Chanakya to Unicode Converter — Free Hindi Font Conversion
Convert Walkman-Chanakya / Chanakya Hindi font text to Unicode (Mangal) Devanagari in one click. Uses the shared Remington-Gail mapping — character-exact with our Kruti Dev converter.
Open the Converter Tool → See all 12 Hindi fonts
What is Chanakya font?
Chanakya (often distributed as Walkman-Chanakya) is one of the earliest legacy Hindi fonts used in India, released in the mid-1990s by Shri Lipi / Walkman. Like Kruti Dev 010, it is an ASCII-based font that remaps Roman characters to Devanagari glyphs — which means text typed in Chanakya looks like gibberish (Hkkjr dk lafo/kku) unless the Chanakya font is installed on the reader's computer.
For daily use, this is a problem — you cannot send Chanakya text on WhatsApp, email, or modern websites without font installation. Converting to Unicode is the standard solution.
Is Chanakya the same as Kruti Dev?
Functionally yes. Chanakya, Walkman-Chanakya, Kruti Dev 010, DevLys 010, and AGRA all descend from the 1970s Remington-Gail Hindi typewriter mapping. The ASCII-to-Devanagari mapping is character-identical across these fonts — only the glyph design differs (some are slightly bolder, some have different kerning).
Practical consequence: any Chanakya text you have can be converted using our Kruti Dev to Unicode engine with 100% accuracy. No custom mapping needed.
Who still uses Chanakya?
Government offices in UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, MP that haven't yet migrated to Unicode. Old revenue-department ledgers, court files, and pre-2015 coaching-institute material often use Chanakya. If you've inherited legacy Hindi files, Chanakya-to-Unicode conversion is a common first step before you can edit them in modern Office or share them online.
Chanakya is also accepted as the font family for the Kruti Dev 010 / Remington-Gail layout in several state-level typing exams where the commission allows 'any Remington Gail compatible font'.
How to use our converter
Click the Kruti Dev to Unicode Converter button above — the same engine handles Chanakya input identically. Paste your Chanakya-font text into the left panel, and Unicode Devanagari appears on the right. Copy to clipboard with one button. No sign-up, no data sent to our servers — conversion is 100% client-side JavaScript.
Reverse conversion (Unicode → Chanakya/Kruti Dev ASCII) is also supported on the same page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chanakya to Unicode conversion free?
Yes. Our converter is 100% free, requires no signup, runs entirely in your browser. No limits on text length.
Does the Chanakya converter work offline?
Once the page is loaded the first time, the conversion logic runs client-side and does not need an internet connection. You can save the page (Ctrl+S) for offline use.
Can I convert Walkman-Chanakya to Mangal?
Yes. Walkman-Chanakya uses the same Remington-Gail mapping as Chanakya. Use the Kruti Dev to Unicode converter — output is valid Mangal Unicode Devanagari.
Why does Chanakya text look like English gibberish?
Because Chanakya is an ASCII-based font. The "gibberish" you see is actually Roman characters that render as Devanagari ONLY when the Chanakya font is installed and applied. Converting to Unicode solves this permanently.
Is Chanakya accepted in SSC typing exams?
Not by name. However, if your exam centre has the Chanakya font installed and your notification specifies "Kruti Dev 010 / Remington-Gail", the Chanakya-typed output will score identically. In practice, exam centres ship Kruti Dev 010.
What is the character-level difference between Chanakya and Kruti Dev?
At the encoding level, none. Both are ASCII remaps of Remington-Gail layout. Glyph design differs slightly (Chanakya is very slightly heavier), but the underlying key-to-character mapping is identical.