Aksharapalli () is a certain type of alphasyllabic numeration scheme extensively used in the

pagination Pagination, also known as paging, is the process of dividing a document into discrete page (paper), pages, either electronic pages or printed pages. In reference to books produced without a computer, pagination can mean the consecutive page num ...

of manuscripts produced in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in pre-modern times. The name ''Aksharapalli'' can be translated as the ''letter system''. In this system the letters or the syllables of the script in which the manuscript is written are used to denote the numbers. In contrast to the Aksharapalli system, the ordinary decimal system is called the ''Ankapalli'' system.

Examples of syllables used to represent numerals

The following tables give examples of syllables used to represent numerals. The lists are not exhaustive.

Usage

When the Aksharapalli system is used, the various syllables that constitute a number are placed one below the other as in the Chinese language and they are written in the margins of the various leaves of the manuscript. This arrangement may be the consequence an attempt to save space for the contents of the manuscript. This method can be seen in the earliest available manuscript containing the Aksharapalli system which is a manuscript of sixth century CE.

History

Nothing definitely is known about the origin of the system. It is conjectured that the system might have evolved from the ciphered-additive numeral system of

Brahmi Brahmi ( ; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system from ancient India. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' or ...

. This system has been extensively used in Jain manuscripts up to the sixteenth century. The system has also survived for a long time in

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. The system was in use as late as the nineteenth century in those regions of India which now constitute the Kerala State.

References

{{Indian mathematics Numeral systems Indian mathematics