Bhaiksuki script

Script typec. 11th–12th century AD ^[1]DirectionLeft-to-right RegionEastern IndiaLanguagesSanskritRelated scriptsSharada, Tibetan, Siddham, KalingaISO 15924ISO 15924Bhks (334), ​BhaiksukiUnicodeBhaiksukiU+11C00–U+11C6F

Brahmic scripts
The Brahmi script and its descendants
Northern Brahmic Gupta Sharada Landa Gurmukhi Khojki Khudabadi Multani Mahajani Takri Dogri Siddham Nagari Devanagari Gujarati Modi Nandinagari Kaithi Sylheti Nagri Gaudi Bengali–Assamese Bengali Assamese Tirhuta Odia Nepalese Bhujimol Ranjana Soyombo Pracalit Tibetan Meitei Lepcha Limbu Khema Phagspa Zanabazar square Marchen Marchung Pungs-chen Pungs-chung Drusha Kalinga Bhaiksuki Tocharian
Southern Brahmic Tamil-Brahmi Pallava Tamil Grantha Malayalam Tigalari Dhives Akuru Saurashtra Khmer Khom Thai Proto-Tai script? Sukhothai Thai Fakkham Thai Noi Lao Tai Viet Dai Don Lai Tay Lai Pao Cham Kawi Balinese Batak Buda Javanese Old Sundanese Sundanese Lontara Makasar Ulu scripts Incung Lampung Lembak Ogan Pasemah Rejang Serawai Baybayin Buhid Hanunoo Tagbanwa Kulitan Mon–Burmese Burmese Chakma S'gaw Karen Shan Tanchangya Lik-Tai scripts Ahom Khamti Tai Le Modern Mon Tai Tham New Tai Lue Pyu Vatteluttu Kolezhuthu Malayanma Sinhala Bhattiprolu Kadamba Telugu-Kannada Kannada Goykanadi Telugu
v t e

Bhaiksuki (Sanskrit: भैक्षुकी, Bhaiksuki: 𑰥𑰹𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰲𑰎𑰱) is a Brahmi-based script that was used around the 11th and 12th centuries CE. It used to be known in English as the "Arrow-Headed Script" or "Point-Headed Script," while an older designation, "Sindhura," had been used in Tibet for at least three centuries.^[2] Records showing usage of the script mainly appeared in the present-day states of Bihar and West Bengal in India, and in regions of Bangladesh. Records have also been located in Tibet, Nepal, and Burma.

Extant manuscripts

The script is found exclusively in Buddhist texts. According to the Unicode proposal, "Only eleven inscriptions and four manuscripts written in this script are known to exist. These are the Bhaiksuki manuscripts of the Abhidharmasamuccayakārikā, Maṇicūḍajātaka, Candrālaṃkāra, and at least one more Buddhist canonical text. The codices of the Abhidharmasamuccayakārikā and of the Maṇicūḍajātaka were once kept in the Tibetan monastery of Gonkhar, and were brought to Italy by Giuseppe Tucci in 1948.^[3] While the exact place of preservation of the Maṇicūḍajātaka is unknown, and only the photographs of the text are accessible, the codex of the Abhidharmasamuccayakārikā was rediscovered in Tucci's last home in 2014, and is now on display at the National Museum of Oriental Art in Rome. The fourth codex was discovered in Tibet and was recently shown in a Chinese documentary; however, information about this manuscript is limited."^[2]

Sanskrit is the main language written in this script. It is strongly related to the Devanagari and Sharada scripts.

Unicode

The Bhaiksuki alphabet was added to the Unicode Standard in June, 2016 with the release of version 9.0.

The Unicode block for Bhaiksuki is U+11C00–U+11C6F:

Bhaiksuki[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+11C0x

𑰀

𑰁

𑰂

𑰃

𑰄

𑰅

𑰆

𑰇

𑰈

𑰊

𑰋

𑰌

𑰍

𑰎

𑰏

U+11C1x

𑰐

𑰑

𑰒

𑰓

𑰔

𑰕

𑰖

𑰗

𑰘

𑰙

𑰚

𑰛

𑰜

𑰝

𑰞

𑰟

U+11C2x

𑰠

𑰡

𑰢

𑰣

𑰤

𑰥

𑰦

𑰧

𑰨

𑰩

𑰪

𑰫

𑰬

𑰭

𑰮

𑰯

U+11C3x

𑰰

𑰱

𑰲

𑰳

𑰴

𑰵

𑰶

𑰸

𑰹

𑰺

𑰻

𑰼

𑰽

𑰾

𑰿

U+11C4x

𑱀

𑱁

𑱂

𑱃

𑱄

𑱅

U+11C5x

𑱐

𑱑

𑱒

𑱓

𑱔

𑱕

𑱖

𑱗

𑱘

𑱙

𑱚

𑱛

𑱜

𑱝

𑱞

𑱟

U+11C6x

𑱠

𑱡

𑱢

𑱣

𑱤

𑱥

𑱦

𑱧

𑱨

𑱩

𑱪

𑱫

𑱬

Notes 1.^ As of Unicode version 15.1 2.^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

References