Bengali letter ma

Its consonant sound is m. Vowel signs replace the built-in vowel; a mark called hasant removes it.

ম evolved from Brahmi, an ancient writing system. Bengal’s third-century-BCE Mahasthan inscription is earlier Brahmi evidence, not modern ম. Early Bengali forms appear in ninth- and tenth-century copperplates, with distinct Bengali in eleventh- and twelfth-century records, used for charters, literature, and religious texts.

Why does ম change inside words?

Joined consonants can take a combined shape. Enter consonant, hasant, consonant; the font may join these separate characters. Ma-phala, the attached form of ম, can be silent in spellings inherited from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language.