What is the history of Hindi alphabet?

The Hindi alphabet, known as Devanagari, is believed to have evolved from the ancient Brahmi script in the 11th century. It has 46 primary characters and is used to write various languages including Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, and Nepali among others. Devanagari script gained prominence during the Mughal era and was standardized by the Government of India in the 19th century.