Openai/692891a1-ec44-8002-bb6b-517c34502ae1
This conversation was exported from ChatGPT[1]
gpt-5-1 edit
User: What script is this? edit
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
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
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
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
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
Please answer these 3 things:
1. Which district of Rajasthan is this from? edit
(Names differ between Jodhpur vs. Shekhawati vs. Mewar vs. Hadoti.)
2. Is this from your family? edit
If yes, knowing the surnames makes it much easier to infer vowel patterns.
3. Do you want: edit
- (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
- ↑ "Translate Mahajani script". ChatGPT. Retrieved 2025-11-28.