Sharada Letter Uu

𑆈 is Sharada’s independent long-u vowel. In a word, it marks the long “oo” sound, as in English “moon.” By itself, it is one letter; the surrounding message gives any larger intent.

The earliest evidence is debated. A stone inscription dated 774–775 CE has been proposed as the oldest record, while other specialists treat coins of Kashmir’s Utpala dynasty from the 9th–10th centuries as the earliest. The oldest known manuscript is the 12th-century Bakhshali mathematical treatise, written in Sanskrit.

How did Sharada’s use change?

Sharada was Kashmir’s main script for inscriptions and literature. From the 8th century through the 20th century, it was used to write Sanskrit, Kashmiri, and other northern South Asian languages.

In the 19th century, greater use of Persian script for Kashmiri and the growth of Devanagari helped displace Sharada from education and literary writing. As of 2026, its continuing use is limited mainly to Kashmiri Pandit horoscopes and rituals.

Which scripts are historically connected to Sharada?

Sharada developed from Gupta Brahmi through the Kutila style. Gupta Brahmi was an earlier writing tradition; Kutila was an intermediate style.

By the 13th century, its descendant Devāśeṣa had replaced Sharada in parts of the tradition; Devāśeṣa later gave rise to Takri. Devanagari is a close script relative, not another font for this letter.

Historical manuscripts show substantial variation. Unicode’s encoded model draws on manuscript comparisons rather than representing every historical hand. Depending on the font, the horizontal top strokes of letters may join or stay separate; that changes their appearance, not their identity.