Shree Lipi was the dominant Devanagari font for Marathi, Hindi, and Sanskrit text on Indian computers in the 1990s and early 2000s. Like other legacy fonts, Shree Lipi mapped English keyboard letters to Devanagari shapes — meaning text "looks" right only when Shree Lipi is installed. Without it, the text appears as gibberish English letters.
This guide explains why Shree Lipi text needs to be converted to Unicode, how the conversion works, and the practical steps for fixing old Marathi/Hindi documents, government files, and printed materials.
Convert Shree Lipi to Unicode — Free
Paste Shree Lipi Marathi, Hindi, or Sanskrit text and get instant Unicode Devanagari output.
What Is Shree Lipi and Why Was It Used?
Shree Lipi was a popular DTP (desktop publishing) font system from Modular Infotech, used heavily in Maharashtra government offices, newspapers (Lokmat, Sakal, Maharashtra Times historical archives), and Marathi book publishing.
How It Worked
You'd type "k" with Shree Lipi installed and it displayed as "क". But the actual stored character was just "k" — only the font made it look Devanagari. Without Shree Lipi installed, "क" became "k".
Why It's Now Obsolete
- Doesn't work on phones, web browsers, or any system without Shree Lipi installed
- Can't be searched on Google
- Government of Maharashtra and Marathi institutions have migrated to Unicode
- All modern Marathi typing tools use Unicode (Mangal, Akshar Yogini, etc.)
How Shree Lipi → Unicode Conversion Works
The converter maps each Shree Lipi character (an English letter or symbol) to its corresponding Unicode Devanagari character.
Example Mapping
| Shree Lipi Key | Unicode Output |
|---|---|
| k | क |
| K | ख |
| g | ग |
| kf | का |
| ke | के |
| ko | को |
Modular Infotech released several Shree Lipi versions (Shree-Pad, Shree-Mar, Shree-Hin) with slightly different mappings. The most common Shree-Mar or Shree-Pad mappings cover ~95% of historical documents.
Common Conversion Scenarios
- Government documents (Maharashtra) — files written 1995-2010
- Marathi newspaper archives — old digital archives
- Marathi books — DTP files for republishing
- Academic theses — Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit scholarship
- Legal documents — court records, contracts pre-2010
- Family heritage — old letters, family records, religious texts
Converting Word Documents
From Word (.doc/.docx)
- Open the document — text may look like English gibberish if Shree Lipi isn't installed
- Select all text (Ctrl+A)
- Copy and paste into the Shree Lipi to Unicode converter
- Click convert
- Copy Unicode output
- Paste back into Word, change font to "Mangal" or "Kalimati" or any Unicode-compatible Devanagari font
If a document has both Shree Lipi (Devanagari) and English text, copy only the Devanagari portion to convert. Leave English alone — converting it will produce garbage.
How to Use the Tool (Step by Step)
- 1
Copy Shree Lipi Text
Select Shree Lipi-formatted Marathi/Hindi/Sanskrit text from Word, web, or any source.
- 2
Paste Into Converter
Open Shree Lipi to Unicode tool and paste into input field.
- 3
Choose Variant
Pick Shree-Mar (Marathi), Shree-Pad (general), or Shree-Hin (Hindi) based on source.
- 4
Convert
Tool maps each character to Unicode Devanagari.
- 5
Use Anywhere
Copy Unicode output, paste into Word, websites, social media — works universally.
Frequently Asked Questions
My old Marathi document looks like English letters — what is happening?+−
It's most likely written in Shree Lipi font. The text is stored as English letters but displayed as Devanagari only when Shree Lipi is installed. Convert to Unicode for universal display.
Is Shree Lipi the same as Krutidev or Preeti?+−
No. They're all legacy DTP fonts but with different mappings. Krutidev is for Hindi, Preeti for Nepali, Shree Lipi for Marathi/Hindi (Maharashtra origin).
Can the converter handle Sanskrit text?+−
Yes, with the same mapping. Sanskrit uses identical Devanagari script. Special characters (vedic accents) may need manual fixes.
Does the conversion work for poetry/rhyme?+−
Yes, content is preserved. But for typesetting (line breaks, spacing), you may need to manually re-format after conversion.
Can I convert Unicode back to Shree Lipi?+−
Yes with reverse converters, but rarely needed since Unicode is universal. Only useful for republishing old DTP layouts in original style.
Is the converter free?+−
Yes, completely free. Runs in browser, no signup, no character limit for normal use.
Convert Shree Lipi to Unicode — Free
Paste Shree Lipi Marathi, Hindi, or Sanskrit text and get instant Unicode Devanagari output.
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