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**9mm_fan** · 04-07-2006, 10:16 PM

Thank you Aravindhan, for the explanation.

To give some background for the others, the main difference between Tamil Brahmi and Asokan Brahmi is that whereas in Asokan Brahmi a consonant sign has an inherent "a" sound, in Tamil Brahmi it does not, and a matra must be added to produce an "a". If you look at the last two symbols in the photograph in the Hindu's article, you'll see they're read as "ka" and "l". The little bar on top of the cross adds the "a" to the "k". The "l", lacking the bar, is a pure consonant. In Asokan Brahmi, these symbols would have represented "kaala" rather than "kal".

Infact, Iravatham Mahadevan talks about the tamil version of the Mauryan Brahmi script in his commentary on the Mangulam cave inscriptions.

An intriguing feature of the report in "The Hindu" is the inscription on the third stone that says the dead man belonged to 'Velur'. I am not sure about 'Kudallur' and 'Pedu' mentioned in the report, but is it the same 'Velur' we have now? Does it mean the name 'Velur' as we know now has remained unchanged over the past 2300 years?

04-07-2006, 10:16 PM	#16
9mm_fan Join Date May 2007 Age 54 Posts 5,191 Senior Member	Thank you Aravindhan, for the explanation. To give some background for the others, the main difference between Tamil Brahmi and Asokan Brahmi is that whereas in Asokan Brahmi a consonant sign has an inherent "a" sound, in Tamil Brahmi it does not, and a matra must be added to produce an "a". If you look at the last two symbols in the photograph in the Hindu's article, you'll see they're read as "ka" and "l". The little bar on top of the cross adds the "a" to the "k". The "l", lacking the bar, is a pure consonant. In Asokan Brahmi, these symbols would have represented "kaala" rather than "kal". Infact, Iravatham Mahadevan talks about the tamil version of the Mauryan Brahmi script in his commentary on the Mangulam cave inscriptions. An intriguing feature of the report in "The Hindu" is the inscription on the third stone that says the dead man belonged to 'Velur'. I am not sure about 'Kudallur' and 'Pedu' mentioned in the report, but is it the same 'Velur' we have now? Does it mean the name 'Velur' as we know now has remained unchanged over the past 2300 years?
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