Lipichandrika Asokan Brahmi: A Learner's Practice Book

This book titled ‘Lipichandrika Asokan Brahmi - A Learner’s Practise Book’, is intended to the public in general and students in particular interested in learning the alphabets used during the reign of the Mauryan king Asoka, who ruled nearly 2300 years before current era. The script used by Asoka came to be known as Asokan Brahmi and is the mother of majority of scripts currently used in India. I utilized various published inscriptions of Asoka to collect different forms of vowels and consonants that prevailed during his time and prepared worksheet for the convenience of the learners to practise and know the style of writing in each and every alphabet and its variants. The present work is divided into five chapters. The first chapter briefs about origin of writing in India. The second chapter lists all the inscriptions of Asoka, in each category and a chart showing all the vowels and consonants of Asokan Brahmi script. Chapter 3 contains worksheets, in which the students can practise each and every letter of Asokan Brahmi. Chapter 4 gives list of selective words taken from Asokan inscriptions for transliteration from Brahmi to modern script. In Chapter 5 the students are encouraged to transliterate the words taken from Asokan inscriptions from Roman and Devanagari characters to Brahmi script. At the end of respective chapters 4 and 5 keys to transliterations are given. This is followed by a glossary. A list of books and journals is given at the end, which can be used by the interested students for further enhancement of their knowledge in the field of epigraphy in general and Asokan studies in particular.