Decoding South & Southeast Asian legacies
Explore the evolution of writing systems that blossomed from the ancient Brahmi script. Navigate interactive timelines, cartographic atlases, digitized inscriptions, and scholarly pathways crafted for linguists, historians, and typography enthusiasts.
Filter the 2500-year journey of Brahmic scripts by cultural sphere. Hover for contextual essays, source references, and manuscript spotlights.
The first empire-wide deployment of Brahmi inscriptions under Emperor Ashoka across the Mauryan polity. Features bilingual Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic exemplars with early regional divergence markers.
Maritime routes carry Pallava scripts to the Mekong Delta and Java, catalyzing the genesis of Old Khmer and Kawi. Manuscript culture coalesces in Hindu-Buddhist temple networks.
Songtsen Gampo commissions a script reform blending Gupta Brahmi with indigenous phonology. The Uchen and Umê calligraphic registers emerge, harmonizing liturgical and administrative needs.
The liturgical grantha script matures alongside Sinhala manuscripts, with copper-plate charters documenting administrative frameworks and mercantile guilds extending to Southeast Asia.
Each module dives deeper into distinct thematic angles. Select a module to unlock detailed cartography, glyph analyses, and curated research pathways.
Interactive tree tracing descendent families from Brahmi to modern South and Southeast Asian scripts with phonetic overlays.
Layered vector maps illustrating script diffusion corridors, trade winds, and pilgrimage circuits across centuries.
Explore meticulously photographed inscriptions with transliteration, translation, and contextual commentary layers.
Overlay glyph morphologies, annotate stroke evolution, and export comparative glyph sheets for teaching.
Cross-reference palaeographic terminology in English, Sanskrit, Pali, Khmer, Burmese, and Tibetan.
Track open datasets, peer collaborations, and call-for-paper deadlines aligned with Brahmic script studies.
Navigate the diffusion network of Brahmic scripts through coastal trade, overland caravans, and monastic circuits. Each route pairs with annotated script samples and traveler chronicles.
Routes from the Coromandel Coast to Srivijaya transmit Pallava scripts, birthing Old Javanese cursive forms.
Pilgrimage circuits through Nalanda, Bodh Gaya, and Lhasa forge scholastic exchange, preserving manuscript canons.
Himalayan passes channel Gupta-derived scripts into Tibet and Bhutan, shaping administrative archives amid rugged terrains.
Riverine ports of the Irrawaddy and Mekong become crucibles where Khmer, Mon, and Burmese scripts synthesize Indic influences.
Dynamic layers overlay trade intensity, cultural exchange, and script attenuation across periods. Tap markers on mobile to preview script samples.
Curated digital repositories spanning manuscripts, linguistic corpora, and field recordings. Download datasets or request access to collaborative annotations.
Citation
Cite the Brahmic Scripts Atlas as: Luminous Glyphs Initiative (2025). Brahmic Scripts Atlas, Version 1.0.