Earliest Native Konkani Script.

🌴Earliest Konkani Script. 🌴

🌴The earliest inscription in the Konkani language is of the Gupta period and is found at Arvalem in Goa. The inscription reads: “Sachipuracha Sirassi” (on the top of Sachipura). Only this sentence of the whole inscription is legible. It is ascribed to the 2nd century A.D. A photostat copy of it was published in the Canara Industrial and Banking Syndicate Bank’s Silver Jubilee Souvenir of the Sirsi Branch, 1959.

🌴One other inscription has been found, which goes back to the 12th century. The entire inscription is not in Konkani, but only one or two sentences are in that language, the rest being in Marathi. It is an inscription of the Silahara King Aparaditya of the year 1166 A.D, and it has the following Konkani’s sentence “atha tujo konu-hurie shasonlapi techya vedyanatha-devachi bhal sakutumid apader”. This is a north Konkan inscription at Nageshi dated Saka 1334 (1413 A.D.) is not completely in Marathi language. It is an inscription of Virapratapa Deva Raya I of Vijaynagar under whom Nanjanna Gosavi was Governor in Goa

🌴 8 AD. Konkani evolves as a separate language/ dialect from Sauraseni Prakrit and below script was used to write Konkani

🌴13-14 AD. Use of Old Kannada/ Hale Kannada script due to Kadamba and Nagara rule (refer to History of Goa through Gõykanadi, available in central library Goa).

🌴16 AD. Foreign  missionaries use this language to preach their religion. Wrongly call it lingua canarim due to its Kanarese/ Kannada script.

A few Saraswats join Peshwa/ Marathi administration as clerks, accountants.

🌴17 AD. Jesuits wanted to print religious books in Nagri script since they did in Marathi (Deshasta dialect) for Marathi Christians. Since no fonts available then, they do it in Roman alphabets.

This time old Kannada was still used for Ganvkari minutes and Nagari-Marathi for Sant Sahitya/ religious purpose. Krishanshama wrote poetries in Marathi (Braga Portugal library).

🌴18-19AD. Total ban on indigenous languages in Goa.

🌴1890s Eduardo Bruno published first Konkani novel, Roman script.

🌴1920s Shenoy Goembab published series of books in Roman scirpt, later in Nagari

🌴1930s Kanara Catholics produce literature in Kannada script. (Romi was also used in Patroado churches).

 

🌴1939 Konkani Parishad at Karwar: Nagari was proposed as the sole Script to teach in schools.

🌴1940  Udupi Konkani Parishad rejected Nagari as sole Script since more Konkani speakers in the new Karnataka state.

🌴1975. - Sahitya Academy gives awards only to Nagari Konkani despite major literature in other scripts.

🌴1987 OLA, Goa gives official status to Konkani in Nagari.

🌴1992 Constitutional status for Konkani.

🌴*Use of Nastaliq and Malayalam script was always restricted to Muslims and Kochi Konkanis.