Indic Siyaq Prefixed One

It supplies “one” before a larger number part.

In South Asia, Siyaq is also called raqm or rakam. Scribes used its compact marks to record accounts. This form precedes ten; with the ten mark, it writes eleven.

When and why did scribes use Siyaq?

Scribes used it to keep accounts.

The wider Persianate tradition appears in surviving records by the early 10th century; the Indic branch’s start is hard to date. It was common under Mughal rule by the 17th century and lasted into the middle of the 20th century. Northern and Deccani styles shared the notation but differed slightly for some larger values.