How it began
Ranjana is a Brahmic script that developed around 1100 CE in Nepal. It was used by the Newar people, the historic inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley, to write Sanskrit and the Newar language. An early example is a copy of the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra lettered in gold ink by Bhiksu Ananda of Kapitanagar, dated to the Nepal Sambat year 345, or 1215 CE.
How it works
Ranjana is an abugida, in which consonant letters carry a vowel that is changed with diacritic marks, and it has its own vowels, consonants and numerals. It is normally written from left to right. A monogram form called Kutakshar stacks letters and is written from top to bottom. It is regarded as the standard Nepalese calligraphic script.
How it spread
The script was used across regions from Nepal to Tibet, where it is known as Lantsa. It is also used in Buddhist monasteries in China, Mongolia and Japan, and in most Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries, for mantras such as Om mani padme hum, on prayer wheels and in temple decoration.
Where it stands today
Ranjana fell into disuse in the mid-20th century but has recently seen increased use. Local governments including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Thimi, Kirtipur and Banepa use it on signboards and letter pads, and training classes are held in the Kathmandu Valley. A Nepalese-German project works to conserve manuscripts in the script, and a 2009 document by Michael Everson mapped the scripts of Nepal for Unicode encoding.
