Siddham Letter Vocalic R

It writes Sanskrit ṛ, with r serving as the syllable’s vowel.

𑖆 is the independent form, used where a syllable starts with this vowel. The dependent Siddham sign 𑖴 attaches to a consonant to write the same vowel after it.

A Brāhmī sign for vocalic r appears in the early centuries CE, when Brahmi was adapted to write Sanskrit; Siddham developed in India around the 5th century CE from Brahmi-based forms. In northern India, later Siddhamātrikā forms developed into regional scripts such as Śāradā and Nāgarī. Siddham traveled to China with Buddhist manuscripts in the 6th–7th centuries CE, then spread to Korea and Japan.

Why is Siddham used in Japanese Buddhism?

In Japan, Siddham serves Sanskrit writing, ritual, and calligraphy.

The Unicode Standard 18.0 calls Siddham “Bonji” in Japan and links it especially with Shingon and Tendai Buddhism, where the script is used in ritual and calligraphy. Siddham also appears in Buddhist manuscripts from China and Korea.

That changes the script’s role, not this letter’s sound: 𑖆 still writes Sanskrit ṛ. Read any further ritual meaning from the full text or tradition around it.