Nepalese scripts
Nepalese scripts | |
---|---|
Script type | |
Direction | Left-to-right Bhujimol, Pracalit |
Brahmic scripts |
---|
The Brahmi script and its descendants |
Nepalese scripts (Nepal Lipi: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐁𑐏𑐮, Devanagari: नेपाल आखल) are a family of alphabetic writing systems employed historically in Nepal Mandala by the indigenous Newars for primarily writing Nepal Bhasa. It is also used for transcribing Sanskrit and Pali.[2] There are also some claims they have also been used to write the Parbatiya (Khas) language[3][dubious ].
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 as Devanagari. Of the older scripts, about 50,000 manuscripts written in Nepal Lipi have been archived.[4]
History
Pre development
Prior to development of Nepal Scripts, people in the Nepal Mandala used the following scripts which are shared within the South Asian region.[5][6]
- Brāhmī script – Ashoka period
- Purva Licchavi Script[a] – prior Licchavi period
- Uttara Licchavi Script[b] – later Licchavi period (6th–11th or 12th century)
Early usage and development
The 'Nepal Script' or 'Nepalese script'
The script has been used on stone and copper plate inscriptions, coins (
Among the famed historical texts written in Nepal Lipi are Gopalarajavamsavali, 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 of Banepa.[16][17]
Besides the
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.[19]
Decline
In 1906, the
Revival
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 pressman
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.
Types
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:[5][6]
- Rañjana style
- 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,
Description
Consonants
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 letters kṣa, tra and jña are often regarded as separate letters that are taught together with the other letters. Since the Newari language lacks
Contextual forms
Some letters have alternative forms that are used when combined with certain vowel diacritics or included in a consonant cluster.[28]
- 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.
Compound letters
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]
Vowels
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 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.
Letter | Name | Transcription | Description | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pracalit | Rañjanā | Sanskrit | Newari | Dev. | Rom. | |
visarga | lyuphuti | अः | aḥ | Usually used to indicate that a vowel is followed by an h-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 of visarga and chandrabindu. |
Vowel diacritics
Pracalit
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.[28]
a | aḥ | ā | āḥ | i | ī | u | ū | ṛ | ṝ | e | ai | o | au | am̐ | aṃ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
क ka |
||||||||||||||||
ग ga |
Rañjanā
The vowel dialects can have up to three different appearances depending on which consonant they are combined with.[29] 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.
-
Rules for क ka
-
Rules for ग ga
-
Rules for ब ba
Current use
Nepal Lipi is available in Unicode as Newa script. It is the official script used to write Nepal Bhasa. Ranjana script has been approved for encoding in 2021. [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 for Newar language is Nepal Lipi.[35]
Gallery
-
Invitation card.
-
Thaunkanhe monthly.
-
Sandhya Times daily.
-
Copper inscription from 1952 AD.
-
Stone inscription from 1654 AD.
-
Embossed lettering from 1877 AD.
-
Sanskrit Buddhist manuscript in Nepal script from 1869 AD.
-
Table of Prachalit Nepal script.
-
An inscription from Bhaktapur in the Pracalit script dated February 1711 AD.
See also
- Nepal Bhasa literature
- Nepal Bhasa renaissance
External links
- Nepal Lipi Prakash
- Nepalese Alphabets – Nepal Lipi Samgraha
- Nepal Lipi Varnamala
- Sankshipta Nepal Lipi Parichaya
- Table of Evolution of Nepali Scripts
- Nepal Lipi Vikas
- Nepal Lipi Vigyan Samanya Parichaya
- Nepalma Prachalit Lipiko Parichaya
Notes
- ^ It is also named Pro-Licchavi or Pre-Licchavi. The Purva Licchavi script is closely related to the Gupta script.[7] The Purva Licchavi Script – see Purva Licchavi.
- .
References
- ^ Masica, Colin (1993). The Indo-Aryan languages. p. 143.
- ISBN 99933-56-00-X. Page 306.
- ISBN 0-8248-0680-8. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ Nepal-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project
- ^ a b Shakyavansha, Hemraj (1993, eighth edition). Nepalese Alphabet. Kathmandu: Mandas Lumanti Prakashan.
- ^ a b "Roadmapping the scripts of Nepal" (PDF). 2009-09-28. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
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(help) - ^ "Purva Licchavi – omniglot".
- ^ Rajan, Vinodh. "Commentsonnamingthe"Siddham"encoding" (PDF).
- ^ Pandey, Anshuman. "Proposal to Encode the Siddham Script in ISO/IEC 10646" (PDF).
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
- ISBN 978-99933-864-0-7. Page 607. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
- ^ Shrestha, Rebati Ramanananda (2001). Newah. Lalitpur: Sahityaya Mulukha. Page 86.
- ^ Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas
- ^ Bendall, Cecil (1883). Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscripts in the University Library, Cambridge. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 301. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ "Nepalese Inscriptions in the Rubin Collection". Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ Vajracarya, Dhanavajra and Malla, Kamal P. (1985). The Gopalarajavamsavali. Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH.
- ISBN 978-9937209441. Pages 68–69.
- ^ Rolamba. April–June 1983.
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(help) - ^ "Ranjana Alphabet". Lipi Thapu Guthi. 1995.
- ISBN 99946-58-91-3. Page 115.
- ISBN 99933-56-00-X. Page 14.
- ISBN 978-0-415-08576-2. Page 21.
- ^ Sada, Ivan (March 2006). "Interview: Hem Raj Shakya". ECS Nepal. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "Nepal Lipi Sangraha" (PDF). Gorkhapatra. 20 April 1953. Retrieved 7 May 2012.[permanent dead link] Page 3.
- ^ Tuladhar, Kamal Ratna (22 March 2009). "A man of letters". The Kathmandu Post. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ISBN 0-8248-0680-8. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ Shrestha, Bal Gopal (January 1999). "The Newars: The Indigenous Population of the Kathmandu Valley in the Modern State of Nepal)" (PDF). CNAS Journal. Retrieved 23 March 2012. Page 87.
- ^ Manandhar, Dev Dass (5 February 2012). "Proposal for Nepālalipi Script in the Universal Character Set for inclusion in the Unicode Standard" (PDF). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ a b c Pandey, Anshuman (29 February 2012). "Proposal to Encode the Newar Script in ISO/IEC 10646" (PDF). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ Everson, Michael (4 May 2009). "Preliminary proposal for encoding the Rañjana script in the SMP of the UCS" (PDF). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ "ISO 15924/RA Notice of Changes". Unicode. ISO 15924 Registration Authority. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ "कोभिड-१९ विरुद्धको Verocell दोश्रो मात्राको खोप लगाउन आउने बारे सूचना !". Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Retrieved 30 October 2021.An example of a letter head in Kathmandu Metropolitan City
- ^ "प्रेस विज्ञप्ति". Lalitpur Metropolitan City. Retrieved 30 October 2021.An example of a letter head in Lalitpur Metropolitan City
- ^ "आधारभूत तह (कक्षा ८) उत्तीर्ण परीक्षा २०७७ को नतिजा प्रकाशनसम्बन्धी सूचना !". Bhaktapur Municipality. Retrieved 30 October 2021.An example of a letter head in Bhaktapur Municipality
- ^ "Notice for non-governmental social organizations". Madhyapur Thimi Municipality. Retrieved 30 October 2021.An example of a letter head in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality
- ^ "𑐳𑐶𑐎𑑂𑐎𑐶𑐩 𑐴𑐾𑐬𑐮𑑂𑐜" (PDF). Government of Sikkim. Retrieved 1 November 2021.