Use of Devanagari for Sanskrit

[Ashok Aklujkar]

Assuming that by "India proper" Eric Muller means present-day India or
pre-partition 'colonial' India, not just North India (which was frequently
spoken of as "Hindustan" at least until the 17th-century), I would support
Prof. George Hart's correction of Eric Muller's statement.

I suspect that Devanagari gradually became "Sanskrit script" for South India
in the late 19th and the early 20th century mainly because relatively
inexpensive editions of Skt texts were produced in Devanagari by presses
such as the Nirnayasagar Press, the Venkateshwar Press, and the
Sarasvati-yantra or Saraswati Press (of Jibananda Vidyasagara). The
Vani-vilasa Press in South India might also have played a significant role
in this process. Printed editions, that were less expensive to procure in
terms of time and were also easier to refer to could have first weaned
scholars and students away from manuscripts written in local scripts and
later even from editions printed in South Indian scripts. Having a generally
uniform colleage and university system in which examiners from all parts of
the country could participate may also have encouraged a move toward using
Devanagari for Skt exclusively or nearly exclusively.

ashok aklujkar