Avagraha

The Avagraha (Sanskrit: अवग्रह) is a diacritic mark used in Devanagari and other Brahmic scripts (such as Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Gujarati, Bengali, and Oriya) to indicate the elision (omission or slurring) of a vowel, most commonly the initial अ (a), particularly in sandhi (Sanskrit: संधि), the euphonic combination of words.

In Sanskrit grammar, sandhi rules often dictate that when a word ending in अ (a) is followed by another word also beginning with अ (a), the initial अ (a) of the second word is elided and replaced by the Avagraha. This is often transliterated as 'ऽ' or a similar symbol.

The primary function of the Avagraha is to visually represent the original form of the text, indicating where a vowel was originally present before undergoing sandhi. This aids in the accurate pronunciation and understanding of the underlying morphology of the words. It serves as a reminder of the original vowel and ensures that the sandhi is understood and pronounced correctly, especially when chanting or reciting sacred texts. The mark is visually distinct and helps preserve the linguistic integrity of the text.