View source for Sharada script

{{Short description|Abugida}}
{{About|a writing system|other meanings of "Sharada"|Sharada (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Writing system
 |name=Sharada script
 |altname=Śāradā<br/>
{{Script|Shrd|𑆯𑆳𑆫𑆢𑆳}}
 |sample=Shukla Sharada.svg
 |caption=The word ''śāradā'' in Sharada script
 |type=[[Abugida]]
 |languages=[[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]], [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]
 |time= 700 CE &ndash;present (almost extinct)<ref name=singh/> 
 |region=[[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Central Asia]]
|fam1=[[Egyptian hieroglyphs|Egyptian]]
|fam2=[[Proto-Sinaitic]]
|fam3=[[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]]
|fam4=[[Aramaic alphabet|Aramaic]]
|fam5=[[Brahmi script|Brahmi]]
|fam6=[[Gupta script|Gupta]]
|sisters=[[Siddham script|Siddham]], [[Tibetan script|Tibetan]],<ref name=daniels>{{cite book |last1=Daniels |first1=P.T. |chapter=Writing systems of major and minor languages |editor-last1=Kachru |editor-first1=Braj B. |editor-last2=Kachru |editor-first2=Yamuna |editor-last3=Sridhar |editor-first3=S. N. |title=Language in South Asia |date=27 March 2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-46550-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O2n4sFGDEMYC |language=en}}</ref><ref name="masica">{{cite book |last1=Masica |first1=Colin |title=The Indo-Aryan languages |date=1993 |page=143}}</ref> [[Kalinga script|Kalinga]], [[Bhaiksuki script|Bhaiksuki]]
 |children=[[Takri script|Takri]]<br />[[Laṇḍā|Landa]]
 |unicode=[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U11180.pdf U+11180&ndash;U+111DF]
 |iso15924=Shrd
 |note=none
 |footnotes=
 }}
{{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> Although originally a signature [[Brahminical]] script created in the valley, it was more widespread throughout northwestern Indian subcontinent, and later became restricted to Kashmir, and is now rarely used, except by the [[Kashmiri Pandit]] community for religious purposes.<ref name=singh/>

[[File:Gardesh Ganesha dedicated by Khingila, Kabul, 7-8th century CE.jpg|thumb|150px|The ''[[Gardez Ganesha]]'', a 6th-century marble [[Ganesha]] found in [[Gardez]], [[Afghanistan]], now at Dargah Pir Rattan Nath, [[Kabul]]. The Sharada 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 [[Hindu 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.svg|thumb|100px|Om in Sharada script]]
[[File:Śāradāstotra.png|thumb|The first half stanza of the Śāradāstotra rendered in Śāradā script.]]
Sharda script is named after the Hindu goddess Śāradā, also known as [[Saraswati]], the goddess of learning and the main [[Hindu deity]] of the [[Sharada Peeth]] temple.<ref name=hindu2 />

Although originally a script restricted to only [[Brahmins]], Sharda was later spread throughout the larger Hindu population in Northwestern Indian subcontinent, as [[Hinduism]] became the dominant religion in the region again.<ref name=hindu2 /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://eduindex.org/2020/06/12/the-indigenous-script-of-kashmir-the-sharda-script/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 24, 2023 |title=The Indigenous Script of Kashmir – The Sharda Script |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230924195939/https://eduindex.org/2020/06/12/the-indigenous-script-of-kashmir-the-sharda-script/ |archive-date=September 24, 2023 |date=June 12, 2020 |language=en-IN }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book |year=2015 |last=Fogelin |first=Lars |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yPZzBgAAQBAJ&q=Decline+buddhism+gupta |access-date=September 24, 2023 |isbn=9780199948239 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=149 |title=An Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism |quote=...the emergence and spread of Hinduism through Indian society helped lead to Buddhism's gradual decline in India. |language=en-UK }}</ref>

The [[Bakhshali manuscript]] uses an early stage of the Sharada script.<ref name=Selin/> The Sharada script was used in Afghanistan as well as in the [[Himachal Pradesh|Himachal]] region in India. In Afghanistan, the [[Gardez Ganesha#Inscription|Kabul Ganesh]] has a 6th to 8th century Proto-Sharada{{clarify|date=April 2019|reason="Proto-Sharada" unclear}} inscription mentioning the, [[Turk Shahis]], king [[Khingala]] of [[Oddiyana]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=x2cuAQAAIAAJ&q=khingala+ganesha+sarAda 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 temple of Mirkula Devi (also Mrikula Devi) in Lahaul, [Himachal Pradesh], 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"
|-
!Letter
!Diacritic on {{Angbr|𑆥}}
!Special forms
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆃|ch2=-|s=Shrd|ipa=[ɐ]|iso=a}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥}} ''pa''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆄|ch2=𑆳|s=Shrd|ipa=[aː]|iso=ā}}
|{{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}}
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆅|ch2=𑆴|s=Shrd|ipa=[ɪ]|iso=i}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆴}} ''pi''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆆|ch2=𑆵|s=Shrd|ipa=[iː]|iso=ī}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆵}} ''pī''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆇|ch2=𑆶|s=Shrd|ipa=[ʊ]|iso=u}}
|{{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}}
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆈|ch2=𑆷|s=Shrd|ipa=[uː]|iso=ū}}
|{{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}}
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆉|ch2=𑆸|s=Shrd|ipa=[r̩]|iso=r̥}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆸}} ''pr̥''
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆑}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆑𑆸}}
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆊|ch2=𑆹|s=Shrd|ipa=[r̩ː]|iso=r̥̄}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆹}}  ''pr̥̄''
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆑}} → {{Script|Shrd|𑆑𑆹}}
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆋|ch2=𑆺|s=Shrd|ipa=[l̩]|iso=l̥}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆺}} ''pl̥''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆌|ch2=𑆻|s=Shrd|ipa=[l̩ː]|iso=l̥̄}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆻}} ''pl̥̄''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆍|ch2=𑆼|s=Shrd|ipa=[eː]|iso=ē}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆼}} ''pē''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆎|ch2=𑆽|s=Shrd|ipa=[aːi̯], [ai], [ɐi], [ɛi]|iso=ai}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆽}} ''pai''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆏|ch2=𑆾|s=Shrd|ipa=[oː]|iso=ō}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆾}} ''pō''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆐|ch2=𑆿|s=Shrd|ipa=[aːu̯], [au], [ɐu], [ɔu]|iso=au}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆿}} ''pau''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆃𑆀|ch2=𑆀|s=Shrd|ipa=[◌̃]|iso=am̐}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆀}} ''pam̐''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆃𑆁|ch2=𑆁|s=Shrd|ipa=[n], [m]|iso=aṃ}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆁}} ''paṃ''
|
|-
|{{letter|ch1=𑆃𑆂|ch2=𑆂|s=Shrd|ipa=[h]|iso=aḥ}}
|{{Script|Shrd|𑆥𑆂}} ''paḥ''
|
|}

===Consonants===

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

==Numerals==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇐 | top = 0}}
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇑 | top = 1}}
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇒 | top = 2}}
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇓 | top = 3}}
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇔 | top = 4}}
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇕 | top = 5}}
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇖 | top = 6}}
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇗 | top = 7}}
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇘 | top = 8}}
| {{letter | s = Shrd | ch = 𑇙 | top = 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)
File:Sarada Script of Kashmir.jpg|Old manuscript using Sharada script
File:Sharadastotrafull.png|The Sharadastotra rendered in the style of handwritten manuscripts from the 17th to 19th century
File:Kashmiri miniature painting of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, and other Indic deities figuratively within the Sharada script Omkar glyph.jpg|Kashmiri miniature painting of [[Brahma]], [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva|Mahesh]], and other [[Hindu deities|Indic deities]] figuratively within the Sharada script [[Om]]kar glyph
File:Sanskrit manuscript 1219 Wellcome L0043910.jpg|Folio of the ''Citrabhânuçataka'' by Ratnakantha Rajanaka written in Sharada script, circa 17th century
</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&ndash;U+111DF:
{{Unicode chart Sharada}}

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

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{Citation |last=Brown |first=Robert |year=1991 |title=Ganesh: Studies of an Asian God |location=Albany |publisher=State University of New York |isbn=978-0791406571 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oF-Hqih3pBAC}}

==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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920034518/http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/20010105/iin05014.html |date=2010-09-20 }}

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarada Script}}
[[Category:Brahmic scripts]]
[[Category:Sarada scripts]]
[[Category:History of Kashmir]]
[[Category:8th-century introductions]]
[[Category:Writing systems introduced in the 1st millennium]]