| Takri 𑚔𑚭𑚊𑚤𑚯 | |
|---|---|
 The word 'Takri' written in Chamba Takri | |
| Script type | |
Period | c. 16th century CE to present |
| Direction | Left-to-right  |
| Region | India, Pakistan |
| Languages | Dogri,Kangri,Chambeali,Mandeali,Bilaspuri,Kullui,Bhateali,Churahi,Kishtwari,Gaddi,Mahasui,Sirmauri,Pangwali,Bhadarwahi,Sanskrit |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
Child systems | Dogri |
Sister systems | Landa |
| ISO 15924 | |
| ISO 15924 | Takr(321), Takri, Ṭākrī, Ṭāṅkrī |
| Unicode | |
Unicode alias | Takri |
| U+11680–U+116CF | |
| 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 |
TheTākri script (Takri (Chamba):𑚔𑚭𑚊𑚤𑚯; Takri (Jammu/Dogra):𑠔𑠬𑠊𑠤𑠮; sometimes calledTankri𑚔𑚭𑚫𑚊𑚤𑚯) is anabugida writing system of theBrahmic family of scripts. It is derived from theSharada script formerly employed forKashmiri. It is the sister script ofLaṇḍā scripts. It has another variantDogra Takri[1] (also known as Dogra Akkhar) employed inJammu region. There are numerous varieties present throughout Himachal Pradesh.[2] Until the late 1940s, the adapted version of the script (calledDogri,Dogra orDogra Akkhar) was the official script for writing Punjabi in the princely state ofJammu and Kashmir. Throughout the history, different kingdoms of what now forms Himachal Pradesh used their own variety to maintain their records. The Takri script used inSirmour in Himachal Pradesh and in the adjacent region ofJaunsar-Bawar in Uttarakhand has some distinction.
The Takri alphabet developed through theDevāśeṣa stage of the Sharada script from the 14th-18th centuries[3] and is found mainly in theHill States such asChamba[4] and surrounding areas. The local Takri variants got the status of official scripts in some of the Punjab Hill States, and were used for both administrative and literary purposes until the 19th century.[3] After 1948, whenHimachal Pradesh was established as an administrative unit, the localTakri variants were replaced byDevanagari.
Takri itself has historically been used to write a number ofWestern Pahari Languages in theWestern Himalaya, such asGaddi or Gaddki (the language of theGaddi ethnic group),Kishtwari (a language, or possibly a highly idiosyncratic dialect ofKashmiri, spoken in theKishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir) andChambeali (the language of theChamba region ofHimachal Pradesh). Takri used to be most prevalent script for business records and communication in various parts of Himachal Pradesh including the regions ofKangra &Bilaspur.[5] The shift to Devanagari can be traced to the early days of Indian independence (1950s−80s).
Since Takri fell into disuse,[6] there have been sporadic attempts to revive the script inHimachal Pradesh. Recent efforts have been made to teach the script to North punjabis.[7]
The Takri (Tankri) script was also used in cinema. The first film in Pahari Punjabi calledSaanjh directed by Ajay K Saklani released in April 2017 used Takri script in its title and beginning credits. Workshops are being conducted in small scale in the state ofHimachal Pradesh, in districts likeChamba[8] andKullu,Kangra andShimla.[9][failed verification] An organisation namedSambh (Devanagari: सांभ) based atDharamshala has decided to develop fonts for this script.[10]
A Northern Punjabi Corridor fromShimla toMurree has also been proposed under theAman ki Asha initiative to link the similar Western Pahari language-based regions ofHimachal Pradesh,Jammu,Azad Kashmir andPothohar Plateau and revive the script.[11][12]
The Himachal Pradesh government under the National Manuscript Mission Yojana has set up a Manuscript Resource Centre and so far 1.26 lakh (1,26,000) manuscripts, including those in Takri, have been catalogued and has decided to be digitised.[13]
There are several regional varieties of Takri, “with each Hill State or tract having its own style ”.[citation needed] There is considerable variation in the spellings of the names of the regional forms and the languages they represent. The names of languages have also changed, so that the names used in Grierson and other sources differ from current practices. In order to assist in the identification of languages and the forms of Takri associated with them, the language names below are denoted using ISO639-3 codes. Specimens of Takri representative of the regional form is also indicated.
The Chambeali version was selected to be the standard for the Unicode.
A variety of Takri which was used for Sirmauri and Jaunsari has been proposed to be encoded in the Unicode.[14]
| Arabic numerals | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Takri numerals | 𑛀 | 𑛁 | 𑛂 | 𑛃 | 𑛄 | 𑛅 | 𑛆 | 𑛇 | 𑛈 | 𑛉 |
Takri script was added to theUnicode Standard in 2012 (version 6.1).
| Takri[1][2] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| U+1168x | 𑚀 | 𑚁 | 𑚂 | 𑚃 | 𑚄 | 𑚅 | 𑚆 | 𑚇 | 𑚈 | 𑚉 | 𑚊 | 𑚋 | 𑚌 | 𑚍 | 𑚎 | 𑚏 |
| U+1169x | 𑚐 | 𑚑 | 𑚒 | 𑚓 | 𑚔 | 𑚕 | 𑚖 | 𑚗 | 𑚘 | 𑚙 | 𑚚 | 𑚛 | 𑚜 | 𑚝 | 𑚞 | 𑚟 |
| U+116Ax | 𑚠 | 𑚡 | 𑚢 | 𑚣 | 𑚤 | 𑚥 | 𑚦 | 𑚧 | 𑚨 | 𑚩 | 𑚪 | 𑚫 | 𑚬 | 𑚭 | 𑚮 | 𑚯 |
| U+116Bx | 𑚰 | 𑚱 | 𑚲 | 𑚳 | 𑚴 | 𑚵 | 𑚶 | 𑚷 | 𑚸 | 𑚹 | ||||||
| U+116Cx | 𑛀 | 𑛁 | 𑛂 | 𑛃 | 𑛄 | 𑛅 | 𑛆 | 𑛇 | 𑛈 | 𑛉 | ||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||||||||