Ancient and Medieval Nepal
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@ 1st Edition, 1960 D. R. Regmi, Kathmandu, Nepal. Published by K. L. MUKHOPADHYAY, 61 1 A, Banchharam Akrur Lane, Calcutta 12. India. Price : Rs. 15.00 Printed by R. Chatterjee, at the Bhani Printers Private Ltd., 38, Strand Road, Calcutta-1. m The Shrine of Pasupatinath from the western gate Jalasayana Vishnu ( 7th Century A. D. ) CONTENTS kist of Abbreviations Bibliography Map Foreword . Preface to the First Edition . Preface to the Second Edition . CHAPTERI1 : GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON SOME ASPECTS OF NEPALESE LIFE AND CULTURE The Antiquity of the Newars of Kathmandu . Kiatas in Ancient History . Their first entry into the Nepal Valley . The Kiratas and the Newars . First Settlement in the Valley . Why they were called Newars . The Newars and the Lichhavis . The Newars of Kathmandu . Origin . Religion . Newari Festivals . Customs and Manners . Caste System . Occupation. Language and Cultural Achievements Relation with India . Art and Architecture in Nepal . The Stupas . Swayambhunath and Bauddha . The Temples . The Nepal Style . Sculpture . Painting . Gift to Asia . Modern Art . ANCIENT NEPAL EARLY NEPAL Sources . The Dawn ... The Kirata Dynasty . The Pre-Kirata Period . The Kirata Rulers 4 ... The Lichhavi Dynasty . / . The So-called Lichhavi Character of Nepal Constitution Genealogy & Chronology . Inscriptions . The Date of Manadeva . The Era of the Earlier Inscriptions . The Epoch Year of the First Series of Inscriptions . Facts of History as Cited by Manadeva's Changu Inscription . Chronology Recitified . Manadeva's Successors . The Ahir Guptas . Religion in Early Nepal . CHAPTERIV : GUPTA SUCCESSORS The Tibetan Era of 595 A.D. TheEpochof the Era . The Epoch year of the Era . Amsuvarman's Documents . The Thakuris . Amsuvarman's Status . Amsuvarman's Achievements . Extent of the Kingdom . His Character and Administrative Capacity . Attitude Towards Religious Sects . Jisnugupta & Visnugupta . His Inscriptions and Coins . More about Amsuvarman & Jisnugupta . The Bhrikuti Story . CONTENTS Lichhavi Restoration ./r: Narendradeva . The Double Rule . I1 The Year 705 A.D. .. Inscriptions of Sivadeva TI and Jayadeva I1 . Nepal Defeats Kashmir . Was Aramudi a Magar Chief ? . Lichhavis after Jayadeva I1 . CHAPTERVI : POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITION OF ANCIENT NEPAL The Account of the T'ang History . Pagoda Style . Cultural Mission to Tibet . The Route to Tibet . Politics . The Government . Agrahara . Economic Policy .. Taxes . Land Measurement . Land Tenure . Kotta and Dranga . Forced Labour . General Picture . Trade and Industry . Currency . Appendix : I Managriha ........Bhadra .. Appendix : I1 Caste in Ancient Nepal . Appendix : I11 On the Lichhavi Origin of the Rulers . Appendix : IV Asoka & Nepal . Index . LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ABORI . Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Bendall, History . C. Bendall, A History of Nepal and surrounding kingdoms ( 1000-1600), in JASB,LXXII (1903), pp. 1-32; reprinted as Historical Introduction at the beginning of CPMDN, I. BGL Bhagwan La1 Indraji and G. Buhler, Inscriptions from Nepal (IA, ix, 1880, 163 ff). Bombay, 1885. Bendall, Journey C. Bendall, A journey to Nepal and Northern India, Cambridge 1886. BSOAS Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, XX (1957) ; Furer- Haimendorf, the Inter-relations of caste and ethnic groups in Nepal. CBMC C. Bendall, Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts in the University Library, Cambridge, 1883. CPMDN H. P. Shastri, Catalogue of palm-leaf and selected paper manuscripts belong- ing to the Darbar Library, Nepal, 2 Vols., Calcutta 1905 and 1916. CSBM C. Bendall, Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts in the British Museum, London 1902. CSMASB H. P. Shastri (et alii), A descriptive catalogue of the Sanskrit manuscripts in the Government collection of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. I ff. Calcutta 1917 ff. (the latest volumes out are XIV of 1955 and XI of 1957). CSPMIO A. B. Keith, Catalogue of the Sans- krit and Prakrit manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, Vol. 11, Oxford 1935. CIM V. Smith, Catalogue of Coins in the Indian Museum. CAI Cambridge History of (Ancient) India, Vol. I. CSMBM C. Bendall, Catalogue of Sanskrit manuscripts in the British Museum, London 1902. Darb. Lib. Cat. A Catalogue of manuscripts in Darbar Library, Kathmandu. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xi EI Epigraphia Indica. G noli R. Gnoli, Nepalese inscriptions in Gupta characters (Serie Orientale Roma, X, 2), Rome 1956. Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, TI1 London 1888, edited by. J. F. Fleet (Gupta Inscriptions). IHQ Indian Historical Quarterly. IA Indian Antiquary. Italiani Missionari, etc. I Missionari Italiani nel Tibet e nel Nepal, 7 parts, edited by L. Petech (in Italian) Rome, 1953. J. As. Journal Asiatique. JASB Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. JBORS and JBRS Journal of the Bihar and Orissa Research Society, after~vardsJournal of the Bihar Research Society. JIH Journal of Indian History. JRAS Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. Kirkpatrick An account of the Kingdom of Nepal, London 181 1. KPJ K. P. Jayaswal. Levi Le Nepal, Etude historique d'un royaume hindou, 3' Vols., Paris, 1905-08. MMK Manjusrimulakalpa, edited by Gana- pati Sastri, Trivandrum Sanskrit Series. Mss. Manuscripts. N.S. Nepal Samvat. RS Rahul Sankrityayan. S. S. Sanskrit Sandesa, a monthly magazine of antiquity (in Sanskrit). Tucci Preliminary Report on two scientific expenditions in Nepal (Serie Orientale Roma, 1956). The three parts of the Vamsavali in the Darbar Library discovered by Bendall. This is otherwise known as Gopalaraja Vamsavali. Vamsavali in possession of F. M. Kaiser. VS Vikram Samvat. Wright, Daniel History of Nepal, translated from Parbatiya, Cambridze 1877. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Cecil Bendall .. .4 journey of Literary and .4rchaeological Research in Nepal and Northern India during the winter of 1881-1885, Camb- ridge, University Press, 1886. Bhagwanlal Indraji and G. Buhler .. Inscriptions from Nepal, Bombay, 1885; India11 Antiquary, 1880, Pp. 163 ff. Sylvain Levi .. Le Nepal, etude historique d'un Royau- me Hindou, 3 Vols., Paris, 1909. R. Gnoli . Nepalese Inscriptions in Gupta characters (Serie Orientale Roma, S, 2) Rome, 1956. Sanskrit Sandesh . Kathmandu, a Sanskrit monthly, VS 2010 (19.53-54). Itihas Prakasa . Volume I (1955-56) 2 Parts. Volume 11 (1956-57) 2 Parts. J. F. Fleet . Corpus klscriptionum Indicarum, 111, Appendix, iv, the Chronology of the Early Rulers of Nepal. Unpublished inscriptions traced by the author in Kathmandu and adjoining areas inside the Valley of Nepal. Kirkpatrick .. An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal, hndon, 1811. Francis Hamilton . .4n Account of the Kingdom oE Nepal and of territories annexed to this dominion by the House of Gorkha, Edinburgh, 1819. Daniel Wright . History of Nepal translated from Parbati- ya, Cambridge, 1877. \';11nsavali V1,Vl1 and \rll Discovered by Bendall in the Darbar Lib- rary, Kathnlandu (Gopalaraja Vamsa- vali) . Vamsavali . In possesssion of General Kaisar Shum- sher. Vamsavali . In the possession of the author. C. Bentlall . A History of Nepal ant1 surrounding kingtlonls (1000-1600) in J.-ISB, LSSII (1903), Pp. 1-32, reprinted as Histori- cal Introdi~ction at tlie beginning of Ct'hIDN, 1. 16. C. Bendall . Catalogue oE Sanskrit manuscril~tsin the British Muset~m. BIBLIOGRAPHY ~iii 17. C. Bendall .. Catalogue of Palm-leaf and selected pap ~na~iuscriptsbelonging to the Durbar Library, Nepal, 2 Vols., Calcutta, 1905 and 1'316. 18. H. P. Shastri .. Catalogue of Palm-leaf and selected paper manuscripts belonging to the Durbar Library, Nepal, 2 Vols., Calcutta, 1905 and 1916. A Ilescriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit manuscripts in the Government collec- tion ot the =isiatic Society of Bengal, \'ol. I, ff., Calcutta, 1917 (Vols. XIV of 1937 and XI just out). 20. A Catalogue oE hIanuscripts in Darbar 1,ibrary. Kathmandu (unpublished) . 21. A Catalogue of hlanuscril>ls iri the Guruji's I.ib~.ary,Kathmandu. 22. R. L. Mitra .. Sar~skritIludclhist Literatlire in Sepal ~~11- lisl~ecl by .Asiatic Society of Ijengal, Calcutta, 1882. 23. Radhagovinda Basak . The History oE North Eastern India (c. 320-760) London, 1934 (chapter is, Pp. 259-302) . 24. G. Tucci . Preliminary Report on two Scientific ex- peditions in Nepal (Serie Orientale Roma, XI) Rome, 195G. 25. L. Petech .. Medieval History of Nepal (c. 750-1480) , Rome, 1958. 26. Percival Landon .. N.npa1, 2 Volunles, 1928 (Constable, London). 27. H. C. Ray . The Dynastic History of Northern India 2 Volumes. 28. Italia~iihlissionari nel Tibet nel Nepal, edited by Petech, Rome 1952, in two Volumes, 7 Parts. 29. Chronology and History of Nepal 600 B.C. to 800 A.D. in JBORS, XSII (September, 1936), Pp. 157-264. 30. I-Tsing, A Record of Buddhist Religion as practised in India and the Malay Archipelago (A.D. 671-695) translated by J. Takakusu, Oxfortl, 1896. 31. Taranath .. History of Buddhism in India, Tibetan text, edited by A. Schiefner, St. Peters- burg, 1869. 32. L. A. Waddell . The Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism, London, 1895. I .. Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 2 Vols., London, 1904 and 1905. 34. G. Tucci .. Tibetan Painted Scrolls, 3 Vols., Rome, 1949. xiv ANCIENT NEPAL 35. H. A. Oldfield .. Sketches frorn Nipal, 2 Vols,, London, 1880. 36. E. H. Walsh . ?'he Coinage of Nepal in JRAS, 1908. 37. Archaeological Survey of Inclia Reports, SXVI, Pt. 1, 1901 (Excavations in Kapilvastn) . 38. Aryan~anjusrimulakalpa, edited by Ganapati Sastri, Trivantlrum Sanskrit Series. 39. Indian Historical Quarterly, IS (1933) 'Some Points Regartling the Origin of the Lichhavis of Vaisali' Pp. 429-40. 40. Journal of the Bihar and Orissa Research Society, Vol. xxii, Pt. 2 (June, 1936) , Invasion of Nepal by Sulta~iSanisutltlin. 41. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal : (a) K. P. Chattopadhyaya, An Essay on the History of the Newari Culture, Vol. 19 (No. 10, 1923) . b) S. K. Chatterji, Kirata Janakriti, Vol. XVI (Third Series, 1950). (c) Brian Hodgson, 'Accol~nt of a visit to the Ruins of Simroun, once the capital of Rlithila, Vol. lV, 1835. 42. Sadhanamala, edited by B. T. Bhattacharya, Barotla. 43. The Iridian Buddhist Iconography by B. T. Bhattacharya, Calcutta, 1957. 44. E. Bretschneider, Medieval Researches from Eastern Asiatic Sources, London (Pp.