Averma: corrected layout further and cleaned formatting

2026-03-14T04:05:00Z

corrected layout further and cleaned formatting

imported>ChandlerMinh at 14:43, 22 July 2021

2021-07-22T14:43:37Z

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{{About|a writing system|other meanings of "Sharada"|Sharada (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Writing system
|name=Śāradā
|altname={{Script|Shrd|𑆯𑆳𑆫𑆢𑆳}}
|sample=Sharada.svg
|caption=The word ''śāradā'' in Sharada script
|type=[[Abugida]]
|languages=[[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]], [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]
|time= 700 CE –present (almost extinct)<ref name=singh/>
|region=[[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Central Asia]]
|fam1=[[Proto-Sinaitic alphabet]][a]
|fam2=[[Phoenician alphabet]][a]
|fam3=[[Aramaic alphabet]][a]
|footnotes=[a] The Semitic origin of the Brahmic scripts is not universally agreed upon.
|fam4=[[Brāhmī script|Brāhmī]]
|fam5=[[Gupta script|Gupta]]
|sisters=[[Siddhaṃ script|Siddhaṃ]], [[Tibetan script|Tibetan]]<ref name=daniels>{{cite journal |last1=Daniels |first1=P.T. |title=Writing systems of major and minor languages |date=January 2008}}</ref><ref name="masica">{{cite book |last1=Masica |first1=Colin |title=The Indo-Aryan languages |date=1993 |page=143}}</ref>
|children=[[Takri script|Takri]] [[Laṇḍā|Landa]]
|unicode=[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U11180.pdf U+11180–U+111DF]
|iso15924=Shrd
|note=none
}}
{{Contains special characters
| special = uncommon [[Unicode]] characters
| fix = Help:Multilingual support#Sharada
| image = Replacement character.svg
| link = Specials (Unicode block)#Replacement character
| alt = <?>
| compact = yes
}}

{{brahmic|state=uncollapsed}}

The '''Śāradā''', '''Sarada''' or '''Sharada''' script is an [[abugida]] writing system of the [[Brahmic family]] of scripts. The script was widespread between the 8th and 12th centuries in the northwestern parts of Indian Subcontinent (in [[Kashmir]] and neighbouring areas), for writing [[Sanskrit]] and [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]].<ref name=Selin>{{cite book |last1=Selin |first1=Helaine |title=Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures |date=2008 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=9781402045592 |page=Bakhshali Manuscript entry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kt9DIY1g9HYC&pg=RA1-PA1 |language=en|bibcode=2008ehst.book.....S }}</ref><ref name=singh>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Upinder |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |date=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=9788131711200 |page=43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&pg=PA43 |language=en}}</ref><ref>Sir George Grierson. (1916). "[https://archive.org/details/244194891OnTheSharadaAlphabetJournalOfTheRoyalAsiaticSociety171916SirGeorgeGriersonKCIEMRAS/page/n17 On the Sharada Alphabet]". ''Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 17''.</ref> Originally more widespread, its use became later restricted to [[Kashmir]], and it is now rarely used except by the [[Kashmiri Pandit]] community for religious purposes.

[[File:Kabul ganesh khingle.jpg|thumb|150px|A 6th-century marble [[Ganesha]] found in [[Gardez]], [[Afghanistan]], now at Dargah Pir Rattan Nath, [[Kabul]]. The Sharda inscription says that this "great and beautiful image of {{IAST|Mahāvināyaka}}" was consecrated by the [[Hindu Shahi|Shahi]] King Khingala of Khatriya Country Modern Part of Punjab Pakistan and Afghanistan. <ref>For photograph of statue and details of inscription, see: Dhavalikar, M. K., "{{IAST|Gaņeśa}}: Myth and Reality", in: {{Harvnb|Brown|1991|pp=50,63}}.</ref>]]

It is a native script of [[Kashmir]] and is named after the goddess Śāradā or [[Saraswati]], the goddess of learning and the main deity of the [[Sharada Peeth]] temple.<ref name=hindu2>{{cite news|title=Pandits to visit Sharda temple|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/17/stories/2006051704920900.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204050822/http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/17/stories/2006051704920900.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 February 2007 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=17 May 2006 |access-date=13 August 2012}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Bakhshali_manuscript.jpg|thumb|Bakhshali manuscript]]
[[File:Om in Sharada script.png|thumb|100px|Om in Sharada script]]
The [[Bakhshali manuscript]] uses an early stage of the Sharada script.<ref name=Selin/> The Sharda script was used in Afghanistan as well as in the Himachal region in India. In Afghanistan, the Kabul Ganesh has a 6th century Proto-Sharda inscription mentioning king Khingala.{{clarify|date=April 2019|reason="Proto-Sharada" unclear}}<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=x2cuAQAAIAAJ&q=khingala+ganesha+sarAda&dq=khingala+ganesha+sarAda&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiH8c6Lv4TfAhXGzlQKHd0MBVAQ6AEIKjAA From Persepolis to the Punjab: Exploring Ancient Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Elizabeth Errington, Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, British Museum Press, 2007 p. 96]</ref> At the historic Markula Devi Temple, the goddess Mahishamardini has a Sharada inscription of 1569 CE.<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/29757141 Observations on the Architecture and on a Carved Wooden Door of the Temple of Mirkulā Devī at Udaipur, Himachal Pradesh, Francesco Noci, East and West, Vol. 44, No. 1 (March 1994), pp. 99-114]</ref>

From the 10th century onwards, regional differences started to appear between the Sharada script used in Punjab, the Hill States (partly [[Himachal Pradesh]]) and [[Kashmir]]. Sharada proper was eventually restricted to very limited ceremonial use in Kashmir, as it grew increasingly unsuitable for writing the [[Kashmiri language]].<ref name=sharada/> With the last known inscription dating to 1204 C.E., the early 13th century marks a milestone in the development of Sharada.<ref name=sharada>{{cite web | url=https://unicode.org/L2/L2009/09074r-n3595-sharada.pdf| title=N3545: Proposal to Encode the Sharada Script in ISO/IEC 10646 | first1=Anshuman | last1=Pandey | publisher=Working Group Document, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 | date=2009-03-25}}</ref> The regional variety in Punjab continued to evolve from this stage through the 14th century; during this period it starts to appear in forms closely resembling [[Gurmukhī]] and other [[Landa scripts]]. By the 15th century, Sharada had evolved so considerably that [[epigraphist]]s denote the script at this point by a special name, ''Devāśeṣa''.<ref name=sharada/>

==Letters==
===Vowels===
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" |Transliteration
! rowspan="2" |IPA
! rowspan="2" |Independent
position
! colspan="3" |Dependent position
|-
!Glyph
!Example
!Special forms
|-
|''a''
|{{IPA|[ɐ]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆃}}
|(none)
|({{Script|Shrd|𑆥}} ''pa'')
|
|-
|''ā''
|{{IPA|[aː]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆄}}
|𑆳
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆳}} ''pā''
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆕}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆕𑆳}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆘}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆘𑆳}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆛}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆛𑆳}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆟}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆟𑆳}}
|-
| ''i''
|{{IPA|[ɪ]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆅}}
|𑆴
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆴}} ''pi''
|
|-
| ''ī''
|{{IPA|[iː]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆆}}
|𑆵
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆵}} ''pī''
|
|-
|''u''
|{{IPA|[ʊ]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆇}}
|𑆶
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆶}} ''pu''
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆑}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆑𑆶}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆓}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆓𑆶}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆙}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆙𑆶}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆚}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆚𑆶}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆝}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆝𑆶}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆠}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆠𑆶}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆨}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆨𑆶}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆫}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆫𑆶}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆯}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆯𑆶}}
|-
|''ū''
|{{IPA|[uː]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆈}}
|𑆷
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆷}} ''pū''
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆑}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆑𑆷}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆓}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆓𑆷}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆙}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆙𑆷}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆚}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆚𑆷}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆝}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆝𑆷}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆠}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆠𑆷}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆨}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆨𑆷}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆫}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆫𑆷}}; {{Script|Shrd|𑆯}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆯𑆷}}
|-
|''r̥''
|{{IPA|[r̩]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆉}}
|𑆸
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆸}} ''pr̥''
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆑}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆑𑆸}}
|-
|''r̥̄''
|{{IPA|[r̩ː]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆊}}
|𑆹
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆹}} ''pr̥̄''
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆑}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆑𑆹}}
|-
|''l̥''
|{{IPA|[l̩]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆋}}
|𑆺
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆺}} ''pl̥''
|
|-
|''l̥̄''
|{{IPA|[l̩ː]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆌}}
|𑆻
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆻}} ''pl̥̄''
|
|-
|''ē''
|{{IPA|[eː]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆍}}
|𑆼
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆼}} ''pē''
|
|-
|''ai''
|{{IPA|[aːi̯]}}, {{IPA|[ai]}}, {{IPA|[ɐi]}}, {{IPA|[ɛi]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆎}}
|𑆽
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆽}} ''pai''
|
|-
|''ō''
|{{IPA|[oː]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆏}}
|𑆾
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆾}} ''pō''
|
|-
|''au''
|{{IPA|[aːu̯]}}, {{IPA|[au]}}, {{IPA|[ɐu]}}, {{IPA|[ɔu]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆐}}
|𑆿
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆿}} ''pau''
|
|-
|''am̐''
|{{IPA|[◌̃]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆃𑆀}}
|𑆀
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆀}} ''pam̐''
|
|-
|''aṃ''
|{{IPA|[n]}}, {{IPA|[m]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆃𑆁}}
|𑆁
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆁}} ''paṃ''
|
|-
|''aḥ''
|{{IPA|[h]}}
|{{script|Shrd|𑆃𑆂}}
|𑆂
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆂}} ''paḥ''
|
|}

===Consonants===

{| class="wikitable"
!Isolated glyph
![[Transliteration]]
![[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆑}}
|''ka''
|{{IPA|[kɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆒}}
|''kha''
|{{IPA|[kʰɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆓}}
|''ga''
|{{IPA|[ɡɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆔}}
|''gha''
|{{IPA|[ɡʱɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆕}}
|''ṅa''
|{{IPA|[ŋɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆖}}
|''ca''
|{{IPA|[tɕɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆗}}
|''cha''
|{{IPA|[tɕʰɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆘}}
|''ja''
|{{IPA|[dʑɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆙}}
|''jha''
|{{IPA|[dʑʱɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆚}}
|''ña''
|{{IPA|[ɲɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆛}}
|''ṭa''
|{{IPA|[ʈɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆜}}
|''ṭha''
|{{IPA|[ʈʰɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆝}}
|''ḍa''
|{{IPA|[ɖɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆞}}
|''ḍha''
|{{IPA|[ɖʱɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆟}}
|''ṇa''
|{{IPA|[ɳɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆠}}
|''ta''
|{{IPA|[tɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆡}}
|''tha''
|{{IPA|[tʰɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆢}}
|''da''
|{{IPA|[dɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆣}}
|''dha''
|{{IPA|[dʱɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆤}}
|''na''
|{{IPA|[nɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥}}
|''pa''
|{{IPA|[pɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆦}}
|''pha''
|{{IPA|[pʰɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆧}}
|''ba''
|{{IPA|[bɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆨}}
|''bha''
|{{IPA|[bʱɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆩}}
|''ma''
|{{IPA|[mɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆪}}
|''ya''
|{{IPA|[jɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆫}}
|''ra''
|{{IPA|[rɐ]}} , {{IPA|[ɾɐ]}}, {{IPA|[ɽɐ]}}, {{IPA|[ɾ̪ɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆬}}
|''la''
|{{IPA|[lɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆭}}
|''ḷa''
|{{IPA|[ɭɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆮}}
|''va''
|{{IPA|[ʋɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆯}}
|''śa''
|{{IPA|[ɕɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆰}}
|''ṣa''
|{{IPA|[ʂɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆱}}
|''sa''
|{{IPA|[sɐ]}}
|-
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆲}}
|''ha''
|{{IPA|[ɦɐ]}}
|}

==Numerals==
{| class="wikitable"
! Sharada || Arabic
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇐}} || 0
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇑}} || 1
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇒}} || 2
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇓}} || 3
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇔}} || 4
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇕}} || 5
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇖}} || 6
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇗}} || 7
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇘}} || 8
|-
| {{script|Shrd|𑇙}} || 9
|}

Sharada script uses its own signs for the [[Positional notation|positional]] [[Decimal|decimal numeral system]].

==Image gallery==
<gallery>
File:Sharada-Vowels.jpg|Sharada vowels
File:Sharada-Consonants.jpg|Sharada consonant signs
File:Die Sprachenhalle 1.jpg|Sanskrit (above; devanagari script) and Kashmiri language (below; sharada script)
</gallery>

== Unicode ==
{{Main|Sharada (Unicode block)}}

Śāradā script was added to the [[Unicode]] Standard in January, 2012 with the release of version 6.1.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2009/09074r2-n3595-sharada.pdf|title=L2/09-074R2: Proposal to encode the Sharada Script in ISO/IEC 10646|date=2009-08-05|first=Anshuman|last=Pandey}}</ref>

The Unicode block for Śāradā script, called Sharada, is U+11180–U+111DF:
{{Unicode chart Sharada}}

==See also==
* [[Lipi]] – writing scripts in Buddhist, Hindu and Jaina texts
* [[Sharada Peeth]] in Kashmir

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://aksharamukha.appspot.com/describe/Sharada Aksharamukha: Sharada script]
*Saerji. (2009). ''[http://www.fanfoyan.com/resour/pale/abhidharm.pdf Śāradā script: Akṣara List of the Manuscript of Abhidharmadīpa (ca. the 11th Century)]''. Research Institute of Sanskrit Manuscripts & Buddhist Literature, Peking University.
*[http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/20010105/iin05014.html Prevalence of the Śāradā Script in Afghanistan]

{{list of writing systems}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarada Script}}
[[Category:Brahmic scripts]]
[[Category:Sarada scripts]]
[[Category:History of Kashmir]]

Sharada script - Revision history

Averma: corrected layout further and cleaned formatting

imported>ChandlerMinh at 14:43, 22 July 2021