Sharada

Sharada is a term used for several related subjects in the Indian subcontinent. It commonly refers to a historic script, but it also denotes a temple site associated with learning, and it functions as a feminine given name derived from a Hindu goddess.

Sharada script is a Brahmi-derived writing system that was historically used in the Kashmir region to write Sanskrit and Kashmiri. It appears from the late first millennium CE and remained in use through the medieval period, gradually yielding to Devanagari and Perso-Arabic scripts in many linguistic contexts. Manuscripts and inscriptions in Sharada have been found in libraries and temples in the region, and the script is encoded in Unicode as the Sharada block (U+111B0–U+111FF). Sharada is an abugida, meaning each consonant carries an inherent vowel that can be modified or muted with diacritics.

Sharada Peeth is an ancient temple and center of learning dedicated to Saraswati, located in Sharda (Sharda valley) in the Neelam Valley of Azad Kashmir. Historically, it housed a large library and attracted scholars from various regions studying the Vedas, Upanishads, and other texts. The site remains a symbol of scholarly heritage, though access to the area has been affected by regional tensions, and the temple complex has faced periods of restricted access and preservation challenges.

Sharada is also used as a feminine given name in India and Nepal, drawing from Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and learning. As an epithet, Sharada signifies wisdom and scholarly aptitude and is associated with the goddess in Hindu tradition.