Ranjana script

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"Lantsa" redirects here. For the motorboat, see Launch (boat).
Rañjanā
'Ranjana Lipi' in Ranjana script
Script type
Time period
c. 1100–present
DirectionLeft-to-right
RegionNepal and India
Languages
Prachalit
Bhujimol
ISO 15924
ISO 15924Ranj (303), ​Ranjana
 This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.
Brahmic scripts
The Brahmi script and its descendants
Northern Brahmic
Southern Brahmic

The Rañjanā script (Lantsa

calligraphic
script.

History

Rañjanā is a

Prachalit 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] The Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra lettered in gold ink by Bhiksu Ananda of Kapitanagar and dating back to the Nepal 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 the Nepal 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]

Alphabet

Vowels

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

Consonants

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

Vowel diacritics

  • Vowel diacritic of Ranjana letter 'ग'.
    Vowel diacritic of Ranjana letter 'ग'.
  • Vowel diacritic of Ranjana letter 'ब'.
    Vowel diacritic of Ranjana letter 'ब'.
  • Vowel diacritic of Ranjana letter 'क'.
    Vowel diacritic of Ranjana letter 'क'.

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.)


Numerals

0 ० 1 १ 2 २ 3 ३ 4 ४ 5 ५ 6 ६ 7 ७ 8 ८ 9 ९

Use

Rañjana is mostly used for printing Hindu and Buddhist scriptures and literature in Sanskrit and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit used by the

Manjusri: "Om a ra pa ca na dhi."[11][12][13] The script is also used in Hindu scriptures.[14]

In

dhāraṇīs was not the Rañjanā script, but rather the earlier Siddhaṃ script that was widely propagated in China during the Tang dynasty.[15] However, in late Imperial China, the influence of Tibetan 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 of Cundi Bodhisattva. The script has also been adopted by Vietnamese folk shamans in their use of amulets such as Lỗ Ban phái, a Taoist folk sect that arrived from China named after Lu Ban, patron god of carpenters.[17]

Use in Tibet

When Rañjanā was introduced to Tibet, it was referred to as Lantsa (

Sanskrit: लञ्ज or Lañja (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 sha as 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 the Mañjuśrīnāmasamgīti, the Diamond Sutra and the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. The Lantsa script is also found in manuscripts and printed editions of some Sanskrit-Tibetan lexicons such as the Mahāvyutpatti. 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 prepare Mantra and Dharani inserted into Buddhist images and Stupa for consecration, as well as in the drawing of certain mandalas ( similar to the Japanese use of the Siddhaṃ script).

Lantsa is frequently seen on the outside of prayer wheels, and decoratively on the gateways, walls. beams and pillars of Tibetan temples and monasteries.

Numerous alternative spellings of the term Lantsa exist, including the following:

  • Lanja
  • Landzha
  • Lantsha
  • Lentsa
  • Lendza

Monogram (Kutākshar)

A Kutākshar monogram on the facade of the Jana Bahal.

Kutākshar is a monogram of the Ranjana script. It is only one of the Nepalese scripts that can be written in monogram.

Unicode

A Unicode block for the script has been proposed by Evertype.[20]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ Masica, Colin (1993). The Indo-Aryan languages. p. 143.
  2. ^ a b Omniglot[self-published source?]
  3. ^ a b c Jwajalapa[self-published source?] Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Folk tales from the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal: Black rice and other stories, p.47, Kesar Lall, Ratna Pustak Bhandar
  5. ^ Nepalese Inscriptions in the Rubin Collection
  6. ^ Nagarjuna Institute: Buddhist Sites of Nepal – Hiraynavarna Mahavihara
  7. ^ Ranjana Script[self-published source?]
  8. ISBN 9993334367
    .
  9. ^ "Preliminary proposal for encoding the Rañjana script in the SMP of the UCS" (PDF). 2006. 3649.
  10. ^ [1], Preservation of Sanskrit Buddhist Manuscripts in the Kathmandu Valley: Its importance and future, Min Bahadur Shakya
  11. ^ Teachings og Buddha[self-published source?]
  12. ^ Dharma Haven[self-published source?]
  13. ^ Ranjana font[self-published source?]
  14. ^ Asian art
  15. ^ Chattopadhayaya, Alaka (1999). Atisa and Tibet: Life and Works of Dipamkara Srijnana: p. 201
  16. ^ Jiang, Wu (2008). Enlightenment in Dispute: The Reinvention of Chan Buddhism in Seventeenth-Century China: p. 146
  17. ^ "Ma Phương :: Tinh Hoa Đông Phương". maphuong.com. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  18. ^ "lany+dza". Dharma Dictionary. Tsadra Foundation. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  19. ^ Ranjana script and Nepal Bhasa (Newari) language
  20. ^ Preliminary proposal for encoding the Rañjana script in the SMP of the UCS

External links

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