Prachalit, also called Newar or Newa, is a Brahmic-derived script of the Kathmandu Valley, current among the Newar people of Nepal from about the eleventh century CE, used to write both Nepal Bhasa and Sanskrit. It is the everyday cursive counterpart to the more ornamental Ranjana script the same Newar scribal tradition uses for the same two languages: Ranjana is reserved for prayer wheels, temple walls, manuscript covers and other ceremonial settings, while Prachalit carries the working manuscript and documentary tradition. The two are distinct scripts rather than styles of one script, which is why the Unicode Standard allocates Prachalit its own block, named Newa, separately from Ranjana's.
Facts
Identity
Also Known As Also Known As Origins
Place of OriginThe Kathmandu Valley, among the Newar people of Nepal, in use from about the eleventh century CE. 2 Script type (class) Connections
Originates in Language
Used for Sanskrit alongside Nepal Bhasa, the same pairing Ranjana carries.
Source The World's Writing SystemsPeter T. Daniels and William Bright (eds.)
Related To
Ranjana letter Ma itself distinguishes the two as different scripts sharing the same two languages and the same Kathmandu Valley tradition, one ceremonial and one everyday.
Source The Unicode StandardThe Unicode Consortium
Sources
1. The Unicode Standard
2. The World's Writing Systems
Peter T. Daniels and William Bright (eds.), Oxford University Press, 1996the chapter on the Brahmic scripts of NepalView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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