| Nepalese scripts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Script type | |
| Direction | Left-to-right  |
| Region | Nepal andIndia |
| Languages | Nepal Bhasa |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
Child systems | Ranjana,Bhujimol,Pracalit |
| 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 |
Nepalese scripts (Nepal Lipi: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐁𑐏𑐮,Devanagari: नेपाल आखल) are a family of alphabetic writing systems employed historically inNepal Mandala by the indigenousNewar people for primarily writingNepal Bhasa. It is also used for transcribingSanskrit andPali.[2] There are also some claims they have also been used to write the Parbatiya (Khas) language[3][dubious –discuss].
These scripts were in widespread use from the 10th to the early 20th-century, but have since been largely supplanted by the modern script known asDevanagari. Of the older scripts, about 50,000 manuscripts written in Nepal Lipi have been archived.[4]
Prior to development of Nepal Scripts, people in theNepal Mandala used the following scripts which are shared within the South Asian region.[5][6]
The 'Nepal Script' or 'Nepalese script'[10] appeared in the 10th century. The earliest instance is a manuscript entitledLankavatara Sutra datedNepal Era 28 (908 AD). Another early specimen is a palm-leaf manuscript of a Buddhist text thePrajnaparamita, dated Nepal Era 40 (920 AD).[11] One of the oldest manuscript of Ramayana, preserved till date, was written in Nepal Script in 1041.[12]
The script has been used on stone and copper plate inscriptions, coins (Nepalese mohar), palm-leaf documents andHindu andBuddhist manuscripts.[13][14]
Among the famed historical texts written in Nepal Lipi areGopalarajavamsavali, a history of Nepal, which appeared in 1389 AD,[15] 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 ofBanepa.[16][17]
Besides theKathmandu Valley and theHimalayan region inNepal, the Ranjana script is used for sacred purposes inTibet,China,Japan,Korea,Mongolia,Bhutan,Sikkim andLadakh.[18]
TheJokhang Temple inLhasa, Tibet is ornamented with mantras embossed in Ranjana script, and the panels under the eaves are numbered using Nepal Lipi.[19]
In 1906, theRana 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 toDevanagari to write Nepal Bhasa because of the availability of moveable type for printing, and Nepal Lipi was pushed further into the background.[20] 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,[21] restrictions on Nepal Bhasa were lifted. Attempts were made to study and revive the old scripts,[22] and alphabet books were published. Hemraj Shakyavamsha published an alphabet book of 15 types of Nepalese alphabets including Ranjana, Bhujimol and Pachumol.[23]
In 1952, a pressmanPushpa 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 inThaunkanhe monthly.[24]
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 theNewar people of pre-Gorkha Nepal (i.e., Nepala Mandala) or dynasties that ruled over them in history are as follows:[5][6]
Among the different scripts based on Nepal script,Ranjana (meaning "delightful"),Bhujinmol ("fly-headed") andPrachalit ("ordinary") are the most common.[25][26] Ranjana is the most ornate among the scripts. It is most commonly used to write Buddhist texts and inscribemantras on prayer wheels, shrines, temples, and monasteries. The popular Buddhist mantraOm mani padme hum (meaning ("Hail to the jewel in the lotus" in Sanskrit) is often written in Ranjana.
| Pracalit | Rañjanā | Dev. | Rom. |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | क | ka |
 |  | ख | kha |
 |  | ग | ga |
 |  | घ | gha |
 |  | ङ | ṅa |
 |  | ह्ङ | ṅha |
 |  | च | ca |
 |  | छ | cha |
 |  | ज | ja |
 |  | झ | jha |
 |  | ञ | ña |
 |  | ह्ञ् | ñha |
| Pracalit | Rañjanā | Dev. | Rom. |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | ट | ṭa |
 |  | ठ | ṭha |
 |  | ड | ḍa |
 |  | ढ | ḍha |
 |  | ण | ṇa |
 |  | ह्ण | ṇha |
 |  | त | ta |
 |  | थ | tha |
 |  | द | da |
 |  | ध | dha |
 |  | न | na |
 |  | ह्न | nha |
| Pracalit | Rañjanā | Dev. | Rom. |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | प | pa |
 |  | फ | pha |
 |  | ब | ba |
 |  | भ | bha |
 |  | म | ma |
 |  | ह्म | mha |
 |  | य | ya |
 |  | र | ra |
 |  | ह्र | rha |
 |  | ल | la |
 |  | ह्ल | lha |
 |  | व | va |
| Pracalit | Rañjanā | Dev. | Rom. |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | श | śa |
 |  | ष | ṣa |
 |  | स | sa |
 |  | ह | ha |
 |  | क्ष | kṣa |
 |  | त्र | tra |
 |  | ज्ञ | jña |
The compound letterskṣa,tra andjña are often regarded as separate letters that are taught together with the other letters. Since the Newari language lacksretroflex consonants, the lettersṭa,ṭha,ḍa,ḍha,ṇa andṣa are used only in loanwords. The same applies to the letterśa. Newari, on the other hand, has a number ofsonorant consonants that are pronounced withcreaky voice (ṅha,ñha,ṇha,nha,mha,rha andlha). They are written in compound letters consisting of "ha" combined with the letter for the correspondingmodal sonorant.[27]
Some letters have alternative forms that are used when combined with certain vowel diacritics or included in a consonant cluster.[28]
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.[28]
| Pracalit | Rañjanā | Dev. | Rom. |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | अ | a |
 |  | आ | ā |
 |  | इ | i |
 |  | ई | ī |
 |  | उ | u |
 |  | ऊ | ū |
| Pracalit | Rañjanā | Dev. | Rom. |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | ऋ | ṛ |
 |  | ॠ | ṝ |
 |  | ए | e |
 |  | ऐ | ai |
 |  | ओ | o |
 |  | औ | au |
| Pracalit | Rañjanā | Dev. | Rom. |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | अय् | ay |
 |  | आय् | āy |
 |  | एय् | ey |
The vowelṛ which in Sanskrit stands forsyllable forming [ṛ] is used in Newar script to write the syllableri.
In Newari, the vowelsa andā 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.
| Letter | Name | Transcription | Description | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pracalit | Rañjanā | Sanskrit | Newari | Dev. | Rom. | |
 |  | visarga | lyuphuti | अः | aḥ | Usually used to indicate that a vowel is followed by anh-sound. In Newari it is used instead of marking a long vowel. |
 |  | candrabindu | milaphuti | अँ | am̐ | Marks a nasal vowel. |
 |  | anusvāra | sinhaphuti | अं | aṃ | In other words, it can be seen as a combination ofvisarga andchandrabindu. |
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 andśa.[28]
| a | aḥ | ā | āḥ | i | ī | u | ū | ṛ | ṝ | e | ai | o | au | am̐ | aṃ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| क ka | |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| ग ga | |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The vowel diacritics can have up to three different appearances depending on which consonant they are combined with.[29] The rules forka are also used forja,kṣa andjña. The rules forga also apply tokha,ña,ṭha,ṇa,tha,dha andsha. The rules forba are used for other letters.
Nepal Lipi is available in Unicode asNewa script. It is the official script used to write Nepal Bhasa. Ranjana script has been proposed for encoding in Unicode.[30]
The letter heads of Kathmandu Metropolitan City,[31] Lalitpur Metropolitan City,[32] Bhaktapur Municipality,[33] Madhyapur Thimi Municipality[34] ascribes its names in Ranjana Script.
In India, the official script forNewar language is Nepal Lipi.[35]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)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
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link){{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)| Music | |
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