Sharada Letter Ttha

Sharada ttha is one curled-back t released with a puff of breath. In the scholarly transliteration ṭha, the dot under ṭ marks the tongue-tip position; h marks the breathy release. It is one consonant, not a t followed by a separate h.

Sharada was used for Sanskrit, Kashmiri, and other northern South Asian languages in stone and copper inscriptions and manuscripts. It developed from Gupta Brahmi through Kutila; by the 8th century, it had become distinct from Kutila. A bare Sharada consonant normally carries an inherent a vowel; vowel signs change it, and the virama removes it.

The earliest Sharada inscription is unsettled. A stone inscription from Hund is dated 774–775 CE, while another specialist places early examples on 9th-century Kashmir coins. The 12th-century Bakhshali manuscript, a handwritten mathematical work, is identified as the earliest Sharada manuscript.

How did Sharada change over time?

It lost ground as other writing systems spread. During the 19th century, expanded Arabic-script Kashmiri and wider use of Devanagari reduced Sharada's role. As of 2025, its use is limited and specialized, including ritual writing and horoscopes among Kashmiri Pandits.

Sharada's historical descendants include Devāśeṣa, which led to Takri. Siddham is another related script in the wider Brahmi family.