writing system used for the Kashmiri language by the educated Hindu minority in Kashmir and the surrounding valleys. It is taught in the Hindu schools there but is not used in printing books. Originating in the 8th century AD, Sarada descended from the Gupta script of North India, from which Devanāgarī (q.v.) also developed. The earliest inscriptions in Sarada script, found in Kashmir and northeastern Punjab, are dated AD 804. Sarada script corresponds letter for letter with Devanāgarī, although it differs greatly in shape, having stiff, thick strokes. Muslims in Kashmir use a Persian-Arabic script, and much Kashmiri literature is written in Sanskrit with the Devanāgarī script.