Śirorekhā ((free)) File

Dravidian scripts (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam) do not have a śirorekhā. Their letters are typically “free-standing,” with rounded or straight strokes at the top but no connecting headline. In Brief Śirorekhā is the defining horizontal crown line of Devanāgarī and related North Indian scripts. It acts as a visual spine, giving the script its characteristic “hanging” look, aiding word recognition, and unifying calligraphic flow.