| Rañjanā | |
|---|---|
 'Ranjana Lipi' in Ranjana script | |
| Script type | |
Period | c. 1100–present |
| Direction | Left-to-right |
| Region | Nepal and India |
| Languages | Newar (Nepal Bhasa) Sanskrit Tibetan |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
Child systems | Soyombo |
Sister systems | Prachalit Bhujimol |
| ISO 15924 | |
| ISO 15924 | Ranj(303), Ranjana |
| This article containsphonetic transcriptions in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. For the distinction between[ ],/ / and ⟨ ⟩, seeIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. | |
| Brahmic scripts |
|---|
| TheBrahmi script and its descendants |
TheRañjanā script (Lantsa[2]) is anabugida writing system which developed in the 11th century[3] and until the mid-20th century was used in an area from Nepal to Tibet by theNewar people, the historic inhabitants of theKathmandu Valley, to writeSanskrit andNewar (Nepal Bhasa). Nowadays it is also used inBuddhist monasteries inChina, especially in theTibetan Buddhist areas within theTibet Autonomous Region,Sichuan,Yunnan,Qinghai andGansu;Mongolia, andJapan.[3] It is normally written from left to right but the Kutakshar form is written from top to bottom.[3] It is also considered to be the standard Nepalicalligraphic script.
Rañjanā is aBrahmic script which developed around 1100 CE. It was used inNepal and is still used in Nepal by theNewar people to write theNewar language.[2] The script is also used in most of theMahayana andVajrayana monasteries.[4] Along with thePrachalit Nepal alphabet, it is considered one of the scripts of Nepal.[5] It is the formal script of Nepal duly registered in the United Nation while applying for the free Nation.[citation needed] TheAṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra lettered in gold ink by Bhiksu Ananda of Kapitanagar and dating back to theNepal Sambat year 345 (1215 CE) is an early example of the script.[6]
After falling into disuse in the mid-20th century, the script has recently seen an increased use. It is used by many local governments such as those of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality, Thimi Municipality, Kirtipur Municipality, Banepa Municipality, in signboards, letter pads, and such. Regular programs are held in the Kathmandu Valley to promote the script and training classes are held to preserve the language. The script is being endorsed by theNepal Bhasa movement and is used for headings in newspapers and websites.[citation needed] A Nepalese-German project is trying to conserve the manuscripts of Rañjanā script.[7]
 a अ |  aḥ अः |  ā आ |  āḥ आः |  i इ |  ī ई |  u उ |  ū ऊ |  ṛ ऋ |  ṝ ॠ | |
 ḷ ऌ |  ḹ ॡ |  e ए |  ai ऐ |  o ओ |  au औ |  ã अँ |  aṃ अं |  ay अय् |  āy आय् |  ey एय् |
 k क |  kh ख |  g ग |  gh घ |  ṅ ङ |
 c च |  ch छ |  j ज |  jh झ |  ñ ञ |
 ṭ ट |  ṭh ठ |  ḍ ड |  ḍh ढ |  ṇ ण |
 t त |  th थ |  d द |  dh ध |  n न |
 p प |  ph फ |  b ब |  bh भ |  m म |
 y य |  r र |  l ल |  v व | |
 ś श |  ṣ ष |  s स |  h ह |
 kṣ क्ष |  tr त्र |  jñ ज्ञ |
The shape of the combining marks indicating the vowels आ ā, ए e, ऐ ai/ē,ओ o, and औ au/ō in Ranjana script take a different form when combined with the eight consonants ख kha, ग ga, n ञ nya, ठ ṭha ण ṇa, थ tha, ध dha or श sha(or where one of these is the first consonant in a combination)[8] (In addition the vertical marks indicating आ ā or ī may take a shorter form when combined with the consonants क ka, ज्ञ ja, or ठ ṭha.)
 0 ० |  1 १ |  2 २ |  3 ३ |  4 ४ |  5 ५ |  6 ६ |  7 ७ |  8 ८ |  9 ९ |
Rañjana is mostly used for printingHindu andBuddhist scriptures and literature inSanskrit andBuddhist Hybrid Sanskrit by theNewar community inKathmandu Valley. Rañjana is also in current use for printing "high status" documents (wedding invitations, certificates, etc) inNepal in theNewar language and for Newar language book titles.[9][10] In Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, it is famously used to write variousmantras including the "Om mani padme hum" mantra ofAvalokiteśvara, the mantra ofTara: "Om tare tuttare ture svaha", and the mantra ofManjusri: "Om a ra pa ca na dhi."[11][12][13] The script is also used in Hindu scriptures.[14]
InChinese Buddhism and other East Asian Buddhism, the standard Sanskrit script for mantras anddhāraṇīs was not the Rañjanā script, but rather the earlierSiddhaṃ script that was widely propagated in China during theTang dynasty.[15] However, inlate Imperial China, the influence ofTibetan Buddhism popularized the Rañjanā script as well, and so this script is also found throughout East Asia, but is not as common as Siddhaṃ.[16] In Vietnam, Rañjanā script is often used during Buddhist rituals especially by monks in the central region such as Huế.Talismans are often made using Rañjanā mantras read "Om mani padme hum" or "Om cale cule cundi svaha" the mantra ofCundi Bodhisattva. The script has also been adopted byVietnamese folk shamans in their use of amulets such as Lỗ Ban phái, a Taoist folk sect that arrived from China named afterLu Ban, patron god of carpenters.[17]
When Rañjanā was introduced to Tibet, it was referred to asLantsa (Tibetan:ལཉྫ་), which is simply a Tibetan transcription of the Sanskrit wordSanskrit:लञ्ज orLañja (which means 'tail' or 'foot').[18] Lantsa varies somewhat from the standard Rañjanā as written in Nepal today. In particular the glyph shapes of some consonants and ligatures differs and vowel diacritics do not usually change with the consonants ख kha, ग ga, n ञ nya, ठ ṭha ण ṇa, ध dha श shaas described above~ with the sole exception of the letter ठ ṭha. The shape of the numerals or digits also differs.
In Tibet, the Lantsa variant is used to write Buddhist texts in Sanskrit.[19] Examples of such texts include theMañjuśrīnāmasamgīti, theDiamond Sutra and theAṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. The Lantsa script is also found in manuscripts and printed editions of some Sanskrit-Tibetan lexicons such as theMahāvyutpatti. and it is frequently used on the title pages of Tibetan texts, where the Sanskrit title is often written in Lantsa, followed by a transliteration and translation in the Tibetan script. The script is also used to prepareMantra andDharani inserted into Buddhist images andStupa for consecration, as well as in the drawing of certain mandalas ( similar to the Japanese use of theSiddhaṃ script).
Lantsa is frequently seen on the outside ofprayer wheels, and decoratively on the gateways, walls. beams and pillars of Tibetan temples and monasteries.
Numerous alternative spellings of the termLantsa exist, including the following:
Kutākshar is a monogram of the Ranjana script. It is only one of theNepalese scripts that can be written in monogram.
AUnicode block for the script has first been proposed in 2009 byMichael Everson[9] and updated in December 2013,[20] and last revised with additional details in January 2023 by Anshuman Pandey.[21]
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