Ancient Script Converter

Tirhuta Lipi

Convert text across scripts — Devanagari and Tirhuta

Font required: Install Noto Sans Tirhuta from Google Fonts so Tirhuta characters display correctly. Without it you will see empty boxes. | Tip: Ctrl+Enter to translate. |

Devanagari (Maithili)

Tirhuta Lipi

Input

0 characters

⟶

Output

Tirhuta script will appear here…

Tirhuta Script Reference Chart (Unicode)

Independent Vowels

Consonants

Dependent Vowel Signs (Matras)

Various Signs & Punctuation

Digits

About Tirhuta Script

Tirhuta (also known as Mithilakshar) is the traditional script of the Maithili language, spoken by more than 35 million people in Bihar, India, and the Narayani and Janakpur zones of Nepal. A Brahmi-based script derived from Gauḍī (Proto-Bengali), Tirhuta became differentiated from related scripts — Bengali, Newari, and Oriya — by the 14th century. The earliest Tirhuta inscriptions date to the 13th century on temples in Bihar and Nepal. For centuries the Maithil Brahmin and Kayasth communities used Tirhuta to maintain pañjī (genealogical records), and it remains in use for religious manuscripts, literary texts, and personal correspondence. Printing in Tirhuta began in the 1920s; today several literary societies continue publishing in it. The Indian Government recognised Maithili as a scheduled language in 2004, reviving interest in Tirhuta. Unicode encoded Tirhuta at U+11480–U+114DF, and this translator maps every character directly from that standard — a small step toward preserving Mithila's written heritage for future generations.

Map of the Mithila region.
Created by Author

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Tirhuta Lipi?

Tirhuta (also called Mithilakshar or Maithili script) is the traditional script used to write the Maithili language, the primary language of the Mithila region spanning Bihar (India) and parts of Nepal. It is a Brahmi-derived abugida related to Bengali, Newari, and Oriya scripts, and has been in use since at least the 13th century.

Is Tirhuta script still used today?

Yes. Although Devanagari became the dominant script for Maithili in the 20th century, Tirhuta continues to be used for religious manuscripts, genealogical records (pañjī), literary publications, and signage in parts of north Bihar. Literary societies such as the Maithili Akademi publish in Tirhuta, and interest has grown since Maithili received scheduled-language status in India in 2004. Unicode encoded Tirhuta in version 7.0 (2014), enabling its digital use.

How do I type Tirhuta script on my computer?

The easiest way is to use this translator — type Devanagari (Maithili) text and it will instantly convert it to Tirhuta Unicode characters. To display Tirhuta correctly, install the Noto Sans Tirhuta font on your device. For dedicated typing, keyboard layouts for Tirhuta script exist but are not yet widely standardised.

How accurate is this Devanagari to Tirhuta converter?

This tool performs a direct Unicode character-to-character mapping based on the official Unicode Standard for both Devanagari (U+0900–U+097F) and Tirhuta (U+11480–U+114DF), sourced from the Unicode encoding proposal (L2/11-175R) by Anshuman Pandey. Every consonant, vowel, vowel sign (matra), virama, anusvara, visarga, punctuation mark, and digit is mapped correctly. It is a script converter, not a language translator — meaning it converts the written form of Maithili from one script to another without changing the language.

What is the difference between Tirhuta and Devanagari?

Both scripts can be used to write Maithili, but they look very different. Devanagari is block-printed with a characteristic horizontal headline (shirorekha). Tirhuta has its own distinct letterforms — some resemble Bengali due to their shared Gauḍī ancestry, but the two scripts are not mutually intelligible in writing. Tirhuta was the primary script of Mithila until the 20th century, when Devanagari became more common. Think of them as two different writing systems for the same language.

Can I use this tool for research or academic work?

Yes. This tool is free to use for personal, educational, and research purposes. The Unicode mappings are sourced from the Unicode Standard and the authoritative Tirhuta encoding proposal (L2/11-175R by Anshuman Pandey, University of Michigan), making the output academically reliable for script conversion. If you are working with historical Tirhuta manuscripts, note that older texts may use variant letterforms not fully covered by Unicode — in such cases, specialist scholarship is recommended alongside this tool.