Brahmi Letter Gha

𑀖 is the Brahmi consonant conventionally transliterated gha.

Gha is a voiced g sound released with extra breath. In Brahmi, an unmarked consonant carries the script's default a vowel; a dependent vowel sign changes it, and virama removes it or can join consonants into a conjunct (a combined consonant form).

At Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, inscribed Brahmi sherds are dated to the early 4th century BCE. Ashoka's edicts from the 3rd century BCE form an early complete corpus; these public proclamations carried moral and administrative guidance. Brahmi also appears on buildings, graves, objects, and liturgical texts.

Why can the reading vary in old Brahmi texts?

The spelling convention in the text determines the vowel.

The usual Brahmi pattern supplies an inherent vowel after an unmarked consonant. Old Tamil Brahmi could leave that consonant bare, so the reading of 𑀖 depends on the convention used in that text.

Brahmi developed northern and southern regional forms and influenced writing systems across Southeast Asia. Its historical relationship with Kharosthi, another ancient South Asian script, is recognized, but the route between them is disputed.