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Grantha script 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥
The 'Grantha' Alphabet in modern typeface
Script type	Abugida
Period	7th century CE – present (excluding Pallava Grantha)
Direction	Left-to-right
Languages	Tamil and Sanskrit
Related scripts
Parent systems	Egyptian Proto-Sinaitic Phoenician Aramaic (debated)[1][2][3][4][a] Brahmi Tamil-Brahmi Pallava Grantha script
Child systems	Malayalam Tigalari Thirke Saurashtra Dhives Akuru Sinhala
Sister systems	Tamil, Old Mon, Khmer, Cham, Kawi
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Gran (343), ​Grantha
Unicode
Unicode alias	Grantha
Unicode range	U+11300–U+1137F

The Grantha script (Sanskrit: 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥𑌲𑌿𑌪𑌿, romanized: granthalipi; Tamil: கிரந்த எழுத்து, romanized: Granta eḻuttu; Malayalam: ഗ്രന്ഥലിപി, romanized: granthalipi) is a classical South Indian Brahmic script, found particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Originating from the Pallava script,^[5] the Grantha script is related to Tamil and Vatteluttu scripts. The modern Malayalam script of Kerala is a direct descendant of the Grantha script.^[6] The Southeast Asian and Indonesian scripts such as Thai and Javanese respectively, as well as South Asian and Sri Lankan scripts such as Tigalari^[7] and Sinhalese scripts respectively, are derived or closely related to Grantha through the early Pallava script.^[8][9][10]

The Tamil purist movement of the colonial era sought to purge the Grantha script from use and use the Tamil script exclusively. According to Kailasapathy, this was a part of Tamil nationalism and amounted to regional ethnic chauvinism.^[11]

In Sanskrit, grantha is literally 'a knot'.^[12] It is a word that was used for books, and the script used to write them. This stems from the practice of binding inscribed palm leaves using a length of thread held by knots.^[13]

The Pallava script or Pallava Grantha emerged in the 4th century CE and was used until the 7th century CE, in India.^[14][15] This early Grantha script was used to write Sanskrit texts, inscriptions on copper plates and stones of Hindu temples and monasteries.^[13][6] From it evolved Middle Grantha by the 7th century, and Transitional Grantha by about the 8th century, which remained in use until about the 14th century. Modern Grantha has been in use since the 14th century and into the modern era, to write classical texts in Sanskrit and Dravidian languages.^[13][6] It is also used to chant hymns and in traditional Vedic schools.^[16]

Francis (2024) distinguishes the Grantha and Tamil scripts as two closely related writing systems that were used for Sanskrit and Tamil respectively, while noting that the correspondence between language and script was not absolute: Sanskrit loanwords could be written with Grantha graphemes within otherwise Tamil inscriptions, and Tamil words would rarely be written in Grantha.^[17][18] Lockwood (2008) uses the terms “Grantha Sanskrit” and “Grantha Tamil” for the two related scripts, and more specifically “Pallava Grantha Sanskrit” and “Pallava Grantha Tamil” for their Pallava-period forms. He notes that the two forms were closely related, with corresponding letters deriving from the same Brāhmī source forms, but that individual letters could nevertheless differ in their shapes and orthographic functions.^[19]

The Grantha script was also historically used for writing Manipravalam, a blend of Tamil and Sanskrit which was used in the exegesis of Manipravalam texts.^[20] This evolved into a fairly complex writing system which required that Tamil words be written in the Tamil script and Sanskrit words be written in the Grantha script. By the 15th century, this had evolved to the point that both scripts would be used within the same word – if the root was derived from Sanskrit it would be written in the Grantha script, but any Tamil suffixes which were added to it would be written using the Tamil script. This system of writing went out of use when Manipravalam declined in popularity, but it was customary to use the same convention in printed editions of texts originally written in Manipravalam until the middle of the 20th century.

In modern times, the Tamil-Grantha script is used in religious contexts by Tamil-speaking Hindus. For example, they use the script to write a child's name for the first time during the naming ceremony, for the Sanskrit portion of traditional wedding cards, and for announcements of a person's last rites. It is also used in many religious almanacs to print traditional formulaic summaries of the coming year.

The Grantha script has evolved over time, and shares similarities with the modern Tamil Script.^[7]

Numerals

0 ௦

1 ௧

2 ௨

3 ௩

4 ௪

5 ௫

6 ௬

7 ௭

8 ௮

9 ௯

Below is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Sanskrit language:^[21]

Sanskrit in Grantha Script

IAST transliteration

English

Grantha script was added to the Unicode Standard in June 2014 with the release of version 7.0. The Unicode block for Grantha is U+11300–U+1137F:

• Grünendahl, Reinhold. (2001). South Indian Scripts in Sanskrit Manuscripts And Prints. Wiesbaden, Germany: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 3-447-04504-3
• Venugopalan, K. (1983). A primer in Grantha characters.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grantha script.

• Quick facts about Grantha at AncientScripts.com
• Article at Omniglot
• Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department – Grantha Webpage
• Digitised Grantha Books
• Online Tutorial for Grantha Script
• Learn Grantha Basics