Newari scripts

File:Ranjana prayer wheels.jpg

File:Nepalese mohar 816.jpg

File:Letter in nepal script.jpg to Kathmandu.]]

File:Ghorashar letterhead 1958.jpg

File:Jing An Temple Stone Sanskrit Om.jpeg. Jing'an Temple, Shanghai, China.]]

Prior to development of Nepal Scripts, people in the Nepal Mandala used the following scripts which are shared within the South Asian region.Shakyavansha, Hemraj (1993, eighth edition). Nepalese Alphabet. Kathmandu: Mandas Lumanti Prakashan.{{cite journal |title=Roadmapping the scripts of Nepal |date=2009-09-28 |url=http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n3692.pdf |access-date=9 October 2020}}

• Brāhmī script – Ashoka period
• Purva Licchavi Script{{efn|It is also named Pro-Licchavi or Pre-Licchavi. The Purva Licchavi script is closely related to the Gupta script.{{cite web |title=Purva Licchavi – omniglot |url=https://omniglot.com/writing/purvalicchavi.htm}} The Purva Licchavi Script – see [https://omniglot.com/writing/purvalicchavi.htm Purva Licchavi].}} – prior Licchavi period
• Uttara Licchavi Script{{efn|It is also named Uttar-Licchavi, Post-Licchavi or Kuṭila (the regional variants of the Siddham script).{{cite web |last1=Rajan |first1=Vinodh |title=Commentsonnamingthe"Siddham"encoding |url=https://unicode.org/L2/L2012/12221-siddham-naming.pdf}}{{cite web |last1=Pandey |first1=Anshuman |title=Proposal to Encode the Siddham Script in ISO/IEC 10646 |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2012/12234r-n4294-siddham.pdf|quote=The encoding for Siddham is to serve as a unifying block for all regional variants of the script, such as ‘Siddhamātṛkā’ and ‘Kuṭila’. The representative glyphs are based upon Japanese forms of Siddham characters on account of active usage of the script by Japanese Buddhist communities}} The Kuṭila script – see [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kutila_script Category:Kutila script].}} – later Licchavi period (6th–11th or 12th century)

The 'Nepal Script' or 'Nepalese script'Sakya, Hemaraj (2004) Svayambhū Mahācaitya: The self-arisen great Caitya of Nepal. Svayambhu Vikash Mandal. {{ISBN|99933-864-0-5}}, {{ISBN|978-99933-864-0-7}}. Page 607. Retrieved 29 March 2012. appeared in the 10th century. The earliest instance is a manuscript entitled Lankavatara Sutra dated Nepal Era 28 (908 AD). Another early specimen is a palm-leaf manuscript of a Buddhist text the Prajnaparamita, dated Nepal Era 40 (920 AD).Shrestha, Rebati Ramanananda (2001). Newah. Lalitpur: Sahityaya Mulukha. Page 86. One of the oldest manuscript of Ramayana, preserved till date, was written in Nepal Script in 1041.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120818172407/http://serveveda.org/?p=87 Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas]}}

The script has been used on stone and copper plate inscriptions, coins (Nepalese mohar), palm-leaf documents and Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts.{{cite book |last=Bendall|first=Cecil |year=1883 |title=Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscripts in the University Library, Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge: At the University Press |url=https://archive.org/stream/catalogueofbuddh00camb#page/n301/mode/2up |access-date=21 August 2012|page=301}}{{cite web |url= http://www.asianart.com/articles/inscriptions/index.html#3 |title= Nepalese Inscriptions in the Rubin Collection |author= |access-date=30 September 2013}}

Among the famed historical texts written in Nepal Lipi are Gopalarajavamsavali, a history of Nepal, which appeared in 1389 AD,Vajracarya, Dhanavajra and Malla, Kamal P. (1985). The Gopalarajavamsavali. Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH. the Nepal-Tibet treaty of Nepal Era 895 (1775 AD) and a letter dated Nepal Era 535 (1415 AD) sent by Chinese Emperor Tai Ming to Shakti-simha-rama, a feudatory of Banepa.Tamot, Kashinath (2009). Sankhadharkrit Nepal Sambat. Nepal Mandala Research Guthi. {{ISBN|978-9937209441}}. Pages 68–69.{{cite news|newspaper=Rolamba|date=April–June 1983}}

Besides the Kathmandu Valley and the Himalayan region in Nepal, the Ranjana script is used for sacred purposes in Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh.{{cite news|title= Ranjana Alphabet |publisher= Lipi Thapu Guthi|year=1995}}

The Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet is ornamented with mantras embossed in Ranjana script, and the panels under the eaves are numbered using Nepal Lipi.Tuladhar, Kamal Ratna (second edition 2011). Caravan to Lhasa: A Merchant of Kathmandu in Traditional Tibet. Kathmandu: Lijala and Tisa. {{ISBN|99946-58-91-3}}. Page 115.

In 1906, the Rana regime banned Nepal Bhasa, Nepal Era and Nepal Lipi from official use as part of its policy to subdue them, and the script fell into decline. Authors were also encouraged to switch to Devanagari to write Nepal Bhasa because of the availability of moveable type for printing, and Nepal Lipi was pushed further into the background.Tuladhar, Prem Shanti (2000). Nepal Bhasa Sahityaya Itihas: The History of Nepalbhasa Literature. Kathmandu: Nepal Bhasa Academy. {{ISBN|99933-56-00-X}}. Page 14. However, the script continued to be used for religious and ceremonial purposes till the 1950s.

After the Rana dynasty was overthrown and democracy established in 1951,Brown, T. Louise (1996). The Challenge to Democracy in Nepal: A Political History. Routledge. {{ISBN|0-415-08576-4}}, {{ISBN|978-0-415-08576-2}}. Page 21. restrictions on Nepal Bhasa were lifted. Attempts were made to study and revive the old scripts,{{cite news|last=Sada|first=Ivan|title=Interview: Hem Raj Shakya|url=http://www.ecs.com.np/feature_detail.php?f_id=177|access-date=23 February 2012|newspaper=ECS Nepal|date=March 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126233320/http://www.ecs.com.np/feature_detail.php?f_id=177|archive-date=26 January 2012}} and alphabet books were published. Hemraj Shakyavamsha published an alphabet book of 15 types of Nepalese alphabets including Ranjana, Bhujimol and Pachumol.{{cite news|title=Nepal Lipi Sangraha|url=http://50.57.175.244:8001/xmlui/bitstream/10887/858/1/20100108.pdf|access-date=7 May 2012|newspaper=Gorkhapatra|date=20 April 1953}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Page 3.

In 1952, a pressman Pushpa Ratna Sagar of Kathmandu had moveable type of Nepal script made in India. The metal type was used to print the dateline and the titles of the articles in Thaunkanhe monthly.{{cite news|last=Tuladhar|first=Kamal Ratna|title=A man of letters|url=http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2009/03/22/expression/a-man-of-letters/185728.html|access-date=23 February 2012|newspaper=The Kathmandu Post|date=22 March 2009|archive-date=29 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929125248/http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2009/03/22/expression/a-man-of-letters/185728.html|url-status=dead}}

In 1989, the first book to be printed using a computer typeface of Nepal script, Prasiddha Bajracharyapinigu Sanchhipta Bibaran ("Profiles of Renowned Bajracharyas") by Badri Ratna Bajracharya, was published.

The scripts known to have been used by the Newar people of pre-Gorkha Nepal (i.e., Nepala Mandala) or dynasties that ruled over them in history are as follows:

• Rañjana style
• Rañjana script
• Flat-headed style
• Prachalit script
• Pāchūmol script
• Hiṁmol script
• Kuṁmol script
• Curve-headed style
• Bhujiṁmol script
• Golmol script
• Kveṁmol script
• Litumol script

Among the different scripts based on Nepal script, Ranjana (meaning "delightful"), Bhujinmol ("fly-headed") and Prachalit ("ordinary") are the most common.{{cite book |last=Lienhard |first=Siegfried |title=Songs of Nepal |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/152599001/Songs-of-Nepal-Siegfried-Lienhard |access-date=30 September 2013|year=1984 |publisher=Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, University of Hawaii, University of Hawaii Press |location=Hawaii |isbn=0-8248-0680-8 |page=2}}{{cite news|last=Shrestha|first=Bal Gopal|title=The Newars: The Indigenous Population of the Kathmandu Valley in the Modern State of Nepal)|url=http://www.thlib.org/static/reprints/contributions/CNAS_26_01_04.pdf|access-date=23 March 2012|newspaper=CNAS Journal|date=January 1999}} Page 87. Ranjana is the most ornate among the scripts. It is most commonly used to write Buddhist texts and inscribe mantras on prayer wheels, shrines, temples, and monasteries. The popular Buddhist mantra Om mani padme hum (meaning ("Hail to the jewel in the lotus" in Sanskrit) is often written in Ranjana.

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The compound letters kṣa, tra and jña are often regarded as separate letters that are taught together with the other letters. Since the Newari language lacks retroflex consonants, the letters ṭa, ṭha, ḍa, ḍha, ṇa and ṣa are used only in loanwords. The same applies to the letter śa. Newari, on the other hand, has a number of sonorant consonants that are pronounced with creaky voice (ṅha, ñha, ṇha, nha, mha, rha and lha). They are written in compound letters consisting of "ha" combined with the letter for the corresponding modal sonorant.

{{cite web |url= http://std.dkuug.dk/JTC1/SC2/WG2/docs/n4322.pdf |title=Proposal for Nepālalipi Script in the Universal Character Set for inclusion in the Unicode Standard |access-date=15 September 2015 |last1=Manandhar |first1=Dev Dass |date=5 February 2012 }}

File:Pracalit contextual forms.svg

Some letters have alternative forms that are used when combined with certain vowel diacritics or included in a consonant cluster.{{cite web |url= http://std.dkuug.dk/JTC1/SC2/WG2/docs/n4184.pdf |title=Proposal to Encode the Newar Script in ISO/IEC 10646 |access-date=15 September 2015 |last1=Pandey |first1=Anshuman |date=29 February 2012 }}

• Letter bha and ha changes appearance when combined with any of the vowel diacritics u, ū, ṛ, ṝ, ḷ and ḹ.
• Letter ja and ra forms ligatures together with the vowels u and ū.
• Vowels u changes appearance when combined with the letters ga, ta, bha and śa.

{{multiple image | width = 150 | image1 = Pracalit conjunct kya.svg | alt1 = | image2 = Ranjana conjunct kya.svg | alt2 = | footer =Example of how the letters ka and ya are written together to form the letter kya. When ka is in the initial position and is followed by a letter with two bars, extend ka to the right so that it overlaps the following letter}}

Consonant clusters are written by writing several consonant letters together in complex ligatures. How they are written depends on the shape of the letters and some letters have alternative shapes that are used depending on their position in the cluster.

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The vowel ṛ which in Sanskrit stands for syllable forming [ṛ] is used in Newar script to write the syllable ri.

In Newari, the vowels a and ā are pronounced with different vowel qualities. In order to write their long equivalents, some diacritics have been given partially different properties than what is otherwise usual in Brahmic scripts.

Some of the vowel diacritics have different appearances depending on whether the consonant has a top line or not. There are seven consonants without top lines: ga, ña, ṭha, ṇa, tha, dha and śa.

The vowel diacritics can have up to three different appearances depending on which consonant they are combined with.{{cite web |url= http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2009/09192-n3649-ranjana.pdf |title=Preliminary proposal for encoding the Rañjana script in the SMP of the UCS |access-date=15 September 2015 |last1=Everson |first1=Michael |date=4 May 2009 }} The rules for ka are also used for ja, kṣa and jña. The rules for ga also apply to kha, ña, ṭha, ṇa, tha, dha and sha. The rules for ba are used for other letters.

Ranjana ka vowels.svg |Rules for क ka

Ranjana ga vowels.svg |Rules for ग ga

Ranjana ba vowels.svg |Rules for ब ba

Nepal Lipi is available in Unicode as Newa script. It is the official script used to write Nepal Bhasa. Ranjana script has been proposed for encoding in Unicode.{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2023/23028-ranjana.pdf|title=L2/23-028: Preliminary proposal to encode Ranjana in Unicode|first1=Anshuman|last=Pandey|date=2023-01-05 }}

The letter heads of Kathmandu Metropolitan City,{{cite web |title=कोभिड-१९ विरुद्धको Verocell दोश्रो मात्राको खोप लगाउन आउने बारे सूचना ! |url=https://kathmandu.gov.np/notice/%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8b%e0%a4%ad%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%a1-%e0%a5%a7%e0%a5%af-%e0%a4%b5%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%81%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a7%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8b-verocell-%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%8b%e0%a4%b6%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%8b-%e0%a4%ae%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8b-%e0%a4%96%e0%a5%8b%e0%a4%aa-%e0%a4%b2%e0%a4%97%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%89%e0%a4%a8-%e0%a4%86%e0%a4%89%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87-%e0%a4%ac%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%87-%e0%a4%b8%e0%a5%82%e0%a4%9a%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%be/ |website=Kathmandu Metropolitan City |access-date=30 October 2021}}An example of a letter head in Kathmandu Metropolitan City Lalitpur Metropolitan City,{{cite web |title=प्रेस विज्ञप्ति |url=https://lalitpurmun.gov.np/ne/content/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B8-%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9E%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF-%E0%A5%A4 |website=Lalitpur Metropolitan City |access-date=30 October 2021}}An example of a letter head in Lalitpur Metropolitan City Bhaktapur Municipality,{{cite web |title=आधारभूत तह (कक्षा ८) उत्तीर्ण परीक्षा २०७७ को नतिजा प्रकाशनसम्बन्धी सूचना ! |url=https://bhaktapurmun.gov.np/en/content/%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4-%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B9-%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A5%AE-%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A3-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A5%A8%E0%A5%A6%E0%A5%AD%E0%A5%AD-%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8B-%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE |website=Bhaktapur Municipality |access-date=30 October 2021}}An example of a letter head in Bhaktapur Municipality Madhyapur Thimi Municipality{{cite web |title=Notice for non-governmental social organizations |url=https://madhyapurthimimun.gov.np/en/content/notice-non-governmental-social-organizations |website=Madhyapur Thimi Municipality |access-date=30 October 2021}}An example of a letter head in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality ascribes its names in Ranjana Script.

In India, the official script for Newar language is Nepal Lipi.{{cite web |title=𑐳𑐶𑐎𑑂𑐎𑐶𑐩 𑐴𑐾𑐬𑐮𑑂𑐜 |url=https://sikkim.gov.in/uploads/SikkimHerald/Newa_22Oct_0_20211028.pdf |website=Government of Sikkim |access-date=1 November 2021}}

File:Invitation card.jpg|

File:Thaunkanhay magazine cover 1951.jpg|

File:Sandhya times scan.jpg|

File:Nepal lipi inscription 1952.jpg|

File:Pratap inscription.jpg|

File:Ajima temple 1877ad.jpg|

File:Manuscript ns989.jpg|

File:Nb exercise book.jpg|

File:Bhupatindra Malla's signature.jpg|An inscription from Bhaktapur in the Pracalit script dated February 1711 AD.

{{portal|Nepal}}

• Nepal Bhasa literature
• Nepal Bhasa renaissance

• [https://archive.org/details/NepalLipiPrakashHemrajShakya/ Nepal Lipi Prakash]
• [https://archive.org/details/NepalLipiSangrahaByHemrajShakyavamsha%20201712 Nepalese Alphabets – Nepal Lipi Samgraha]
• [https://archive.org/details/NepalLipiVarnamalaByNepalLipiGuthi/mode/2up Nepal Lipi Varnamala]
• [https://archive.org/details/SanksiptaNepalLipi Sankshipta Nepal Lipi Parichaya]
• [https://archive.org/details/NepaliScripts Table of Evolution of Nepali Scripts]
• [https://archive.org/details/nepali-lipi-vihas-by-shankar-man-rajvamshi Nepal Lipi Vikas]
• [https://archive.org/details/NepalLipiVigyanSamanyaParichayaByJwalaSthapitAndKashinathTamot_201712 Nepal Lipi Vigyan Samanya Parichaya]
• [https://archive.org/details/NepalmaPrachalitLipikoParichayaAtrticleByKashinathTamot_201712/ Nepalma Prachalit Lipiko Parichaya]

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{{Newar}}

{{list of writing systems}}

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Category:Newar

Category:Brahmic scripts

Category:Writing systems of Newar language

Category:Newar language