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Tirhuta script
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| Tirhuta Mithilakshar 𑒞𑒱𑒩𑒯𑒳𑒞𑒰 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Script type | |
Period | c. 7th century–present day[1] |
| Direction | Left-to-right  |
| Languages | Maithili, Sanskrit |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
Sister systems | Bengali–Assamese, Odia |
| ISO 15924 | |
| ISO 15924 | Tirh (326), Tirhuta |
| Unicode | |
Unicode alias | Tirhuta |
| U+11480–U+114DF Final Accepted Script Proposal | |
The Tirhuta script, also known as Mithilakshar or Maithili script, has historically been used for writing the Maithili, an Indo-Aryan language spoken by almost 35 million people of Mithila region.[4] The scripts of Maithili and Bengali are very much similar. Maithili, Bengali, Assamese, Newari, Odia and Tibetan are a part of the same family of scripts.[5][6]
History
[edit]
The Lalitavistara, an ancient Buddhist text, mentions the Vaidehi script. A significant transformation occurred in the northeastern alphabet in the latter half of the 7th century AD. This evolution is first evident in the inscriptions of Adityasena. The eastern variant of this transformed script subsequently developed into the Maithili script, which gained prominence in regions like Assam, Bengal, and Nepal.[1]
The earliest recorded epigraphic evidence of the Maithili script dates back to the 7th century AD. It is found in the inscriptions of Adityasena on the Mandar Hill Stone, located in Bounsi, Banka district, Bihar. These inscriptions, now preserved in the Baidyanath Temple of Deoghar, provide a crucial glimpse into the early development of this script.[1]
It is one of the scripts of the broader Eastern South Asia. It had come to its current shape by the 10th century AD. The oldest form of Mithilakshar is also found in the Sahodara stone inscriptions of 950 AD. The script has been used throughout Mithila from Champaran to Deoghar.[7]
A fragmentary inscription found in Simraungadh, the medieval capital of the Karnats of Mithila which dates back to the 12th century in Tirhuta script is also one of the oldest evidence of this script.[8]
Current status
[edit]The use of this script has been declining in the last 100 years, which is the primary reason for the Mithila culture's decline. Despite its constitutional status, the development of the Maithili language is hindered by the lack of a widely used script.[7]
Nowadays, the Maithili language is written almost exclusively in the Devanagari script, although Tirhuta is still sometimes used by religious Pundits and some culture – conscious families for writing ceremonial letters (pātā), documents & cultural affair, and efforts are underway to broaden the scope of its usage.[4][9]
In the early 20th century some Sanskrit works were printed in this script through lithographic process. Later on Pusk Bhandar, Laheriasarai managed to forge a set of types and published a few works in Tirhuta, but could not go ahead. In the middle of the last century, All India Maithili Conference came with a new set of types and used it in the prestigious publication of Brihat Maithili Shabdakosha.[10]
The official recognition of Maithili as one of the 14 provincial official languages of Nepal[11] and its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India in 2003 have established it as a language with an independent identity.[12] However, currently Maithili in the Devanagari script is officially recognised.[9]
In June 2014, the Tirhuta script was added to the Unicode Standard from version 7.0. Although there is limited electronic font support, digitalisation efforts have started.[13]
Letters
[edit]
Consonant letters
[edit]| Brahmic scripts |
|---|
| The Brahmi script and its descendants |
Most of the consonant letters are effectively identical to Bengali–Assamese, with the exception of 7 of the 33 letters: ⟨jh, ṭ, ḍh, ṇ, l, ś, h⟩, marked in pink. The consonants, along with their IAST and IPA transcriptions, are provided below.
𑒏  ka IPA: /kə/
|
𑒐  kha IPA: /kʰə/
|
𑒑  ga IPA: /gə/
|
𑒒  gha IPA: /gʱə/
|
𑒓  ṅa IPA: /ŋə/
|
𑒔  ca IPA: /t͡ʃə/
|
𑒕  cha IPA: /t͡ʃʰə/
|
𑒖  ja IPA: /d͡ʒə/
|
𑒗  jha IPA: /d͡ʒʱə/
|
𑒘  ña IPA: /ɲə/
|
𑒙  ṭa IPA: /ʈə/
|
𑒚  ṭha IPA: /ʈʰə/
|
𑒛  ḍa IPA: /ɖə/
|
𑒜  ḍha IPA: /ɖʱə/
|
𑒝  ṇa IPA: /ɳə/
|
𑒞  ta IPA: /t̪ə/
|
𑒟  tha IPA: /t̪ʰə/
|
𑒠  da IPA: /d̪ə/
|
𑒡  dha IPA: /d̪ʱə/
|
𑒢  na IPA: /nə/
|
𑒣  pa IPA: /pə/
|
𑒤  pha IPA: /pʰə/
|
𑒥  ba IPA: /bə/
|
𑒦  bha IPA: /bʱə/
|
𑒧  ma IPA: /mə/
|
𑒨  ya IPA: /jə/
|
𑒩  ra IPA: /rə/
|
𑒪  la IPA: /lə/
|
𑒫  va IPA: /ʋə/
|
𑒬  śa IPA: /ʃə/
|
𑒭  ṣa IPA: /ʂə/
|
𑒮  sa IPA: /sə/
|
𑒯  ha IPA: /ɦə/
|
Vowels
[edit]𑒁— a IPA: /а/
|
𑒂𑒰 ā IPA: /аː/
|
𑒃𑒱 i IPA: /і/
|
𑒄𑒲 ī IPA: /іː/
|
𑒅𑒳 u IPA: /u/
|
𑒆𑒴 ū IPA: /uː/
|
𑒇𑒵 ṛ IPA: /r̩/
|
𑒈𑒶 ṝ IPA: /r̩ː/
|
𑒉𑒷 ḷ IPA: /l̩/
|
𑒊𑒸 ḹ IPA: /l̩ː/
|
𑒋𑒹 ē IPA: /еː/
|
—𑒺 e IPA: /е/
|
𑒌𑒻 ai IPA: /аі/
|
𑒍𑒼 ō IPA: /оː/
|
—𑒽 o IPA: /о/
|
𑒎𑒾 au IPA: /аu/
|
Other signs
[edit]| Symbol | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
𑒿
 |
chandrabindu | marks the nasalisation of a vowel |
𑓀
 |
anusvara | marks nasalisation |
𑓁
 |
visarga | marks the sound [h], which is an allophone of [r] and [s] in pausa (at the end of an utterance) |
𑓂
 |
virama | used to suppress the inherent vowel |
𑓃
 |
nukta | used to create new consonant signs |
𑓄
 |
avagraha | used to indicate prodelision of an [a] |
𑓅
 |
gvang | used to mark nasalisation |
𑓇
 |
Om | Om sign |
Numerals
[edit]Tirhuta script uses its own signs for the positional decimal numeral system.
0 𑓐
 |
1 𑓑
 |
2 𑓒
 |
3 𑓓
 |
4 𑓔
 |
5 𑓕
 |
6 𑓖
 |
7 𑓗
 |
8 𑓘
 |
9 𑓙
 |
Image Gallery
[edit]Visual representation of the Maithili script, from its early inscriptions to contemporary handwriting.
-
7th Century AD, Mandar Parvat inscriptions of Tirhuta -
Tirhuta script found on Mandar Parvat -
Image showing early Tirhuta writing in 7th century AD, Mandar Hills inscriptions -
Table showing various alphabets used in Mithila -
Varṇa Ratnākara manuscript in Maithili script -
-
Hand written Mithilakshara scripts -
Inscription of King Narasimha of the Oinwar dynasty in the Tirhuta script at the Kandaha Sun Temple in Saharsa district, (c. 1435 A.D.)
Unicode
[edit]Tirhuta script was added to the Unicode Standard in June 2014 with the release of version 7.0.
The Unicode block for Tirhuta is U+11480–U+114DF:
| Tirhuta[1][2] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| U+1148x | 𑒀 | 𑒁 | 𑒂 | 𑒃 | 𑒄 | 𑒅 | 𑒆 | 𑒇 | 𑒈 | 𑒉 | 𑒊 | 𑒋 | 𑒌 | 𑒍 | 𑒎 | 𑒏 |
| U+1149x | 𑒐 | 𑒑 | 𑒒 | 𑒓 | 𑒔 | 𑒕 | 𑒖 | 𑒗 | 𑒘 | 𑒙 | 𑒚 | 𑒛 | 𑒜 | 𑒝 | 𑒞 | 𑒟 |
| U+114Ax | 𑒠 | 𑒡 | 𑒢 | 𑒣 | 𑒤 | 𑒥 | 𑒦 | 𑒧 | 𑒨 | 𑒩 | 𑒪 | 𑒫 | 𑒬 | 𑒭 | 𑒮 | 𑒯 |
| U+114Bx | 𑒰 | 𑒱 | 𑒲 | 𑒳 | 𑒴 | 𑒵 | 𑒶 | 𑒷 | 𑒸 | 𑒹 | 𑒺 | 𑒻 | 𑒼 | 𑒽 | 𑒾 | 𑒿 |
| U+114Cx | 𑓀 | 𑓁 | 𑓂 | 𑓃 | 𑓄 | 𑓅 | 𑓆 | 𑓇 | ||||||||
| U+114Dx | 𑓐 | 𑓑 | 𑓒 | 𑓓 | 𑓔 | 𑓕 | 𑓖 | 𑓗 | 𑓘 | 𑓙 | ||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Chaudhary, Radha Krishna (1976). "A Survey Of Maithili Literature". Archive.org.
- ^ Daniels, Peter T. (January 2008). Writing systems of major and minor languages.
- ^ Salomon, Richard (1998). Indian Epigraphy. p. 41.
- ^ a b "An overview of Tirhuta script of Maithili language of India and Nepal". Script Source.
- ^ "Ancient language Maithili is on the verge of decline, government takes steps to revive its importance". India Today. 12 February 2019.
- ^ Masica, Colin (1993). The Indo-Aryan languages. Cambridge University Press. p. 143. ISBN 9780521299442.
Proto-Bengali gave birth to the Maithili, Modern Bengali (settled in the seventeenth century: Assamese is a nineteenth-century variant), and Oriya scripts, as well as the Manipuri and Newari scripts for two Tibeto Burman languages.
- ^ a b Press Information Bureau Government of India Ministry of Education (11 February 2019). "The MHRD constituted a Committee in the year 2018 for making a report for the Promotion and Protection of Maithili Language and its scripts".
- ^ "A Fragmentary Inscription in Tirhuta script from Simraongarh, capital of Karnat dynasty of Mithila" (PDF).
- ^ a b India Mysore, CIIL. "SCRIPT AND SPELLING of Maithili language". LIS-India.
- ^ Mishra, Jayakanta (9 June 2017). "Brihat Maithili Shabda Kosh Fascilcule".
- ^ Language Commission (2021). सरकारी कामकाजको भाषाका आधारहरूको निर्धारण तथा भाषासम्बन्धी सिफारिसहरू (पञ्चवर्षीय प्रतिवेदन- साराांश) २०७८ [Determination of language bases of government work and language recommendations (five-year report - summary) 2078] (PDF) (Report) (in Nepali). Government of Nepal. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Languages Included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution". Raj bhasa Vibhag Government of India.
- ^ Brookes, Tim (27 May 2021). "Samrat Jha – Endangered Alphabets". Reviving Endangered Scripts. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
External links
[edit]Tirhuta script
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
History
Origins in Brahmi-Derived Scripts
The Tirhuta script, traditionally used for the Maithili language in the Mithila region, belongs to the Brahmic family of scripts, which trace their ancestry to the Brahmi script attested from the 3rd century BCE in Ashokan edicts.[2] Like other northern and eastern Indian scripts, Tirhuta developed through post-Gupta evolutions, specifically deriving from the Gauḍī script (also termed Proto-Bengali), a form that emerged from the Kuṭila branch of late Brahmi around the 10th century CE.[2] The Kuṭila script itself represents a cursive, eastern variant influenced by the Gupta script (ca. 320–550 CE), which succeeded imperial Brahmi and introduced more angular and ligatured forms suited to writing Sanskrit and Prakrit on diverse materials.[2] This evolutionary path reflects adaptations for regional phonology and aesthetics in the Mithila area, with Tirhuta sharing glyphic similarities—such as rounded heads and horizontal bars—with sister scripts like Bengali-Assamese (Eastern Nagari) and Odia, while diverging in consonant shapes and conjunct formations by the medieval period.[2] Paleographic analysis indicates that Tirhuta stabilized as a distinct script for Maithili and Sanskrit by the 14th century, though proto-forms appear earlier in transitional inscriptions blending Kuṭila and Gauḍī elements.[2] The earliest epigraphic evidence of Tirhuta is the Sahodara stone inscription from 950 CE, found at the Sahodara temple in West Champaran, Bihar, marking the script's initial attestation in a dedicated form for local usage.[5] Subsequent records include 12th-century fragments from Simroungadh, the capital of the Karnata dynasty in Mithila, demonstrating its application in royal and religious contexts.[2] These inscriptions confirm Tirhuta's role as a Brahmi descendant tailored to the cultural and linguistic needs of eastern India, predating its widespread literary use in pañjī genealogies from the 14th century onward.[2]Development and Medieval Usage
![Tirhuta Script at Mandar Hills][float-right] The Tirhuta script, also known as Mithilakshar, evolved from the ancient Brahmi script through successive eastern Indian variants, including the Gupta script and the Gaudi or Proto-Bengali forms prevalent during the early medieval period. This development reflects adaptations in letter shapes and orthographic conventions suited to the phonology of languages spoken in the Mithila region, with intermediate stages documented in inscriptions from the Pala dynasty era. By the 10th century, the script had attained a form closely resembling its classical structure, as evidenced by epigraphic and manuscript records.[3][4] Earliest attestations of proto-Tirhuta or closely related forms appear in the 7th-century stone inscriptions of King Adityasena at Mandar Hill in Banka District, Bihar, marking the initial epigraphic use in the region. Further refinement occurred in the 13th century, with Proto-Tirhuta visible in Nalanda copper-plate manuscripts and a 1228 AD inscription from Nepal, transitioning toward the standardized abugida system. The modern Tirhuta form was established by the 15th century, as seen in texts like Pakshadhar Mishra's Harivamsha dated to 1445 AD.[3] ![12th century Stone Inscription from Simroungarh in Tirhuta script][center] During the medieval period (roughly 8th to 15th centuries), Tirhuta served as the primary script for administrative, literary, and religious purposes in Mithila, encompassing parts of modern Bihar and Nepal. It was employed to record Sanskrit treatises and emerging Maithili vernacular literature, including devotional works and royal grants. Stone inscriptions, such as the 12th-century example from Simroungarh, demonstrate its use in commemorating rulers and events under the Karnata dynasty. Maithil Brahmins utilized it for pañjī genealogical registers starting from the 14th century, preserving family lineages and social records. Prominent authors like Vidyapati (c. 1350–1440) composed poetry and commentaries, such as his Shrimadbhagavata adaptation, in Tirhuta on palm-leaf manuscripts, influencing regional literary traditions.[3][6]Decline in the Modern Era
The Tirhuta script, long the primary medium for Maithili literature and documents, experienced a marked decline beginning in the early 20th century, primarily due to its replacement by the more standardized Devanagari script.[2] This shift was accelerated by the limitations of Tirhuta in adapting to modern printing technologies; while the first Maithili book appeared in Tirhuta type in 1880, the scarcity of compatible printing presses soon favored Devanagari, whose typefaces were more readily available and economically viable for publishers.[3] As a result, even traditional Maithili scribes among Brahmin and Kayastha communities adopted Devanagari for practical reasons, confining Tirhuta to niche ceremonial, religious, and genealogical applications by the mid-20th century.[3] Post-independence administrative policies in India further entrenched Devanagari as the official script for Maithili, an eighth-schedule language, in education, government records, and media across Bihar and Jharkhand, where Maithili speakers number over 13 million.[2] In Nepal, where Maithili serves as one of 21 recognized national languages spoken by approximately 3 million people, Devanagari similarly dominated official usage, marginalizing Tirhuta despite its historical prevalence in Sanskrit and Maithili manuscripts until the 1940s.[2] The lack of standardized Tirhuta fonts and keyboards in early digital systems compounded this, leading to its virtual absence from contemporary publications and online content by the late 20th century.[3] By the 21st century, Tirhuta's usage had dwindled to under 1% of Maithili texts in print and digital formats, with surveys indicating proficiency limited to elderly scholars and cultural practitioners in Mithila regions.[7] This erosion reflects broader pressures of linguistic standardization and technological incompatibility rather than inherent deficiencies in the script's structure, though the resulting cultural disconnect has been cited by linguists as a factor in Maithili's own vitality challenges.[2]Script Characteristics
Phonological Mapping and Abugida Features
The Tirhuta script operates as an abugida, in which basic consonant letters inherently include the short vowel /a/ (schwa-like in Maithili pronunciation), forming a syllabic unit such as ka for the grapheme representing the velar stop.[2][3] This inherent vowel is suppressed via the virama diacritic (𑓂) to denote consonant-final syllables or clusters, enabling conjunct forms without vocalic interruption.[2][8] Dependent vowel signs, or matras, attach above, below, to the right, or left of the consonant to replace the inherent /a/ with other vowels, such as 𑒍𑓄 for ki (/ki/).[2][3] The script's consonant inventory comprises 33 letters, mapping to Maithili's phonological stops (unaspirated voiceless, aspirated voiceless, unaspirated voiced, aspirated voiced across velar, palatal, retroflex, dental, and labial places), five nasals (/ŋ/, /ɲ/, /ɳ/, /n/, /m/), lateral /l/, flap /ɾ/, approximants /ʋ/ and /j/, and sibilants /ʃ/ and /ɦ/.[8][3] This aligns with Indo-Aryan phonology, though Maithili-specific realizations include dental rather than alveolar dentals and variable aspiration contrast.[3] The vowel system features 14 independent forms for standalone vowels, including short/long pairs (/a/, /aː/, /i/, /iː/, /u/, /uː/, /ɾɪ/, /ɾɪː/) and diphthongs (/e/, /ai/, /o/, /au/), with corresponding dependent matras for post-consonantal positions; some diphthongs like /ai/ may represent diphthongal or monophthongal variants (/æ/ or /eɪ/) depending on context.[2][8] Additional diacritics handle nasalization (via anusvara 𑓁 or candrabindu) and elongation, ensuring graphemic representation of Maithili's prosodic features without alphabetic vowel precedence.[2][3] This mapping prioritizes syllabic efficiency, with left-to-right ordering and baseline alignment typical of Brahmi-derived abugidas, though Tirhuta's curved, flowing forms distinguish it visually while preserving phonetic fidelity to Maithili's five-term vowel quantity and consonant aspiration distinctions.[2][8] Exceptions occur in conjuncts or loanword adaptations, where subjoined forms or halant-modified clusters approximate gemination or foreign phonemes without altering core abugida principles.[3]Consonant Inventory
The Tirhuta script employs an inventory of 33 consonant letters, each inherently pronounced with the vowel /a/ unless modified by diacritics or a virama (halant) to indicate the pure consonant.[2] These consonants follow the classical Sanskrit phonological classification into five varga (groups of stops and nasals), supplemented by semivowels, sibilants, and the aspirate ha. This structure accommodates the phonemic contrasts of aspiration, voicing, and place of articulation found in Maithili and Sanskrit, with retroflex and dental distinctions preserved.[2] The consonants are rendered with context-sensitive shaping in certain combinations, particularly involving ta, na, ba, ya, ra, la, and va, where subjoined forms or ligatures may alter appearance.[2] Notably, ra exhibits two variant forms depending on the following vowel, influencing ligature rendering at the font level.[2]| Varga | Consonants (with Unicode code points) |
|---|---|
| Velar (Ka) | 𑒏 ka, 𑒐 kha, 𑒑 ga, 𑒒 gha, 𑒓 ṅa |
| Palatal (Ca) | 𑒔 ca, 𑒕 cha, 𑒖 ja, 𑒗 jha, 𑒘 ña |
| Retroflex (Ṭa) | 𑒙 ṭṭa, 𑒚 ṭṭha, 𑒛 ḍḍa, 𑒜 ḍḍha, 𑒝 ṇṇa |
| Dental (Ta) | 𑒞 ta, 𑒟 tha, 𑒠 da, 𑒡 dha, 𑒢 na |
| Labial (Pa) | 𑒣 pa, 𑒤 pha, 𑒥 ba, 𑒦 bha, 𑒧 ma |
| Others | 𑒨 ya, 𑒩 ra (variants noted), 𑒪 la, 𑒫 va, 𑒬 śa, 𑒭 ṣṣa, 𑒮 sa, 𑒯 ha |
Vowel System and Diacritics
The Tirhuta script functions as an abugida, with each consonant glyph inherently carrying the vowel /a/ (or a schwa-like /ə/ in certain phonetic contexts), which can be suppressed by the virama (halant) diacritic to form pure consonants or clusters.[9] Dependent vowel signs, termed mātrās, modify this inherent vowel when attached to consonants, while independent vowel letters represent vowels at the syllable onset or in isolation. This system aligns with the phonological needs of Maithili and Sanskrit, supporting 10-14 core vowels including monophthongs, diphthongs, and syllabic liquids.[10] Independent vowel letters number 14 in standard Tirhuta, covering short a (𑒁, /a/), long ā (𑒂, /aː/), short i (𑒃, /i/), long ī (𑒄, /iː/), short u (𑒅, /u/), long ū (𑒆, /uː/), vocalic ṛ (𑒇, /r̩/), long ṝ (𑒈, /r̩ː/), ḷ (𑒉, /l̩/), e (𑒊, /e/), ai (𑒋, /ai/), o (𑒌, /o/), and au (𑒍, /au/), with some traditions including variants like æ or extended forms for regional phonemes. These letters derive from Brahmi prototypes, exhibiting curvilinear forms adapted for palm-leaf inscription, and their usage persisted in medieval manuscripts from the 10th to 19th centuries.[3] Dependent mātrās comprise 15 combining marks, exceeding the independent vowels to account for positional variations and orthographic conventions. Common placements include right-side marks for ā (𑒰, a vertical stroke), u (𑒱, below or right), and ū (𑒲, extended form); left-side hooks or curves for i (𑒳) and ī (𑒴); top-placed signs for e (𑒵) and ai (𑒶, often a crossbar); and below for o (𑒷) and au (𑒸).[9] Vocalic diacritics, such as for ṛ (𑒹), attach below the consonant, mirroring Devanagari but with distinct, more angular shapes in Tirhuta to suit engraving on stone or metal. Orthographic rules prohibit stacking multiple mātrās on a single consonant, requiring reordering or explicit vowel letters for complex syllables.[10] This diacritic system ensures efficient rendering of vowel-consonant sequences, though historical inscriptions from the 12th century, such as those at Simroungarh, reveal variability in mātrā attachment due to scribal traditions.[3]Conjunct Forms and Additional Signs
In the Tirhuta script, consonant clusters are formed by applying the virama sign (𑓂) to suppress the inherent vowel /a/ of the initial consonant, enabling combination with a subsequent consonant. These conjuncts render as ligatures or with the second consonant in subjoined form below the first, necessitating context-sensitive glyph shaping and positioning, often managed at the font level.[2] Many such forms exhibit variants based on positional context or stylistic traditions.[1] Specific rendering rules apply to certain consonants in clusters. For example, TA (𑒞) produces ligatures or subjoined forms when followed by TA, YA (𑒨), RA (𑒩), or VA (𑒫); otherwise, it adopts a two-part stacked configuration, as in tka. RA typically manifests as a repha (above-form) preceding the cluster, except in ligatures like rga with GA. YA forms post-base attachments with most consonants but ligatures with TA, while LA (𑒪) and VA use dedicated subjoined glyphs, such as in kla or sva. NA employs subjoined variants with KHA, PHA, or SA.[2] Additional signs in Tirhuta include modifiers for phonetics and orthographic functions beyond core consonants and vowels. The anusvara (𑓀) denotes nasalization of the preceding syllable, positioned centrally above the base glyph and shifting rightward if conflicting with other above-base marks. The visarga (𑓁) represents a voiceless [h], functioning as an allophone of [r] or [s] in word-final pause positions, particularly in Sanskrit. The candrabindu (𑒿) similarly indicates nasalization but centers precisely above the base, accommodating shifts for overlying elements. The avagraha (𑓄) signals vowel elision in Sanskrit compounds or sandhi.[2] Further signs encompass the nukta (◌𑓃), which alters base consonants for additional phonemes, such as DDA plus nukta yielding the retroflex flap /ɽ/, and is rendered before other diacritics. Vedic-specific markers include gvang (𑓅) for nasalization, akin to anusvara in collation, and ardhavisarga for sounds like /x/ or /ɸ/. Unique to Tirhuta are the anji (𑒀), a tusk-shaped symbol invoking Ganesha in manuscripts, and a dedicated Om ligature (𑓇), distinct from composite forms in related scripts.[2]Numeral Symbols
The Tirhuta script utilizes a distinct set of ten numeral symbols for the digits 0 through 9, integrated into a positional decimal system analogous to modern Hindu-Arabic numerals but with unique glyph forms derived from earlier Brahmi numeral traditions. These symbols appear in medieval manuscripts, inscriptions, and administrative records from the Mithila region, often denoting dates, quantities, or numerical data in Maithili and Sanskrit texts. Unlike shared numeral sets in some Eastern Nagari scripts, Tirhuta numerals maintain independent forms, reflecting the script's divergence during the 10th to 16th centuries.[9][11] The glyphs exhibit curvilinear, angular strokes typical of Tirhuta's aesthetic, with zero represented as a simple circular or looped form and higher digits incorporating hooks, bars, and loops for differentiation. Historical exemplars, such as those in 12th-century stone inscriptions from Simroungarh, demonstrate their application in dating and enumeration, predating widespread adoption of standardized Devanagari numerals.[9]| Digit | Tirhuta Glyph | Unicode Code Point |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 𑓐 | U+114D0 |
| 1 | 𑓑 | U+114D1 |
| 2 | 𑓒 | U+114D2 |
| 3 | 𑓓 | U+114D3 |
| 4 | 𑓔 | U+114D4 |
| 5 | 𑓕 | U+114D5 |
| 6 | 𑓖 | U+114D6 |
| 7 | 𑓗 | U+114D7 |
| 8 | 𑓘 | U+114D8 |
| 9 | 𑓙 | U+114D9 |