GUJARATI

Gujarātī is an Indo-Aryan language and an abugida script which is used to write the Gujarātī and Kutchi languages. A handwritten manuscript Adi Parva dating from 1591–92 is the earliest known document in the Old Gujarati script found till date. This script stemmed from the Devanagari script around 10th century, to write the Gujarātī language which is spoken by almost 47 million people commonly in the Indian states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Its evolution culminated in the removal of ‘Shiroreka’ (top line that joins letters in a word) which is a distinct feature of the Devanagari. The modification was to enhance the ease and speed of writing. The script had first appeared in print in a 1797 advertisement.