DEVANAGARI,

also called Nagari, Indian script used to write the Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi, and Marathi languages, developed from the North Indian monumental script known as Gupta and ultimately from the Brahmi alphabet, from which all modern Indian writing systems are derived. In use from the 7th century AD and occurring in its mature form from the 11th century onward, Devanagari is characterized by long, horizontal strokes at the tops of the letters, usually joined in modern usage to form a continuous horizontal line through the script when written. Devanagari is written from left to right and uses 48 letters34 consonants and 14 vowels and diphthongs. In practice, the scriptthough alphabetic in originis syllabic, with a short a sound being understood after each consonant unless the sign for an alternative vowel is used; in the past, Devanagari was frequently written without the vowel signs, sometimes resulting in confusion.