Quick Facts Type Syllabic Alphabetic Genealogy Brahmi Location South Asia Time 4th century CE to 8th century CE Direction Left to Right

The Gupta script is derived from the Brahmi and belongs to the Northern Indian group of scripts. Its appearance roughly coincided with the rise of the Gupta dynasty in early 4th century CE. The Gupta script outlasted its namesake political entity (which fell in the 6th century CE after the invasion of the Huns) and continued to evolve over the next few centuries until by the 8th century several different variants, such as Nagari and Sarada, appeared in Northern India. These descendent scripts will continue to evolve into the modern scripts of Northern India.

The following is the basic Gupta script.

For what the special phonetic symbols mean, please visit the Devanagari page for explanation.

Related Links

• Languages and Scripts of India.