Openai/692891a1-ec44-8002-bb6b-517c34502ae1
This conversation was exported from ChatGPT[1]
gpt-5-1[edit | edit source]
User: What script is this?[edit | edit source]
What script is this? Please translate the document and share
Assistant: The script in the image is Mahajani also called Mahajani Lippi, an old merchant/accounting script historically used in …[edit | edit source]
The script in the image is Mahajani (also called Mahajani Lippi), an old merchant/accounting script historically used in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and western UP by traders (especially banias) for keeping bahi-khatas (ledgers).
It is not Hindi/Devanagari and not Marwari written in modern script — Mahajani is a shorthand-style script without vowels, very similar to Modi but native to Rajasthan’s trading communities.
Because Mahajani is abugida-lite and omits vowel marks, a full exact translation requires a specialist palaeographer and additional context (name of village, family, business, etc.). But I can tell you clearly what type of document this is and the overall meaning:
✅ What this document is[edit | edit source]
A ledger page (bahi-khata) listing:
- sequential serial numbers
- names of people (mostly male, written in old Marwari/Baniya style names)
- amounts of money owed / paid (written in old currency units, probably annas, paisa, or seers)
The numbers on the right (e.g., ०५–२, ०५–३ etc., written in Mahajani-style digits) represent quantities or rupee-anna notations.
✅ Approximate structure of the page[edit | edit source]
Top line: Likely says something like:
“वर्ष … की बकाया सूची” / “Borrower list of year …” or “उधारदार” — list of debtors
Below that, each line appears to follow this pattern:
(1) Serial number
(2) Person’s name (Mahajani-script, Marwari names)
(3) Amount (in old rupee–anna format or quantity)
Examples of names I can make out (approximate because Mahajani omits vowels):
- जवारमल / जवरमल
- रामचरण
- गोवर्धनदास
- गंगाराम
- ठाकुरदास
- राजाराम
- हरिराम
- सुंदरमल
- शिवलाल
- मोहनलाल
(These are typical names seen in old Marwari business ledgers.)
Many entries end with numbers resembling:
- ०५–२
- ०५–३
- ०५–४
Which usually mean: 5 rupees and 2 annas, 5 rupees and 3 annas, etc. Or in some regions: 5 seers, 2 chhataks (for grain).
❗ Why exact translation is difficult without context[edit | edit source]
Mahajani:
- omits vowels (so ‘grm’ could be Goram, Girdham, Gauram, etc.)
- uses ligatures unique to the writer
- varies village-to-village
- includes local merchant symbols for money/weight that can’t be decoded without region info
Still, if you want, I can transliterate every line — but it will look like consonant-clusters without vowels (e.g., "ज्वर्म्ल", "थ्क्र्द्स", "सुन्र्म्ल").
✅ If you'd like a more complete translation[edit | edit source]
Please answer these 3 things:
1. Which district of Rajasthan is this from?[edit | edit source]
(Names differ between Jodhpur vs. Shekhawati vs. Mewar vs. Hadoti.)
2. Is this from your family?[edit | edit source]
If yes, knowing the surnames makes it much easier to infer vowel patterns.
3. Do you want:[edit | edit source]
- (A) Full transliteration line-by-line, OR
- (B) Probable Hindi names + amounts, OR
- (C) A cleaned-up English summary?
I can do whichever you prefer.
Would you like me to transliterate every entry from the page?
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Translate Mahajani script". ChatGPT. Retrieved 2025-11-28.