Discoveries of Buddhist Manuscripts in Nepal

Paper prepared for 1st Palm leaf Culture Conference at Yunnan University
20-21 April 2010

Discoveries of Manuscripts
in M.
Nepal:
Buddhism and its Manuscripts
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
Discoveries of Manuscripts in Nepal:

Ven. S. M. Sujano1
Abstract
Although the Buddha was born in Nepal, the history of Buddhism
in Nepal is not very clear until the beginning of the 19th century. There
are Buddhist monasteries and stupas spread throughout different parts of
the country yet due to lack of records or clear evidence, it is difficult to
say when they were built. Nonetheless, it is generally believed that the
origin of these Buddhist viharas dates to the time of the early
introduction of Buddhism in ancient times.
Further, the history of
Buddhism would have been difficult without the discoveries of Buddhist

manuscripts in the form of both palm leaf and paper. Among the
discoveries, Brian H. Hodgsons discovery of a great number of
Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts revolutionised the history of Buddhism in
Nepal with 381 bundles of folio MSS. Equally important was Cecil
Bendals discovery of Pali manuscripts in Nepal which changed the
Ven. S. M. Sujano MA in Buddhist Studies from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University,

Bangkok Thailand- a Nepalese born Thai Buddhist monk, presently, is working as a Buddhist missionary
monk in the UK. I would like to thank Belinda Owen for helpful comments and linguistic support.
20-21 April 2010
in M.
Nepal:
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
history of Theravada Buddhism in Nepal. It can be seen therefore, how

the study of Nepalese Manuscripts would help to understand Buddhism
in depth and its situation in Nepal in the past and present. So, this article
will present an over view of Manuscripts of Nepal.
Introduction
Apart from the record of Buddhist scriptures and Buddhas
relationship with Nepalese society, according to the records of Emperor
King Ashoka, records of Chinese travellers and religious activities of
few kings of Nepal suggests that Buddhism was widely practiced in
Nepalese society from the centuries. However, the original identity of
Buddhism was lost around the thirteenth century at the time of King
Jayasthiti Malla (1382-95AD), who imposed a Hindu constitution in
Nepal.2 Buddhist culture and tradition were banned and the celibate
monks were forced to disrobe and forced to marry. Consequently,
Vajrayana or Newar Buddhism was developed following the demise of
Buddhism. The situation of Buddhism became worse during the time of
Rana government, in 1846, the mantle of power of Nepals government
shifted from the monarchy to an autocratic, isolationist Rana
government. The Shah Kings of the country were kept under tight
2
Nancy Grant, The Monk who Would Return, The Nation; Thailands English Newspaper
(Sunday special) Oct. 18, 1987
20-21 April 2010
in M.
Nepal:
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
control of Rana prime ministers. The country was closed from the
outside world, with eyes closed to what was happening outside for a
century. That was the age, when Buddhism was totally forgotten from
Nepal. It was known and practiced by only certain communities;
Vajracharyas (Bajracharyas), Shakyas, Tuladhars and highland
communities etc.3 The Rana government banned all Buddhist religious
activities. They also banned people converting from Hindu religion to
Buddhism but existing Buddhists were allowed to become Hindus.
Equally, when Buddhist movements began in 19th Century, they were
banned. Monks were imprisoned, exiled and fined etc. during the
Buddhist revival movement.4 Therefore, through frequent suppression
and restriction from the government, Buddhism continued to deteriorate
in Nepal until the success of the Buddhist revival movement and reestablishment of Theravada Buddhism in Nepal.
The Buddhist literature in Nepal
It is certain that over the centuries there are hundreds of
thousands of old manuscripts written on paper and on palm-leaf, in
particularly after the 3rd century AD, in almost all countries of Asia have
3
N.B. Thapa, A Short History of Nepal, (Kath: Ratna Pustak bhandhar, N.d.) pp. 30-33; Op.cit.
Nancy Grant, Oct. 18, 1987
4
Phra Sujan Maharjan, The Revival of Theravada Buddhism in and its Contribution to Nepalese
Society, Mahachulongkornrajavidyalaya University, BKK, 2006, pp. 18,19,22
20-21 April 2010
in M.
Nepal:
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
such culture. Palm-leaf was the most popular material used for
preserving Buddhist teachings and its history before the advent of paper.
It was widely used for the writing of manuscripts in Sri Lanka and India
and was later passed culture on to Burma (the Mons and the Burmese),
on to Cambodia, Siam, Indonesia and Malaysia. On account of the vast
literary activity through the centuries in these countries, huge collections
of early manuscripts are preserved, many have been discovered and
preserved yet there are many to be discovered. Correspondingly, an
enormous number of MSS on Pali literature was preserved by Ceylon,
Burma, Cambodia and Siam as well as recent discovery in
Sipshuangbanna Yunnan, China.5 Simultaneously, the great achievement
that Nepalese Buddhists have preserved valuable MSS on palm leaf and
paper of the original Sanskrit texts of Mahayana Buddhism. 6 H. P. Sastri
records that the palm leaf MSS that have been discovered in Nepal are
older than Paper MSS and some of them are written in later Gupta
character. The 93 bundles of palm leaf MSS have been kept in the
library, which with eight bundles acquired by the late Maharaja Sir Vira
Sumsher JBR, make up a total of 101 bundles. These bundles contain
Zhou Ya, The complete Collection of Chinese Palm-leaf Scripture and several Issue in the
Translation and collation, The Document of the 2nd International Buddhist Research Seminar, Vol. 1,
Organised by the Buddhist Research Institute, MCU, 8th -10th January 2010, pp 15-29
6
Phra Vipassi Dhammaramo, Buddhism in Nepal, Mahamakut University: BKK, p 38
20-21 April 2010
in M.
Nepal:
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
altogether 448 MSS, though many of them are mere fragments.7 This
discovery has huge significance to the history of Buddhism in Nepal.
However, Pal & Meech-Pekarik suggest that the palm leaf is not native
to Nepal. Further, they presume that the tradition of writing in this
medium was introduced into the country from the India probably during
the Licchavi period (330-879AD).8
Historians, on the other hand, believe that one of the major
reasons of the richness in Buddhist manuscripts in Nepal was the
collapse of Indian Buddhism.9 Many Buddhists escaped from
suppression in India and fled to Nepal along with their religious and
cultural inheritance. With the integration of the two cultures, few
Sanskrit Buddhist scholars indicates, from 9th century to 13 century AD
Nepalese
Buddhist
continue
to
copy
Buddhist
manuscripts
predominantly in Sanskrit. Consequently, an enormous amount of

Buddhist literatures have been written and preserved in Nepal for
centuries. Out of this vast literature, only a small portion of it was
translated into Tibetan and Chinese around the 9th to 11th century.
Unfortunately, with the passage of time, the great treasure of Buddhist
7
H P Sastri, A catalogue of Palm leaf and selected Paper Manuscripts belonging to the Durbar
library, Nepal, Calcutta: Printed at the Baptist Mission Press, 1905, preface
8
Pal, P. & Meech-Pekarik, J., Buddhist Book Illuminations, Hong Kong: Ravi Kamuar, Publisher,
1988, p. 95
9
See detail for causes of decline: Ven. S. M. Sujano, The disappearance of Buddhism from its
country of origin, Punjab: Punjab Buddhist Society UK Souvenir, 8th October 2006, pp. 34-37
20-21 April 2010
in M.
Nepal:
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
literature was lost or destroyed due to various historical conditions.

There are few evidence to suggest that a large number of Buddhist
manuscripts, both palm leaves and paper, were destroyed just because of
political and social reformation in different times. Furthermore, these
manuscripts have been destroyed due to lack of awareness, lack of
understanding of methods of preventive conservation and value of MSS
by the owner. Despite these destructions in varied ways, many foreign
scholars and collectors successfully procured a large number of Buddhist
manuscripts from Nepal. Some of the main collectors are Brian H.
Hodgson, Daniel Wright, Cecil Bendall, Dr. A. F. R. Hoemle, W.
Jones,10 Dr. H. H. Wilson, S. H. Lewin, Ekai Kawaguchi and others.
They also collected different manuscripts and preserved them in different
institutions in different countries. The main institutions are the Asiatic
Society of Bengal, royal Asiatic society of London, British Museum,
India Office library, Cambridge University library, Bodleian library,
Bibliotheque National de Paris, India Institute library-Oxford,
Universities libraries of Tokyo, Taisho, Tokai, Kyoto and Tokyo Bunko
in Japan and so on. In these institutions, various Nepalese manuscripts
have been preserved.
10
Moriz Winternitz and Arthur Berriadale (ed), Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscript in the Bodleian
Library, Vol. II, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1905. P 24 9
20-21 April 2010
in M.
Nepal:
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
The Nepalese Manuscripts

Nepal, as it is known to all, has possessed for centuries valuable
materials written in Sanskrit, Tibetan, Newari, Hindi and other ethnic
languages, which attracted scholars from around the world. Many
Sanskritists, Tibetologists, specialists in Newari, and other scholars,
working in various disciplines, are already aware, to some extent at least,
of the wealth of manuscript material and documents in Nepal. According
to Min Bahadur Sakya, Sanskrit Buddhist scholars of Nepal, there are
Sanskrit MSSs on Palm-leaf, Haritalika paper, Thyasphu paper, Scroll
Manuscript and Bound Book Manuscripts available in Nepal. From
which, only a handful have been published. The greater part of these
manuscripts and documents has not yet received scholarly attention, and
the work of cataloguing. Some of these MSSs are the oldest and rarest
documents of Asia that record history, politics, social and medical
accounts etc.
During 1828-70 Mr. Hodgson collected several MSSs which he
went on to publish. Among the discoveries, the discovery of 381 folios
by Mr. Hodgson generated a new era that changed Buddhist history. Of
these MSS were 86 MSS comprising 179 separate works, many were
presented to Asiatic Society of Bengal; 85 to the Royal Asiatic Society
7
20-21 April 2010
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Nepal:
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
of London, 30 to the Indian Office Library; 7 to the Bodleian Library,

Oxford; 174 to the Societe Asiatique, and the French scholar Eugene
Bernouf. The last two collections have since been deposited in the
Bibliotheque National of France. As such, A Catalogue of Palm leaf in
Darbar Library Nepal records in total the preservation of 101 bundles in
which 93 bundles are in Library and eight bundles acquired by the late
Maharaja Sir Vira Sumsher JBR. These bundles contain altogether 448
MSS.11 H. P. Sastri further explains that the number of MSS in the
library, paper and Palm leaf together total to nearly 5,000. These contain
the royal collection of Nepal from the remotest antiquity, with every
successive king trying to add to the numbers. Similarly, the NepalGerman MSS Preservation Project has microfilmed over 180,000
Nepalese MSS during its 30 years of operation.12 Asa Archives,
accordingly, preserved approximately 1000 catalogued and 300 uncatalogued rolled palm leaf MSS. Apart from these there are many MSSs
that have yet to be discovered and many more to be brought to the
surface. However, in order to keep its focus on Buddhist MSS, in
particular Sanskrit and Pali language, it has to terminate the vastness of
MSS in Nepal here.
11
H P Sastri, Op.cit. preface

Dragomir Dimitrov, the work of the Nepalese-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project in Nepal
(Report: July 2006), Newsletter of the NGMCP, No. 1, p. 3
12
20-21 April 2010
in M.
Nepal:
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
The Scripts and language used in Nepalese Buddhist MSS

Generally, Buddhist manuscripts of Nepal were written in five
types of scripts; Pracalit, Newari, Rajana, Bhujimole and Devanagari
scripts. Each script signifies the significance of manuscripts in Nepal,
such as, Newari scripts were used for most of the MSSs of Nepal.
Nevertheless, Rajana scripts were used for sacred texts or teachings and
mostly written on Indigo-paper, on gold or silver, which was highly
venerated by its followers. Similarly, the Bhujimole script was used to
write mainly on Palm leaf. In particular to Palm leaf, 1084 rolled palm
leaf MSS are preserved by the National Archives of Nepal alone.
Further, since there are two major Buddhist schools; Mahayana and
Theravada, Sanskrit and Pali languages are the main languages of these
two schools respectively. Thus, entire Buddhist literatures were written
in these scripts in two languages; Sanskrit and Pali. Snellgrove David L
says;
It is quite remarkable how within its small geographical
limits the Nepal valley has managed to preserve the most
remarkable traces of the last days of Buddhism in Northern
India.13
13
Snellgrove David L., Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Serindia Publications, London 1987, p. 379
20-21 April 2010
in M.
Nepal:
By Ven. S.
Sujano
2010
Concerning Sanskrit Buddhist MSSs, Nepal is enormously rich in

Manuscripts which are widely known to Sanskrit Buddhist scholars.
However, in the suppressive governmental environment of Nepal
Buddhist MSS were preserved underground for centuries until the
publication of Buddhist MSS from the Bengal Asiatic society in 1828
and 1874 by Brian H. Hodgson, a British diplomat in Nepal.14 It was
through him that a great number of Sanskrit Buddhist MSS were
discovered in Nepal that dramatically changed its shape. Rajendra Lal
Mitra says in The Sanskrit Buddhist literature of Nepal that:
Mr. Hodgson discovered a great number of these works
during his tenure in Nepal in the beginning of the 19 th century. The
existence of these before his time was unknown, and his discovery
has entirely revolutionised the history of Buddhism... copies of
these works, totalling 381 folio MSS have been distributed so as to
render them accessible to European scholars15
Nonetheless, among the MSSs that have found in Nepal, apart
from few portion, it is difficult of know the exact date of the illustrated
MSS but documents suggest its copying tradition and writing MSS
14
Brian H. Hodgson, Essays on the language, literature and religion of Nepal and Tibet, London,
1828 and 1874
15
Rajendra Lal Mitra, The Sanskrit Buddhist literature of Nepal, Calcutta, India, 1882, preface
10
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Nepal:
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2010
began as early as the 10th Century in Nepal. An earlier illustrated MSS,

as far discovered, was dated 1015 AD of Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita,
which is now in the collection of the Cambridge University Library.
Among the Sanskrit Buddhist MSSs, the main group are of Navagranth,
the priceless scripture that contains nine valuable Sanskrit Buddhist
texts, which is of immense benefit to the Mahayana Buddhist world.
They are: Prajnaparamita, Gandavyuha, Dasabhumesvara, Samadhiraja,
Lankavatara, Saddharmapundarika, lalitvistara, Tathagataguhyaka and
Suvarnaprabhasa. All of them have been translated into different
languages. Additionally, concerning Buddhist Sanskrit MSS, over 20
reports (see appendix 1) have been published.
Concerning the Pali Buddhist MSSs in Nepal, there is only a
handful on record. Pali Buddhism or Theravada Buddhism has been
reintroduced since 1930s, its impact to Nepalese society is immense.
Sanskrit Buddhist Scholars refer to it as imported Buddhism into modern
Nepal but in my opinion its revival made a vital difference to the
Buddhist history in Nepal. Some of the benefits of the emergence of
Theravada Buddhism in Modern Nepal are opened religious freedom, a
break off of Social boundaries and government chain of limited ground
in Nepal.
11
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2010
Professor Bendall, while on his survey of manuscripts in Nepal,

found that in his examination of a few stray leaves, proved that pali was
at one time used so far north as Nepal.16 His announcement greatly
supports the argument that pali Buddhism prevailed in Nepal from the
beginning. Similarly, Harishchandra Lal Singha, a historian, says
Theravada was the earliest form of Buddhism prevalent in Nepal as in
many countries of Asia where Buddhism flourished. Further, the
missionary monks sent by King Ashoka in the 3 century suggests that
there were Buddhist practices in Nepalese society. Although, traditional
Theravada texts do not contain any information about Theravada in
Nepal, the texts of other Buddhist schools, nevertheless, say that some of
the Buddhas disciples went to Nepals Kathmandu Valley.
In addition, among the approximately 180,000 manuscripts that
have been microfilmed by the NGMPP, the oldest preserved Pali
manuscript was found, which is possibly the oldest dated Nepalese
manuscript (810 AD). It was discovered by Cecil Bendall. He announced
the discovery of a Pali Manuscript in Nepal at the 12 th International
Congress of Orientalists held at Rome in 1899. It is said that the
Manuscript was kept in a library of the Maharaja of Nepal and Cecil
16
H. P Sastri & Cecil Bendall: A catalogue of Palm leaf and selected paper manuscripts belong to
the Durbar Library, Nepal (1905), P. Preface 1
12
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Sujano
2010
Bendall was allowed to take it to England for close examination, which

enabled him to give further information about the find, datable to the
eight/ninth century AD. At the 3rth international congress at Hamburg in
1902, it was identified as a portion of the Culla-Vagga of the
Vinayapitka. Later, in 1952, P.V. Bapat published the text of the four
folios of the fragment from photographs he had taken himself during a
visit to Kathmandu in 1948. On top of these two studies, Professor Oskar
Von Hinubers study and published book entitled The Oldest Pali
Manuscript: Four Folios of the Vinaya-Pitaka from the National
Archives, Kathmandu in 1991 (See appendix II) is very important, since
it is based on microfilms made in the National Archives in Kathmandu
by the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation project. In his
monograph, he presents a definitive edition of the four surviving folios
equivalent text corresponding to page 138.1.27 through page 107.1.3.
and page 136.1.11 through page 138.1.11 of Hermann Oldenbergs
edition of the Vinaya pitaka, Cullavagga vol. II (London 1880).17 This is
the earliest Pali MSS so far discovered, and it may help to solve related
vinaya problems as well as historical misinterpretation. The discovery
supports that Pali Buddhism was introduced and prevailed in Nepal
17
K.R. Norman, Reviews of books, JSTOR, 3rd Series, vol.3, No.2 (Jul. 1993):
www.jstor.org/pss/25182725
13
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2010
before Sanskrit Buddhism was widely practiced in Nepal. However, it is

still hard to pinpoint that which led one school to be completely pushed
into the ground and the other to survive.
Conclusion
As it is known to all, Nepal has acquired an enormous number of
valuable Manuscripts in different fields and religions that have attracted
scholars from around the world. National and international preservation
organisations are actively involving in Nepal for decades. As to the
preservation project the Nepalese-German Manuscript Preservation
Project is well-known and widely acknowledged as a long term and
comprehensive project. Similarly, Japan International cooperation
Agency and Paper conservators Asia Unlimited partially funded by the
Japan Foundation are actively involved in the discovery and preservation
of Nepalese MSS with the collaboration of National Library and
Archives of Nepal. However, the threats to the originals still remain,
mainly because of a lack of awareness, knowledge and funds.
Further, as to Sanskrit Buddhist there are a large number of MSSs
that have been preserved in different ways but none of Theravada or Pali
Buddhists has been recorded except one discovery by Oskar v. Hinuber,
despite its close relationship with the history of Nepal. Thus, I believe
14
20-21 April 2010
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that among the vast number of collections of Manuscripts, there may be

manuscripts, which are related or direct to Pali Buddhists.
Furthermore, according to a report published in NGMPPs first
news letter published in 2006 by Michael Hahn (Marburg), there are a
few errors which have been made by misinterpreting the language
definitions that were used in the writing of MSS of Nepal.
Correspondingly, NGMPPs website stated that in 2009-06-03: There is
a very old (dated 9th century) manuscript of the Surutasanhit. Since its
text appears to offer significant variation from printed editions, it is a
very important manuscript. Not only that, it turns out, that the scribe was
a Buddhist.18 Further, according to Min Bahadur Shakya, the oldest
palm leaf manuscript dates from 1334 CE and the writing on palm leaf
began from early 11th to 17th century.19 This has been disproved by the
discovery of Pali manuscripts dated to the 8th century. Thus, these
misinterpretations suggest that there might have few MSS on Pali
Buddhists. On these accounts and from my personal study, it has been
found that some very important questions remain unanswered: are there
any more Pali manuscripts and where are the Pali MSS of Nepal? What
has happened to them?
18
http://www.uni-hamburg.de/ngmcp/mssoftheweek_e.html
Min Bahadur Shakya, Preservation of Sanskrit Buddhist Manuscripts in the Kathmandu Valley:
its importance and future, www.niem.com.np/newararticle/preservation
19
15
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References:
Brian H. Hodgson, Essays on the language, literature and religion of Nepal
and Tibet, London, 1828 and 1874
Brian H. Hodgson, Sketch of Buddhism, JRAS 1830, 222-257, also JASBe 5,
1836:28,71
Brian H. Hodgson, Quotations from original Sanskrit authorities in proof and
illustration of Mr. Hodgsons sketch of Buddhism, JASBe 5, 1836:
28,71
Cecil Bendall, M.A., A journey of literary and archaeological research in
Nepal and Northern India from 1884-1885, Cambridge University
press, 1886
Dragomir Dimitrov, The work of the Nepalese-German Manuscript
Cataloguing Project in Nepal (Report: July 2006), Newsletter of the
NGMCP, No. 1,
H. P. Sastri, A catalogue of Palm leaf and selected Paper Manuscripts
belonging to the Durbar library, Nepal, Calcutta: Printed at the
Baptist Mission Press, 1905, preface
K.R. Norman, Review of Books, JSTOR: 3rd Series, Vol. 3, No. 2(Jul., 1993)
www.jstor.org/pss/25182725
L.D. Barnett (Compiled), A supplementary catalogue of Sanskrit, Pali and
Prakrit Books in the library of British Museum, 1908
Min Bahadur Shakya, Preservation of Sanskrit Buddhist Manuscripts in the
Kathmandu
Valley;
Its
importance
and
future,
http://www.niem.com.np/newararticles/preservation
Moriz Winternitz and Arthur Berriadale (ed), Catalogue of Sanskrit
Manuscript in the Bodleian Library, Vol. II, Oxford, Clarendon
Press, 1905
Nancy Grant, The Monk who would return, The Nation; Thailands English
Newspaper (Sunday special) Oct. 18, 1987
N. B. Thapa, A Short History of Nepal, Kath: Ratna Pustak bhandhar, N.d.
Naoko Takagi and group, Conservation and digitisation of Rolled Palm leaf
Manuscripts in Nepal, www.asianart.com/articles
Pal, P. & Meech-Pekarik, J., Buddhist Book Illuminations, Hong Kong: Ravi
Kamuar, Publisher, 1988
Phra Sujan Maharjan, The Revival of Theravada Buddhism in and its
Contribution to Nepalese Society, Bangkok: M.A. Thesis of
Mahachulongkornrajavidyalaya University, BKK, 2006
Phra Vipassi Dhammaramo, Buddhism in Nepal, Bangkok: Mahamakut
University: 2001
Rajendra Lal Mitra, The Sanskrit Buddhist literature of Nepal, Calcutta, India,
1882
16
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Sujano
2010
Snellgrove David L., Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, London: Serindia Publications,

1987
http://www.uni-hamburg.de/ngmcp/mssoftheweek_e.html
Ven. S. M. Sujano, The disappearance of Buddhism from its country of origin,
Punjab: Published in Punjab Buddhist Society UKs souvenir 8th
October 2006, pp. 34-37
Zhou Ya, The complete Collection of Chinese Palm-leaf Scripture and several
Issue in the Translation and collation, The Document of the 2nd
International Buddhist Research Seminar, Vol. 1, Organised by the
Buddhist Research Institute, MCU, 8th -10th January 2010, pp 15-29
Appendix I
LIST OF CATALOGUES AND REPORTS:

1. Sanskrit Buddhist literature of Nepal by Rajendra Lal Mitra, Calcutta
1882
2. Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscripts in the University
Library, Cambridge
by Cecil Bendall, Cambridge 1883
3. Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts in the British Museum, by Cecil
Bendall, London,1902
4. A Catalogue of Palm-leaf and selected paper Mss. belonging to the
Durbar Library, Nepal
by Hari Prasad Shastri, Calcutta Vol.I,1905 do, Vol II, 1905
5. Buddhist Manuscripts of the Bir Library, by the Sanskrit Seminar of
Taisho University, Memoirs of Taisho University, No.40, 1955
6. Buddhist Manuscript Texts of Kathmandu, Gajin Nagao, 1963,
(Japanese).
7. Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscripts in the Library of Tokai
University
by Yutaka Iwamoto, Proceedings of the Faculty of Letters, vol.III,
Tokai University, Tokyo 1960.
8. Samksiptasucipatram by Buddhi Sagara Sarma, Nepal, Nepal Vira
Pustakalaya, Samvat 2020 ( A.D.1963)
9. Sucipatram-part I by Srinarayana Prasad Sharma, Nepal 1964
10. Brhatsucipatram part I by Buddhisagara Sharma Nepal,
Virpustakalaya, 1964
11. Brhatsucipatram part II by Buddhisagara Sharma Nepal, 1966
12. Brhatsucipatram part III by Buddhisagara Sharma Nepal, 1966
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13. Brhatsucipatram part IV by Pandit Deviprasad, Nepal

Rastriyapustakalaya, 1967
14. A Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts in the Tokyo University
Library, Seiren Matsunami, Suzuki Research Institute, Tokyo 1965
15. Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscripts: A title list of the Microfilm Collection
of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions.1975
16. A Micro-film Catalogue of the Buddhist Manuscripts in Nepal,
Buddhist Library by H.Takaoka, Nagoya 1981
17. A succinct Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscript in the Possession of
the Faculty of letters, Kyoto University, compiled by Kiyotaka
Goshima and Keiya Noguchi, Kyoto 1983
18. Catalogue of Selected Buddhist Manuscripts in Asasaphukuthi, 1986
19. Descriptive Catalogue of Selected Manuscripts in the Asa Archives
prepared by Dr. Janak Lal Vaidya and Prem Bahadur Kansakar
Kathmandu, Cvasapasa 1991
20. A Catalogue of the Buddhist Tantric Manuscripts in the National
Archives of Nepal and Keshar Library by Mitutoshi Moriguchi
Sankibou Busshorin, Tokyo 1989.
Appendix II
The oldest Pali manuscript : four folios of the Vinaya-Pitaka from the
National Archives, Kathmandu / von Oskar v. Hinuber
Format
Uniform
Title
Book
Tipitaka. Vinayapitaka. English & Pali. Selections
Mainz : Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur ; Stuttgart

Description : F. Steiner, c1991.
48 p. ; 25 cm.
3515059369
ISBN
Abhandlungen der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Klasse ;
Jahrg. 1991, Nr. 6
Series
Untersuchungen zur Sprachgeschichte und Handschriftenkunde des
Pali ; 2
Subjects
Tipitaka - Vinayapitaka - Criticism, Textual. | Monasticism and

religious orders, Buddhist - Rules.
Other
Authors
Hinuber, Oskar von
18
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Paper prepared for 1st Palm leaf Culture Conference at Yunnan University

20-21 April 2010

Discoveries of Manuscripts in Nepal:

Further, the history of

Buddhism would have been difficult without the discoveries of Buddhist

Ven. S. M. Sujano MA in Buddhist Studies from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University,

history of Theravada Buddhism in Nepal. It can be seen therefore, how

predominantly in Sanskrit. Consequently, an enormous amount of

literature was lost or destroyed due to various historical conditions.

The Nepalese Manuscripts

of London, 30 to the Indian Office Library; 7 to the Bodleian Library,

H P Sastri, Op.cit. preface

The Scripts and language used in Nepalese Buddhist MSS

Concerning Sanskrit Buddhist MSSs, Nepal is enormously rich in

began as early as the 10th Century in Nepal. An earlier illustrated MSS,

Professor Bendall, while on his survey of manuscripts in Nepal,

Bendall was allowed to take it to England for close examination, which

before Sanskrit Buddhism was widely practiced in Nepal. However, it is

that among the vast number of collections of Manuscripts, there may be

Snellgrove David L., Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, London: Serindia Publications,

LIST OF CATALOGUES AND REPORTS:

13. Brhatsucipatram part IV by Pandit Deviprasad, Nepal

Mainz : Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur ; Stuttgart

Tipitaka - Vinayapitaka - Criticism, Textual. | Monasticism and

Hinuber, Oskar von

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