BSHindia at 03:38, 3 March 2026

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{{Short description|Writing system for the Odia language of India}}
{{Infobox Writing system
|name=Karani script
|altname=Karaṇī akṣara {{lang|as|କରଣି ଅକ୍ଷର}}
|type=[[Abugida]]
|languages=[[Odia language]]
|time= c. 1700 - 1900s CE<ref name="inflibnet">{{cite web|url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/jspui/bitstream/10603/118610/11/11_chapter%204.pdf|date=27 September 2016|title=CHAPTER - IV: DEVELOPMENT OF ORIYA SCRIPT, LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE |website=Shodhganga |access-date=30 September 2020}}</ref>
|fam1=[[Odia script]] (cursive style)
|unicode=
|iso15924=
|sample=Koroni or Chata script sample.jpg
|imagesize=300px
|caption=Karani script sample from Purnachandra Odia Bhashakosha
|footnotes=
}}
{{Contains special characters
| special = [[Odia language|Odia]] text
| fix = Help:Multilingual support#Odia
| characters = Odia script
}}
'''Karani''' or '''Chhata''' was a [[handwriting|handwritten]] [[cursive]] [[writing system]] historically used to write the [[Odia language]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Tripāṭhī |first=Kunjabihari |title=The Evolution of Oriya Language and Script |publisher=Utkal University |page=33 |year=1962 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8MKAQAAIAAJ |access-date=21 March 2021 }}</ref><ref name="Shodhganga">{{cite web|url=http://14.139.116.20:8080/jspui/bitstream/10603/282609/9/09_chapter%204.pdf|date=2012|title=ପ୍ରାଚୀନ ସାହିତ୍ୟଗ୍ରନ୍ଥ ସଂପାଦନା-୧ |publisher=Utkal University |author=Chitararijan Behera |website=Shodhganga |page=56 |access-date=25 December 2020 }}</ref><ref name="diringer">{{cite book |last1=Diringer |first1=David |title=Alphabet a key to the history of mankind |date=1948 |pages=366}}</ref> primarily for court, land, temple and accounting records, and other administrative purposes.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Pattanayak |first=D. P. |date=1991 |title=Linguistic and Religious Identity in India |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23002249 |journal=India International Centre Quarterly |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=101–106 |jstor=23002249 |issn=0376-9771}}</ref> Karani was quite different from<ref name="k435">{{cite book | last=Young | first=A.H. | title=First Lessons in Oriya | publisher=Orissa Mission Press | year=1912 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oxc3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1 | language=fr | access-date=2024-11-19 | page=1}}</ref> the [[Letterpress printing|printed]] form, the [[Odia script]], which replaced it.<ref name=":0" /> Karani gradually became unintelligible to the readers of the latter.<ref name="Jnanamandal">{{cite book |title=Jnanamandal |date=1 December 1960 |publisher=Jnanamandal Publications |location=Cuttack |pages=17, 18 |access-date=}}</ref> The [[Writer|writers]] historically belonged to the [[Karan (caste)|Karan caste]] group who were designated to use Karani.<ref name=":0" /> The script was used in the Odia-speaking regions during [[British Raj]] including the [[Orissa Tributary States]]. Both the names "karani" and "karana" are derived from "karani", a metal [[stylus]] used for writing on palm leaf.<ref name="academia.edu">{{cite journal |last1=Rath |first1=Saraju |title=The Oriya Script: Origin, Development and Sources |journal=International Institute for Asian Studies |date=2012 |url=https://www.academia.edu/9999923}}</ref><ref name="archive">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/Purnachandra.Odia.Bhashakosha.Complete/Purnachandra.Odia.Bhashakosha-Volume.3-Consonants-Cha.to.Tha#page/n1161/mode/2up|website=archive.org|title=Purnachandra Odia Bhashakosha by Gopal Chandra Praharaj (Preface + All 7 Volumes)|access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref> Karani script was considered popular in Odisha predating the reign of [[Prataparudra Deva]] of [[Gajapati Empire]], it got its modern form in 16th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rout |first=Savitri |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=2SCzRH24LnAC&pg=PA30&dq=karani+script&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHxueE34KTAxUmRmwGHWjhEAMQ6AF6BAgPEAM#v=onepage&q=karani%20script&f=false |title=Women Pioneers in Oriya Literature |date=1972-01-01 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe |isbn=978-81-208-2546-8 |language=en}}</ref> Historical records from mid-eighteenth century were also written in this script primarily of the [[Bhoi dynasty|Khurda Bhoi Kingdom]].<ref name="Tanabe">{{cite journal |last1=Tanabe |first1=Akio |title=The system of entitlements in eighteenth-century khurda, Orissa: Reconsidering 'caste' and 'community' in late pre-colonial India |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |date=December 2005 |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=345–385 |doi=10.1080/00856400500337768 |access-date=}}</ref> Karani was written both on palm leaves and paper. Bhoimuls (Accountants) of [[Khordha|Khurda]] Kingdom primarily used Karani script for writing and preparing documents for administrative purposes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tanabe |first=Akio |date=2021 |title=Local society and kingship |url=https://www.academia.edu/77798552/Local_society_and_kingship_Reconsidering_caste_community_and_state_ |journal=Caste and Equality in India |pages=44}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Karashima |first=Noboru |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=oyiKAAAAMAAJ&q=karani+script+mula&dq=karani+script+mula&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjww97F5oKTAxX8UGcHHbyULZ4Q6AF6BAgIEAM#karani%20script%20mula |title=Kingship in Indian History |date=1999 |publisher=Manohar Publishers & Distributors |isbn=978-81-7304-326-0 |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
Karani is often explained as "karaninabaja" or "chhata", a "running" script introduced by the [[Karan (caste)|Karanas]], most of the old Odia palm leaf manuscripts were written in Karani, the script is less standard by modern terms or it could be described as a form of Odia script before it was standardised. The script did not use spaces between words with less punctuation marks which made it hard to decipher.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Shankar, B.)), ((Mishra, P.)), ((Sagnika, S.)), ((Pattanaik, A.)) | journal=International Journal of Computer Applications | title=Engaging with an Indian Epic: A Digital Approach | volume=975 | pages=8887|url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Santwana-Sagnika/publication/335879330_Engaging_with_an_Indian_Epic_A_Digital_Approach/links/5d8787c4299bf1996f930615/Engaging-with-an-Indian-Epic-A-Digital-Approach.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Odisha (India) |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=9ScLAQAAIAAJ&q=karani+script&dq=karani+script&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiRnrTu44KTAxVzSGwGHcUkHbUQ6AF6BAgJEAM#karani |title=Orissa District Gazetteers: Puri |last2=Orissa (India) |date=1966 |publisher=Superintendent, Orissa Government Press |language=en}}</ref>

==Influence on modern Odia script==
{|class="wikitable"
|+ Karani diacritic remnant in Odia script
! Vowel Letter
! Diacritic forms
|-
| For the vowel {{lang|or|ଇ}} (short i), the standard Odia diacritic form is {{lang|or|ି}}. Eg- For consonant {{lang|or|କ}} (ka) - {{lang|or|କି}} (ki) But for these consonants - {{lang|or|ଖ}} (kha), {{lang|or|ଥ}} (tha), {{lang|or|ଧ}} (dha), the equivalent {{lang|or|ଇ}} diacritic from Karani script is also used.
| {{lang|or|ଖି}} (khi) {{lang|or|ଥି}} (thi) {{lang|or|ଧି}} (dhi)
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Karani script sample pt 1 - Jnanamandala.jpg|Karani script sample from Jnanamandala
File:Karani script sample pt 2 - Jnanamandala.png|Karani script sample from Jnanamandala
File:Karani script letters 1.jpg|Karani script letters
File:Karani script letters 2.png.jpg|Karani script letters
File:Karani writing.png|Karani writing
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|1}}

{{Odia language}}
{{list of writing systems}}

[[Category:Odia language]]
[[Category:Brahmic scripts]]

Karani script - Revision history

BSHindia at 03:38, 3 March 2026