Prelims 1997 · archive
EasyWhich one of the following scripts of ancient India was written from right to left?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Kharosthi
Kharosthi, used in Ashoka's north-western inscriptions, was written from right to left. Brahmi, Nandinagari and Sharada run left to right.
- ✓ (d) Kharosthi, derived from Aramaic, runs right to left.
- ✗ (a) Brahmi, the main Ashokan script, runs left to right.
Remember · Kharosthi = right to left (north-west); Brahmi = left to right.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- Shahbazgarhi Rock Edicts, UNESCO Tentative List ↗ “Dating to middle of the third century BC, they are written from right to left in the Kharosthi script.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 2 “Most Prakrit inscriptions were written in the Brahmi script; however, some, in the northwest, were written in Kharosthi.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 1997, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 1997: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·