Telugu alphabet   

The origins of the Telugu alphabet can be traced by to the
Brahmi alphabet of ancient India, which
developed into an alphabet used for both Telugu and Kannada, which
in turn split into two separate alphabets between the 12th and 15th
centuries AD.

The earliest known inscriptions containing Telugu words appear on
coins that date back to 400 BC. The first inscription entirely in
Telugu was made in 575 AD and was probably made by Renati Cholas, who
started writing royal proclamations in Telugu instead of Sanskrit.
Telugu developed as a poetical and literary language during the
11th century.

Until the 20th century Telugu was written in an archaic style very
different from the everyday spoken language. During the the second half
of the 20th century, a new written standard emerged based on the modern
spoken language. In 2008 Telugu was designated as a classical language
by the Indian government.

Notable features

• Type of writing system: syllabic alphabet in which all consonants
  have an inherent vowel. Diacritics, which can appear above, below, before
  or after the consonant they belong to, are used to change the inherent vowel.
• When they appear the the beginning of a syllable, vowels are written
  as independent letters.
• When certain consonants occur together, special conjunct symbols
  are used which combine the essential parts of each letter.
• Direction of writing: left to right in horizontal lines

Used to write:

Telugu, a Dravidian language spoken by about 75 million
people mainly in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is
the official language. It is also spoken in such neighbouring states as
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Maharashtra and Chattisgarh, and is one
of the 22 scheduled languages of India.

There are also quite a few Telugu speakers in Canada, the USA, Malaysia,
Mauritius, Myanmar and Réunion.

Source: http://www.ethnologue.com

Telugu alphabet

Vowels

Consonants

Conjunct consonants

Other symbols

Numerals

Sample text in Telugu

Transliteration

Pratipattisvatvamul visyamun mānavulellarunu
janmataḥ svataṁtrulunu samānulunu naguduru. Vāru
vivēdanāṁtaḥkaraṇ saṁpannulaguṭačē
parasparamu bʰrātṛbʰāvamutō vartiṁpavalayunu.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with
reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)