Languages and Scripts Used in Ancient India

The Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished around 2500-1900 BCE, is believed to have used a Dravidian language, as evidenced by inscriptions found at various sites.

Sanskrit was the primary language of the Vedic period, which lasted from around 1500 to 500 BCE. It was used in religious texts, such as the Vedas and Upanishads, as well as in philosophical and scientific works.

The Brahmi script was primarily used to write Sanskrit during the Vedic period. It is considered the ancestor of many modern Indian scripts, including Devanagari, Bengali, and Telugu.

Prakrit was the primary language of the Mauryan Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from around 322 to 185 BCE. It was a spoken language that was used in everyday communication and administration.

The Brahmi script was primarily used to write Prakrit during the Mauryan Empire. It was also used to write Sanskrit, but Prakrit was the more common language of the time.

Sanskrit was the primary language of the Gupta Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from around 320 to 550 CE. It was used in literature, art, and administration.

The Gupta script was primarily used to write Sanskrit during the Gupta Empire. It was a variant of the Brahmi script that was developed during the Gupta period.

Tamil was the primary language of the Chola Empire, which ruled over much of southern India from around the 9th to the 13th century CE. It is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and has a rich literary tradition.

The Grantha script was primarily used to write Tamil during the Chola Empire. It is a derivative of the Brahmi script and was developed specifically for writing Tamil.

Persian was the primary language of the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from around 1526 to 1858 CE. It was used in administration, literature, and diplomacy.

The Naskh script was primarily used to write Persian during the Mughal Empire. It is a cursive script that is still used today to write Persian and other languages.

Marathi was the primary language of the Maratha Empire, which ruled over much of central and western India from around 1674 to 1818 CE. It is an Indo-Aryan language that is still spoken by millions of people in India today.

The Modi script was primarily used to write Marathi during the Maratha Empire. It is a cursive script that was developed from the Devanagari script.

Punjabi was the primary language of the Sikh Empire, which ruled over much of the Punjab region in northern India from around 1799 to 1849 CE. It is an Indo-Aryan language that is still spoken by millions of people in India and Pakistan today.

The Gurmukhi script was primarily used to write Punjabi during the Sikh Empire. It is a script that was developed specifically for writing Punjabi and is still used today.