonant has an inherent /a/, which will be sounded if no vowel sign is attached. If two consonants follow one another without intervening vowel, the second consonant is made into a subscript form, and attached below the first.
| ka | kha | ga | gha | nga |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |
| ca | cha | ja | jha* | nya |
 |  |  |  |  |
| ṭa | ṭha* | ḍa | ḍha* | ṇa |
 |  |  |  |  |
| ta | tha | da | dha | na |
 |  |  |  |  |
| pa | pha | ba | bha | ma |
 |  |  |  |  |
| ya | ra | la | va | |
 |  |  |  | |
| śa | ṣa | sa | ha | |
 |  |  |  |
| a | ā | i | ī | u | e | o | ai* | au* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
_(cropped).jpg)
A proposal to encode the script inUnicode was submitted in 2018.[18]
Media related toPallava script at Wikimedia Commons
