Dhives Akuru or Dhivehi Akuru (island letters) is a script formerly used to write the Maldivian language. This script was called Dives Akuru by H. C. P. Bell, as the "d" is unaspirated.

Dhives Akuru 𑤝𑤱𑤩𑤴𑤬𑤽 𑤥𑤌𑤳𑤧𑤳(Dives Akuru), 𑤝𑤱𑤩𑤴𑤭𑤱 𑤥𑤌𑤳𑤧𑤳(Divehi Akuru)
'Dhivehi Akuru' in Dives Akuru modern typeface
Script type	Abugida
Time period	6th-8th century CE to end of 19th century
Direction	left-to-right
Languages	Maldivian
Related scripts
Parent systems	Proto-Sinaitic alphabet[a] Phoenician alphabet[a] Aramaic alphabet[a] Brāhmī Late Brāhmī Dhives Akuru
Sister systems	Śāradā Siddhaṃ Tibetan
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Diak (342), ​Dives Akuru
Unicode
Unicode alias	Dives Akuru
Unicode range	U+11900–U+1195F Dives Akuru
[a] The Semitic origin of the Brahmic scripts is not universally agreed upon.
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

This article needs attention from an expert in Maldives. See the talk page for details. (July 2012)

History

Dhives Akuru developed from Brahmi. The oldest attested inscription bears a clear resemblance to South Indian epigraphical records of the sixth-eighth centuries, written in local subtypes of the Brahmi script.[1] The letters on later inscriptions are clearly of the cursive type, strongly reminding of the medieval scripts used in Sri Lanka and South India such as Sinhala, Grantha and Vatteluttu. There are also some elements from the Kannada-Telugu scripts.[2][1] The form of this script attested in loamaafaanu (copper plates) of the 12th and 13th centuries and in inscriptions on coral stone dating back to the Buddhist period (~200 BC to 1153 CE) was called by Bell Evēla Akuru (ancient letters) to distinguish it from the more recent variants of the same script. The most recent form (starting from 14th century) was more calligraphic and the letter forms changed a little. Like other Brahmic scripts, Dhives Akuru descended ultimately from the Brahmi script and thus was written from left to right.

Dhives Akuru was still used in some southern atolls alongside with Thaana until the end of the 19th century. The last known official document from the southern atolls (in Dhives Akuru and Thaana) was written by Haajee Muhammad Kaleygefaanu in 1927.[3] Since then its use has been limited to scholars and hobbyists. It can still be found on gravestones and some monuments, including the stone base of the pillars supporting the main structure of the ancient Friday mosque in Malé. Bell obtained an astrology book written in Dhives Akuru in Addu Atoll, in the south of the Maldives, during one of his trips. This book is now kept in the National Archives of Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Bodufenvalhuge Sidi, an eminent Maldivian scholar, wrote a book called Divehi Akuru in 1959, prompted by then Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir.[4]

Unicode

The Dhives Akuru script was added to Unicode version 13.0 in March 2020, with 72 characters located in the Dives Akuru block (U+11900–U+1195F):[5]

References

• Bell, H.C.P. Excerpta Maldiviana. Reprint 1922-1935 edn. New Delhi 1998.
• Bell, H.C.P. The Maldive islands. Monograph on the History, Archaeology and Epigraphy. Reprint 1940 edn. Male' 1986.
• Divehi Bahuge Qawaaaid. Vols 1 to 5. Ministry of Education. Male' 1978.
• Divehīnge Tarika. Divehīnge Bas. Divehibahāi Tārikhah Khidumaiykurā Qaumī Majlis. Male’ 2000.
• Geiger, Wilhelm. Maldivian Linguistic Studies. Reprint 1919 edn. Novelty Press. Male’ 1986.
• Gunasena, Bandusekara. The Evolution of the Sinhalese Script. Godage Poth Mendura. Colombo 1999.
• Romero-Frias, Xavier. The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona 1999.
• Sivaramamurti, C. Indian Epigraphy and South Indian Scripts. Bulletin of the Madras Government Museum. Chennai 1999.
• Sidi, Bodufenvalhuge (1959). Divehi Akuru (in Divehi). Vol.1. Malé: Mahkamathul Irshaadh.

Citations

See also

• Maldivian language
• Sinhala script
• Thaana script
• History of the Maldives