​Script reading: On deciphering the script of the Indus Valley Civilisation
2 months, 1 week ago

​Script reading: On deciphering the script of the Indus Valley Civilisation

The Hindu  

The recent announcement by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, of a $1-million prize scheme for deciphering the script of the Indus Valley Civilisation, seems to have revived popular interest in the subject, which remains a puzzle to archaeologists, historians and linguists. Spread across 1.5 million square kilometres in the territories of modern-day India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan during the Bronze Age, the IVC, also known as Harappan Civilisation, was regarded as complex as the better-known civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and China. The State government has also supported a study on Indus signs and graffiti marks of Tamil Nadu as part of a project of the documentation and the digitisation of graffiti and Tamili -inscribed potsherds of Tamil Nadu. There is also scope for well-coordinated work among South Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, to unravel the mystery.

India Tamil Nadu Tamil State Indus Script Reading Ivc Valley Civilisation  ivc  script  reading  tamil  writing  context  valley  civilisation  urban  india  nadu  indus  deciphering  state

History of this topic

An Ancient Riddle & A Million-Dollar Prize: Inside The Enigma That Is The Indus Valley Script
3 weeks, 1 day ago

An Ancient Riddle & A Million-Dollar Prize: Inside The Enigma That Is The Indus Valley Script

ABP News  

A few weeks ago, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin kicked up buzz around a tantalising riddle from the subcontinent’s history, as he announced a $1 million prize for anyone who deciphers the Indus Valley script. “Among the world’s three earliest civilizations — the other two are those of Mesopotamia and Egypt — the Indus civilization was the most extensive,” …

Tamil Nadu CM’s $1 Million Prize: Deciphering the Indus Script to Unravel Harappan Mysteries
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Tamil Nadu CM’s $1 Million Prize: Deciphering the Indus Script to Unravel Harappan Mysteries

The Hindu  

Published : Mar 04, 2025 16:11 IST - 11 MINS READ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. In her recent book on India’s linguistic prehistory, Father Tongue, Mother Land, Peggy Mohan mentions the decoding of two Indus script signs by one of the writers of this piece, Bahata Ansumali Mukhopadhyay. The fish sign of the Indus script is possibly related to …

Indus Valley script: The $1 million prize to decipher the unsolved code thousands of years old
1 month ago

Indus Valley script: The $1 million prize to decipher the unsolved code thousands of years old

CNN  

CNN — A fish under a roof. Though the script has remained unsolved since its earliest samples were published in 1875, we do know a little about Indus Valley culture itself – thanks to archaeological excavations of major cities like Mohenjo-daro, located in what is now Pakistan’s Sindh province, about 510 kilometers northeast of Karachi. And we don’t have clues …

Why is deciphering the Indus script important? | Explained
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Why is deciphering the Indus script important? | Explained

The Hindu  

The story so far: On January 5, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Other scripts encountered in the contemporary Mesapotomian and Egyptian civilisations had been deciphered in a more satisfying manner, But, the non-decipherment of the Indus script prevents scholars from providing a complete picture of Harappan culture, which is why scholars tend to call it a “mystery script.” What is …

Why Tamil Nadu CM Stalin pledged USD 1 million for decoding Indus script
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Why Tamil Nadu CM Stalin pledged USD 1 million for decoding Indus script

India Today  

The enigmatic script of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, which has remained undeciphered since its discovery in the early 1920s by archaeologists led by Sir John Marshall, now carries a USD 1 million reward for anyone who decodes it. The substantial cash reward comes from Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, thousands of kilometres away from the geographical region of the …

Clear proof of continuities exists between Indus and cultures that developed later: Jamison
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Clear proof of continuities exists between Indus and cultures that developed later: Jamison

The Hindu  

Clear evidence of continuities can be seen between the Indus and cultures that developed later, not only in Tamil Nadu but across south Asia. Mr. Jamison is in Chennai to participate in the three-day International Conference on the centenary of the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilisation, organised by the State Department of Archaeology and Roja Muthiah Research Library. Emphasising …

Stalin offers $1 million to decipher Indus valley script
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Stalin offers $1 million to decipher Indus valley script

Deccan Chronicle  

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Speaking at the centenary celebration of the Indus Valley discovery by British archaeologist Sir John Marshall, Stalin highlighted numerous similarities between the archaeological findings in Tamil Nadu and the Indus Valley. Stalin referenced the scientific evaluation of archaeological sites in Sivakalai, Adichanallur, Mayiladumparai, Mangadu, Thelunganur, and Keezhadi, establishing that ancient Tamil civilisation was contemporaneous …

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin offers $1 million prize for deciphering Indus Valley script
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin offers $1 million prize for deciphering Indus Valley script

Hindustan Times  

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin announced a $1 million prize for deciphering the Indus valley script, which he said remains an unsolved riddle for over a century. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin Stalin said the Indus Valley Civilisation's discovery announcement by Sir John Marshall in 1924 was a turning point in the …

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin announces $1 million prize for deciphering Indus Valley script
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin announces $1 million prize for deciphering Indus Valley script

The Hindu  

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday announced a $1 million prize for experts or organisations that succeed in deciphering the scripts of the Indus Valley Civilisation for everyone to understand. To encourage the research, the government will offer one million dollars,” he said, participating in the centenary of the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilisation by Sir John …

Tamil Nadu: Can you decode the Indus valley script? Stalin announces USD 1 million prize for solving mystery
Trending News
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Tamil Nadu: Can you decode the Indus valley script? Stalin announces USD 1 million prize for solving mystery

India TV News  

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday threw an ancient unsolved riddle towards the people, sparking amusement around the Indus valley script once again. The Indus valley script remains a mystery for over a century, CM Stalin said and announced a prize of US dollar 1 million to those who can decipher it. Inaugurating a three-day international conference …

Decode Indus Valley script, win USD 1 million prize: MK Stalin's challenge
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Decode Indus Valley script, win USD 1 million prize: MK Stalin's challenge

India Today  

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday announced a USD 1 million cash prize for anyone who can successfully decipher the scripts of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Inaugurating the centenary celebration of the Indus Valley Civilisation conference in Chennai, MK Stalin said, "We are still unable to clearly understand the script of the Indus Valley Civilisation that once flourished. …

What Did the Indus Valley Civilisation Have in Common with Tamils?
4 years ago

What Did the Indus Valley Civilisation Have in Common with Tamils?

News 18  

The Indus Valley civilisation was a Bronze age civilisation that existed in north-west India and eastern Pakistan between 5,000 BCE and 1,500 BCE. Excavations and made from sites in Tamil Nadu over the past two years studies of the Indus Valley script and the Tamil-Brahmi script – the precursor of contemporary Tamil – suggest that there may have there might …

Parpola and the Indus script
14 years, 9 months ago

Parpola and the Indus script

The Hindu  

In the recent >interview with Asko Parpola published in The Hindu, readers were made aware of the lasting contributions by Professor Parpola to Indological studies, especially in the field of the Indus Civilisation and its script. Even though the Indus script remains undeciphered, as Professor Parpola readily admits, his theoretical groundwork on the Dravidian character of the Indus Civilisation and …

Deciphering the Indus script: challenges and some headway
14 years, 11 months ago

Deciphering the Indus script: challenges and some headway

The Hindu  

Dr. Asko Parpola, the Indologist from Finland, is Professor Emeritus of Indology, Institute of World Cultures, University of Helsinki, and one of the leading authorities on the Indus Civilisation and its script. The award announcement said Professor Parpola was chosen for his work on the Dravidian hypothesis in interpreting the Indus script because the Dravidian, as described by him, was …

Tracking a script
15 years, 4 months ago

Tracking a script

The Hindu  

Last week I referred to two scholars I had met the previous week. An archaeologist, epigrapher and geographer, he is in Madras consulting with local experts as he puts the finishing touches to a book he has titled Epigraphical Approaches to Indus Writing, which is due to be published next year. One comment of Dr. Wells that I much appreciated …

Discover Related