The Rañjanàscript (Lantsa) is an abugida, one of the Nepalese scripts, used to write Sanskrit and Newari (Nepal Bhasa). It was used across regions from Nepal to Tibet by the Newar people, the historic inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley, from the 11th century until the mid-20th century. Nowadays it is also used in Buddhist monasteries in China, Mongolia, and Japan. It is normally written from left to right but the Kutakshar form is written from top to bottom. It is also considered to be the standard Nepalese calligraphic script.
Rañjanàis a Brahmic script which developed around 1100 CE. It was used in Nepal and is still used in Nepal by the Newar people to write the Newar language. The script is also used in most of the Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries. Along with the Prachalit Nepal alphabet, it is considered one of the scripts of Nepal. It is the formal script of Nepal duly registered in the United Nations while applying for free Nation status. The Aá¹£á¹ÂasÃÂhasrikàPrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra lettered in gold ink by Bhiksu Ananda of Kapitanagar and dating back to the Nepal Sambat year 345 (1215 CE) is an early example of the script.
After falling into disuse in the mid-20th century, the script has recently seen an increased use. It is used by many local governments such as those of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality, Thimi Municipality, Kirtipur Municipality, Banepa Municipality, in signboards, letter pads, and such. Regular programs are held in the Kathmandu Valley to promote the script and training classes are held to preserve the language. The script is being endorsed by the Nepal Bhasa movement and is used for headings in newspapers and websites. A Nepalese-German project is trying to conserve the manuscripts of Rañjanàscript.
The shape of the combining marks indicating the vowels à ¤ ÃÂ, à ¤ e, à ¤ ai/ÃÂ,à ¤ o, and à ¤ au/à  in Ranjana script take a different form when combined with the eight consonants à ¤ kha, à ¤ ga, n à ¤ nya, à ¤ á¹Âha à ¤£ á¹Âa, à ¤¥ tha, à ¤§ dha or à ¤¶ sha(or where one of these is the first consonant in a combination) (In addition the vertical marks indicating à ¤ Ã or ë may take a shorter form when combined with the consonants à ¤ ka, à ¤Âà ¥Âà ¤ ja, or à ¤ á¹Âha.)
Rañjana is mostly used for printing Hindu and Buddhist scriptures and literature in Sanskrit and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit by the Newar community in Kathmandu Valley. Rañjana is also in current use for printing "high status" documents (wedding invitations, certificates, etc.) in Nepal in the Newar language and for Newar language book titles. In Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, it is famously used to write various mantras including the "Om mani padme hum" mantra of Avalokiteà Âvara, the mantra of Tara: "Om tare tuttare ture svaha", and the mantra of Manjusri: "Om a ra pa ca na dhi." The script is also used in Hindu scriptures.
In Chinese Buddhism and other East Asian Buddhism, the standard Sanskrit script for mantras and dhÃÂraá¹Âës was not the Rañjanàscript, but rather the earlier Siddhaá¹ script that was widely propagated in China during the Tang dynasty. However, in late Imperial China, the influence of Tibetan Buddhism popularized the Rañjanàscript as well, and so this script is also found throughout East Asia, but is not as common as Siddhaá¹Â. In Vietnam, Rañjanàscript is often used during Buddhist rituals especially by monks in the central region such as Huế. Talismans are often made using Rañjanàmantras read "Om mani padme hum" or "Om cale cule cundi svaha" the mantra of Cundi Bodhisattva. The script has also been adopted by Vietnamese folk shamans in their use of amulets such as Lá» Ban phái, a Taoist folk sect that arrived from China named after Lu Ban, patron god of carpenters.
When Rañjanàwas introduced to Tibet, it was referred to as Lantsa (), which is simply a Tibetan transcription of the Sanskrit word or Lañja (which means 'tail' or 'foot'). Lantsa varies somewhat from the standard Rañjanàas written in Nepal today. In particular the glyph shapes of some consonants and ligatures differs and vowel diacritics do not usually change with the consonants à ¤ kha, à ¤ ga, n à ¤ nya, à ¤ á¹Âha à ¤£ á¹Âa, à ¤§ dha à ¤¶ sha as described above~ with the sole exception of the letter à ¤ á¹Âha. The shape of the numerals or digits also differs.
In Tibet, the Lantsa variant is used to write Buddhist texts in Sanskrit. Examples of such texts include the Mañjuà ÂrënÃÂmasamgëti, the Diamond Sutra and the Aá¹£á¹ÂasÃÂhasrikàPrajñÃÂpÃÂramitàSà «tra. The Lantsa script is also found in manuscripts and printed editions of some Sanskrit-Tibetan lexicons such as the MahÃÂvyutpatti. and it is frequently used on the title pages of Tibetan texts, where the Sanskrit title is often written in Lantsa, followed by a transliteration and translation in the Tibetan script. The script is also used to prepare Mantra and Dharani inserted into Buddhist images and Stupa for consecration, as well as in the drawing of certain mandalas ( similar to the Japanese use of the Siddhaá¹ script).
Lantsa is frequently seen on the outside of prayer wheels, and decoratively on the gateways, walls. beams and pillars of Tibetan temples and monasteries.
Numerous alternative spellings of the term Lantsa exist, including the following:
KutÃÂkshar is a monogram of the Ranjana script. It is only one of the Nepalese scripts that can be written in monogram.
A Unicode block for the script has first been proposed in 2009 by Michael Everson and updated in December 2013, and last revised with additional details in January 2023 by Anshuman Pandey.