Newar script

The Newar script, known in the Newar language as Nepal lipi, Nepalakshar and Prachalit, is an abugida, one of the Nepalese scripts that descend from the Brahmi script. It is used to write Nepal Bhasa, Maithili and Sanskrit. Various publications are still published in this script including the Sikkim Herald the bulletin of the Sikkim government (Newari edition).

Etymology

The Newar script is also known as "Nepalakshar" or "Nepal lipi", which means script of Nepal. This script is referred as Newā Ākhaḥ in Modern-Newar language, and Newari Lipi in Nepali language. The Newar script is also known as Prachalit script ("popular script"), as it was one of the most widely used script among all of the scripts used in Nepal, with majority of manuscripts and inscription written in it.

The multilingual stone inscription of Pratap Malla dated to 1654 CE, uses "nevāra ākhala" (Newar script) to refer this script in Classical Newar language. Similarly, in a 1747 CE work, Capuchin friar Costantino da Ascoli refers to this script as Nepalese.

History

The Newar script appeared in the inscription of King Shankaradeva at Jaishideval, dated to 920 CE. Similarly, the first coin in Newar script appeared on a coin of King Shivadeva (1098–1126 CE). The oldest surviving manuscript of the Abhijnana Shakuntala, dated to the 12th century, was written in this script and is now situated at the Asiatic Society.

During Malla dynasty, official records and inscription were written in Newar script. It was also used in official documents by early-Shah rulers, as shown by the Nepal-Tibet treaty of 1775, which was written in Newar script. Later since 1906, with rise of Rana dynasty, official documents written in Newar script was declared illegal. Since than, the Newar script started to replaced by Devanagari script.

Alphabet

Vowels

Consonant

Symbols

Numerals

Unicode

Newar script was added to the Unicode Standard in June, 2016 with the release of version 9.0.

The Unicode block for Newar, called Newa, is U+11400–U+1147F:

Gallery

• An 11th century manuscript of Devikavacha stotra.
• A 14th century manuscript of Varāhamihira's Brihat Jataka.
• King Yaksha Malla’s copperplate inscription in Newar language, 1446 CE.
• King Bhupatindra Malla's Newar language inscription from 1713 CE.
• A 1717 CE (N.S. 837) Classical Newar inscription.
• King Ranajit Malla's Newar language inscription from 1754 CE.
• A manuscript of Ratneshvara-udbhava Pyakhan, a Newar play written by Jayaprakash Malla.
• The Nepal-Tibet Treaty of 1775 written in Classical Newar and Newar script.
• A manuscript of Swasthani Bakhan written in Newar language, from 1819 CE.
• A Newar manuscript of glory of Ekadashi, from 1837 CE.

See also

• Nepalese scripts
• Bhujimol script

Further reading

• Rabison Shakya (2002). Alphabet of the Nepalese Scriptbook. Patan, Nepal. ISBN 99933-34-36-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Covers Prachalit, Ranjana and Bhujimol, development, current use, information about and drawings of character formation.
• Hall, Pat (21 September 2012). (PDF). Archived from (PDF) on 16 August 2016.

External links

• page on Prachalit Nepal script
• for Prachalit, Ranjana and Brahmi scripts
• (GitHub) – a Noto font for Newa