Brahmis

Brahmis is not a standard term with a single, fixed meaning in English. In many cases it is a misspelling or variant of Brahmins, the priestly varna in Hindu society. In other contexts, it may appear in discussions of Brahmi, the ancient writing system of the Indian subcontinent, though the conventional phrasing is Brahmi for the script and Brahmi inscriptions for its use, not a plural form like Brahmis.

If the reference is to Brahmins, they are members of the Brahmin varna, traditionally associated with learning, teaching, and performing religious rites. Across regions, Brahmins have formed numerous communities with distinct customs, languages, and priestly specialties. In modern India and the diaspora, Brahmins pursue a wide range of occupations beyond ritual roles, and caste considerations interact with social and political dynamics in various ways.

If the reference is to the Brahmi script, Brahmi is an ancient writing system used in the Indian subcontinent from at least the 3rd century BCE and likely earlier in some forms. Brahmi gave rise to most of the later scripts in South Asia, including Devanagari, Bengali-Assamese, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil scripts. Brahmi inscriptions are important sources for early South Asian history and languages, such as Prakrit and Sanskrit.

Scholars distinguish several varieties of Brahmi, such as Ashokan Brahmi, and study its decipherment, evolution, and diffusion. The term should not be confused with Brahmin as a social category, since they refer to different concepts. When encountered, the intended sense of Brahmis typically requires clarification.