Vedic Characters & Unicode

[Thomas C, Burke]

Although upadhmaaniiya and jiihvaamuuliiya both have independent signs
(termed gajakumbhaak*rti and vajraak*ti respectively [see Abhyankar's
Dictionary of Sanskrit grammar, s.v., for details]), both these signs are
commonly replaced by yet a third sign, the ardhavisarga, in grammatical texts
printed in Nagari. If we are properly to quote these texts, without editorial
intervention, we need the ardhavisarga in addition to the signs for
upadhmaaniiya and jiihvaamuuliiya.  Three characters, in all, are thus
required.

Many members of this group will have first encountered  upadhmaaniiya and
jiihvaamuuliiya in the Tantraakhyaayikaa selection in Stenzler's
Elementarbuch der Sanskrit-sprache, which represents upadhmaaniiya by
ardhavisarga and jiihvaamuuliiya by the vajrak*rti sign.

With best regards,

Thomas Burke