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Sharada script

{{Short description|Abugida}}

{{About|a writing system|other meanings of "Sharada"|Sharada (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox Writing system

|name=Sharada script

|altname=ลšฤradฤ

{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฏ๐‘†ณ๐‘†ซ๐‘†ข๐‘†ณ}}

|sample=Shukla Sharada.svg

|caption=The word ล›ฤradฤ in Sharada script

|type=Abugida

|languages=Sanskrit, Kashmiri

|time= 700 CE –present (almost extinct)

|region=India, Pakistan, Central Asia

|fam1=Egyptian

|fam2=Proto-Sinaitic

|fam3=Phoenician

|fam4=Aramaic

|fam5=Brahmi

|fam6=Gupta

|sisters=Siddham, Tibetan,{{cite book |last1=Daniels |first1=P.T. |chapter=Writing systems of major and minor languages |editor-last1=Kachru |editor-first1=Braj B. |editor-last2=Kachru |editor-first2=Yamuna |editor-last3=Sridhar |editor-first3=S. N. |title=Language in South Asia |date=27 March 2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-46550-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O2n4sFGDEMYC |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Masica |first1=Colin |title=The Indo-Aryan languages |date=1993 |page=143}} Kalinga, Bhaiksuki

|children=Takri
Landa

|unicode=[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U11180.pdf U+11180–U+111DF]

|iso15924=Shrd

|note=none

|footnotes=

}}

{{Contains special characters

| special = uncommon Unicode characters

| fix = Help:Multilingual support#Sharada

| image = Replacement character.svg

| link = Specials (Unicode block)#Replacement character

| alt =

| compact = yes

}}

{{brahmic|state=uncollapsed}}

The ลšฤradฤ, Sarada or Sharada script is an abugida writing system of the Brahmic family of scripts. The script was widespread between the 8th and 12th centuries in the northwestern parts of Indian Subcontinent (in Kashmir and neighbouring areas), for writing Sanskrit and Kashmiri.{{cite book |last1=Selin |first1=Helaine |title=Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures |date=2008 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=9781402045592 |page=Bakhshali Manuscript entry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kt9DIY1g9HYC&pg=RA1-PA1 |language=en|bibcode=2008ehst.book.....S }}{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Upinder |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |date=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=9788131711200 |page=43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&pg=PA43 |language=en}}Sir George Grierson. (1916). "[https://archive.org/details/244194891OnTheSharadaAlphabetJournalOfTheRoyalAsiaticSociety171916SirGeorgeGriersonKCIEMRAS/page/n17 On the Sharada Alphabet]". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 17. Although originally a signature Brahminical script created in the valley, it was more widespread throughout northwestern Indian subcontinent, and later became restricted to Kashmir, and is now rarely used, except by the Kashmiri Pandit community for religious purposes.

File:Gardesh Ganesha dedicated by Khingila, Kabul, 7-8th century CE.jpg, a 6th-century marble Ganesha found in Gardez, Afghanistan, now at Dargah Pir Rattan Nath, Kabul. The Sharada inscription says that this "great and beautiful image of {{IAST|Mahฤvinฤyaka}}" was consecrated by the Shahi King Khingala of Khatriya Country Modern Part of Punjab Pakistan and Afghanistan.For photograph of statue and details of inscription, see: Dhavalikar, M. K., "{{IAST|Gaล†eล›a}}: Myth and Reality", in: {{Harvnb|Brown|1991|pp=50,63}}.]]

It is a native script of Kashmir and is named after the goddess ลšฤradฤ or Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the main Hindu deity of the Sharada Peeth temple.{{cite news|title=Pandits to visit Sharda temple|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/17/stories/2006051704920900.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204050822/http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/17/stories/2006051704920900.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 February 2007 |newspaper=The Hindu |date=17 May 2006 |access-date=13 August 2012}}

History

File:Bakhshali_manuscript.jpg

File:Om_in_Sharada_script.svg

File:ลšฤradฤstotra.png

Sharda script is named after the Hindu goddess ลšฤradฤ, also known as Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the main Hindu deity of the Sharada Peeth temple.

Although originally a script restricted to only Brahmins, Sharda was later spread throughout the larger Hindu population in Northwestern Indian subcontinent, as Hinduism became the dominant religion in the region again.{{cite web |url=https://eduindex.org/2020/06/12/the-indigenous-script-of-kashmir-the-sharda-script/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 24, 2023 |title=The Indigenous Script of Kashmir โ€“ The Sharda Script |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230924195939/https://eduindex.org/2020/06/12/the-indigenous-script-of-kashmir-the-sharda-script/ |archive-date=September 24, 2023 |date=June 12, 2020 |language=en-IN }}{{ cite book |year=2015 |last=Fogelin |first=Lars |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yPZzBgAAQBAJ&q=Decline+buddhism+gupta |access-date=September 24, 2023 |isbn=9780199948239 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=149 |title=An Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism |quote=...the emergence and spread of Hinduism through Indian society helped lead to Buddhism's gradual decline in India. |language=en-UK }}

The Bakhshali manuscript uses an early stage of the Sharada script. The Sharada script was used in Afghanistan as well as in the Himachal region in India. In Afghanistan, the Kabul Ganesh has a 6th to 8th century Proto-Sharada{{clarify|date=April 2019|reason="Proto-Sharada" unclear}} inscription mentioning the, Turk Shahis, king Khingala of Oddiyana.[https://books.google.com/books?id=x2cuAQAAIAAJ&q=khingala+ganesha+sarAda From Persepolis to the Punjab: Exploring Ancient Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Elizabeth Errington, Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, British Museum Press, 2007 p. 96] At the historic temple of Mirkula Devi (also Mrikula Devi) in Lahaul, [Himachal Pradesh], the goddess Mahishamardini has a Sharada inscription of 1569 CE.[https://www.jstor.org/stable/29757141 Observations on the Architecture and on a Carved Wooden Door of the Temple of Mirkulฤ Devฤซ at Udaipur, Himachal Pradesh, Francesco Noci, East and West, Vol. 44, No. 1 (March 1994), pp. 99-114]

From the 10th century onwards, regional differences started to appear between the Sharada script used in Punjab, the Hill States (partly Himachal Pradesh) and Kashmir. Sharada proper was eventually restricted to very limited ceremonial use in Kashmir, as it grew increasingly unsuitable for writing the Kashmiri language. With the last known inscription dating to 1204 C.E., the early 13th century marks a milestone in the development of Sharada.{{cite web | url=https://unicode.org/L2/L2009/09074r-n3595-sharada.pdf| title=N3545: Proposal to Encode the Sharada Script in ISO/IEC 10646 | first1=Anshuman | last1=Pandey | publisher=Working Group Document, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 | date=2009-03-25}} The regional variety in Punjab continued to evolve from this stage through the 14th century; during this period it starts to appear in forms closely resembling Gurmukhฤซ and other Landa scripts. By the 15th century, Sharada had evolved so considerably that epigraphists denote the script at this point by a special name, Devฤล›eแนฃa.

Letters

=Vowels=

class="wikitable"
Letter

!Diacritic on {{Angbr|๐‘†ฅ}}

!Special forms

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†ƒ|ch2=-|s=Shrd|ipa=[ษ]|iso=a}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ}} pa

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†„|ch2=๐‘†ณ|s=Shrd|ipa=[aห]|iso=ฤ}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ณ}} pฤ

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†•}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†•๐‘†ณ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†˜}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†˜๐‘†ณ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†›}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†›๐‘†ณ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†Ÿ}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†Ÿ๐‘†ณ}}

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†…|ch2=๐‘†ด|s=Shrd|ipa=[ษช]|iso=i}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ด}} pi

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘††|ch2=๐‘†ต|s=Shrd|ipa=[iห]|iso=ฤซ}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ต}} pฤซ

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†‡|ch2=๐‘†ถ|s=Shrd|ipa=[สŠ]|iso=u}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ถ}} pu

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†‘}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†‘๐‘†ถ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†“}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†“๐‘†ถ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†™}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†™๐‘†ถ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†š}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†š๐‘†ถ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†๐‘†ถ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘† }} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘† ๐‘†ถ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†จ}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†จ๐‘†ถ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ซ}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ซ๐‘†ถ}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฏ}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฏ๐‘†ถ}}

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†ˆ|ch2=๐‘†ท|s=Shrd|ipa=[uห]|iso=ลซ}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ท}} pลซ

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†‘}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†‘๐‘†ท}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†“}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†“๐‘†ท}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†™}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†™๐‘†ท}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†š}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†š๐‘†ท}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†๐‘†ท}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘† }} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘† ๐‘†ท}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†จ}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†จ๐‘†ท}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ซ}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ซ๐‘†ท}}; {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฏ}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฏ๐‘†ท}}

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†‰|ch2=๐‘†ธ|s=Shrd|ipa=[rฬฉ]|iso=rฬฅ}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ธ}} prฬฅ

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†‘}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†‘๐‘†ธ}}

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†Š|ch2=๐‘†น|s=Shrd|ipa=[rฬฉห]|iso=rฬฅฬ„}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†น}} prฬฅฬ„

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†‘}} โ†’ {{Script|Shrd|๐‘†‘๐‘†น}}

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†‹|ch2=๐‘†บ|s=Shrd|ipa=[lฬฉ]|iso=lฬฅ}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†บ}} plฬฅ

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†Œ|ch2=๐‘†ป|s=Shrd|ipa=[lฬฉห]|iso=lฬฅฬ„}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ป}} plฬฅฬ„

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†|ch2=๐‘†ผ|s=Shrd|ipa=[eห]|iso=ฤ“}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ผ}} pฤ“

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†Ž|ch2=๐‘†ฝ|s=Shrd|ipa=[aหiฬฏ], [ai], [ษi], [ษ›i]|iso=ai}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ฝ}} pai

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†|ch2=๐‘†พ|s=Shrd|ipa=[oห]|iso=ล}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†พ}} pล

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†|ch2=๐‘†ฟ|s=Shrd|ipa=[aหuฬฏ], [au], [ษu], [ษ”u]|iso=au}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†ฟ}} pau

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†ƒ๐‘†€|ch2=๐‘†€|s=Shrd|ipa=[โ—Œฬƒ]|iso=amฬ}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†€}} pamฬ

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†ƒ๐‘†|ch2=๐‘†|s=Shrd|ipa=[n], [m]|iso=aแนƒ}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†}} paแนƒ

|

{{letter|ch1=๐‘†ƒ๐‘†‚|ch2=๐‘†‚|s=Shrd|ipa=[h]|iso=aแธฅ}}

|{{Script|Shrd|๐‘†ฅ๐‘†‚}} paแธฅ

|

=Consonants=

class="wikitable"

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†‘ | iso = ka | ipa = [kษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†’ | iso = kha | ipa = [kสฐษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†“ | iso = ga | ipa = [ษกษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†” | iso = gha | ipa = [ษกสฑษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†• | iso = แน…a | ipa = [ล‹ษ] }}

{{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†– | iso = ca | ipa = [tษ•ษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†— | iso = cha | ipa = [tษ•สฐษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†˜ | iso = ja | ipa = [dส‘ษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†™ | iso = jha | ipa = [dส‘สฑษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†š | iso = รฑa | ipa = [ษฒษ] }}

{{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†› | iso = แนญa | ipa = [สˆษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†œ | iso = แนญha | ipa = [สˆสฐษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘† | iso = แธa | ipa = [ษ–ษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ž | iso = แธha | ipa = [ษ–สฑษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†Ÿ | iso = แน‡a | ipa = [ษณษ] }}

{{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†  | iso = ta | ipa = [tษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ก | iso = tha | ipa = [tสฐษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ข | iso = da | ipa = [dษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฃ | iso = dha | ipa = [dสฑษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ค | iso = na | ipa = [nษ] }}

{{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฅ | iso = pa | ipa = [pษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฆ | iso = pha | ipa = [pสฐษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ง | iso = ba | ipa = [bษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†จ | iso = bha | ipa = [bสฑษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฉ | iso = ma | ipa = [mษ] }}

{{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ช | iso = ya | ipa = [jษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ซ | iso = ra | ipa = [rษ], [ษพษ], [ษฝษ], [ษพฬชษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฌ | iso = la | ipa = [lษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ญ | iso = แธทa | ipa = [ษญษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฎ | iso = va | ipa = [ส‹ษ] }}

{{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฏ | iso = ล›a | ipa = [ษ•ษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฐ | iso = แนฃa | ipa = [ส‚ษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฑ | iso = sa | ipa = [sษ] }}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘†ฒ | iso = ha | ipa = [ษฆษ] }}

Numerals

class="wikitable"
{{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡ | top = 0}}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡‘ | top = 1}}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡’ | top = 2}}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡“ | top = 3}}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡” | top = 4}}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡• | top = 5}}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡– | top = 6}}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡— | top = 7}}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡˜ | top = 8}}

| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = ๐‘‡™ | top = 9}}

Sharada script uses its own signs for the positional decimal numeral system.

Image gallery

File:Sharada-Vowels.jpg|Sharada vowels

File:Sharada-Consonants.jpg|Sharada consonant signs

File:Die Sprachenhalle 1.jpg|Sanskrit (above; devanagari script) and Kashmiri language (below; sharada script)

File:Sarada Script of Kashmir.jpg|Old manuscript using Sharada script

File:Sharadastotrafull.png|The Sharadastotra rendered in the style of handwritten manuscripts from the 17th to 19th century

File:Kashmiri miniature painting of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, and other Indic deities figuratively within the Sharada script Omkar glyph.jpg|Kashmiri miniature painting of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, and other Indic deities figuratively within the Sharada script Omkar glyph

Unicode

{{Main|Sharada (Unicode block)}}

ลšฤradฤ script was added to the Unicode Standard in January, 2012 with the release of version 6.1.{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2009/09074r2-n3595-sharada.pdf|title=L2/09-074R2: Proposal to encode the Sharada Script in ISO/IEC 10646|date=2009-08-05|first=Anshuman|last=Pandey}}

The Unicode block for ลšฤradฤ script, called Sharada, is U+11180–U+111DF:

{{Unicode chart Sharada}}

See also

  • Lipi โ€“ writing scripts in Buddhist, Hindu and Jaina texts
  • Sharada Peeth in Kashmir

References

{{Reflist}}

=Works cited=

  • {{Citation |last=Brown |first=Robert |year=1991 |title=Ganesh: Studies of an Asian God |location=Albany |publisher=State University of New York |isbn=978-0791406571 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oF-Hqih3pBAC}}

External links

  • [https://aksharamukha.appspot.com/describe/Sharada Aksharamukha: Sharada script]
  • Saerji. (2009). [http://www.fanfoyan.com/resour/pale/abhidharm.pdf ลšฤradฤ script: Akแนฃara List of the Manuscript of Abhidharmadฤซpa (ca. the 11th Century)]. Research Institute of Sanskrit Manuscripts & Buddhist Literature, Peking University.
  • [http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/20010105/iin05014.html Prevalence of the ลšฤradฤ Script in Afghanistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920034518/http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/20010105/iin05014.html |date=2010-09-20 }}

{{list of writing systems}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarada Script}}

Category:Brahmic scripts

Category:Sarada scripts

Category:History of Kashmir

Category:8th-century introductions

Category:Writing systems introduced in the 1st millennium