Koleluttu

Koleḻuttŭ (Malayalam: കോലെഴുത്ത്, romanized: Kōleḻuttŭ) was a syllabic script historically employed in Kerala, south India, for writing the Malayalam language.^[3]

Script type

Abugida

Period

c. 12th/13th century AD

DirectionLeft-to-right 

Languages

• Malayalam

Quick facts Kolezhuthu, Script type ...

Kolezhuthu
Script type	Abugida
Period	c. 12th/13th century AD
Direction	Left-to-right
Languages	Malayalam
Related scripts
Parent systems	Proto-Sinaitic alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Brahmi[1] Tamil Brahmi[2] Vattezhuthu[3] Kolezhuthu
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.

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Kolezhuthu developed from the Vattezhuthu (script) during the post-medieval Chera period (c. 12th century onwards) in Kerala.^[3] It was used by certain Keralite communities, such as Muslims and Christians, until as late as the 18th century AD.^[3]

The Ezhava community historically used the Kolezhuthu script (a Chera-era script) and the Malayalam script. Early Ezhava physicians, known as Vaidyars, used palm-leaf manuscripts written in these scripts to document traditional medicine, botany, and toxicology

The term Kolezhuthu is likely derived from the distinctive type of stylus traditionally used in its inscription.^[4] In present-day Malayalam, kōl refers to a stylus or an elongated stick-like object, while eḻuttŭ denotes 'written form'.^[4]