U+10A57 "𐩗" Kharoshthi Punctuation Double Danda Unicode Character

U+10A57 "𐩗" Kharoshthi Punctuation Double Danda is a punctuation mark used in the ancient Kharoshthi script, which was employed primarily in the Gandhara region of South Asia from around the 3rd century BCE to the 4th century CE. This specific mark functions as a strong separator, similar to the double danda in other Indic scripts, signaling the end of a major textual unit such as a verse, section, or sentence. Its design consists of two vertical strokes, reflecting a convention for indicating longer pauses or boundaries in written Kharoshthi inscriptions and manuscripts, which often recorded Buddhist texts and administrative documents. The character is part of the Kharoshthi block in Unicode, encoded to support digital preservation and scholarly study of this historical writing system.