Tamil and Sanskrit!

When (normal?!) people want to learn or use a new language they learn the actual foreign language. But interestingly what has happened is that Tamil people instead of learning a new script – in this case, Sanskrit, just absorbed it within Tamil…

ஸ்ரீ என்ற கிரந்த எழுத்து வடிவம் ஶ் என்ற கிரந்த எழுத்தில் இருந்து தோன்றியது ஆகும்

The Grantha alphabet dates from the 5th century AD (Pallava Dynasty period) and was widely used in southern India by Tamil speakers to write Sanskrit.

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See my previous posts:

Brahmi, Tamil Brahmi, Vatteluttu, Pallava Script, Grantha, and Tamil Scripts

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Grantha alphabets:

Uyir and Mei ezhuthukkal

Uyir-Mei Ezhuthukkal

Uyir-Mei Ezhuthukkal -1

Can you read this now?

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Food for Thought

One of the oldest texts in Tamil is the famous Tolkappiyam, but if you think about how Tamil scripts have evolved, it is fascinating to think language with its original sounds has transcended while the scripts have changed.

If Tirukkural was indeed written 2000+ years ago, it must have been first written in Tamil Brahmi scripts, then copied/transcribed in Vatteluttu, then to Grantha (?), and as in Tamil scripts we have now. But the sounds (its grammar) and the deep meanings of those words have not changed!

Just that thought amazes us, isn’t it?!

Have a great day!