Sharada digit zero

It is the zero digit in Sharada decimal numerals.

In this number system, 𑇐 marks zero or an empty place; the circle-like digit 𑇑 is one. A manuscript colophon, a note at the end of a manuscript, identifies a dot in a folio reference as this numeral, distinguishing it from Sharada’s separate abbreviation mark 𑇇.

Where did the Sharada zero come from?

Sharada developed from Gupta Brahmi through Kutila.

Sharada’s early phase appears in inscriptions and coins from the 8th–10th centuries. The earliest evidence is debated: the Unicode proposal points to coins of the Utpala dynasty; some specialists accept the Hund stone inscription dated 774–775 CE, while others date its letter forms later.

The Bakhshali mathematical treatise, an old work on calculation, is described in the Unicode proposal as the earliest Sharada manuscript and dated to the 12th century. Sharada is related to Devanagari; a later phase, Devaśeṣa, developed toward Takri, Landa, and Gurmukhi. From the 19th century, Arabic-script Kashmiri and Devanagari reduced Sharada’s place in education and literary writing. The standardized glyph is idealized from modern handwriting, so manuscript dots can look different.

What does it mean when someone sends it?

Read it as zero unless the message points to Sharada itself.

A standalone glyph can mean the number zero or signal that Sharada itself is the topic; use the surrounding message to choose.