Chronicles of Nepal

There are bodies of texts that reflect distinct classical narrative in the Indian sub-continent are called the vamsavali (IAST: vaṃśāvalī, Devanagari: वंशावली). They bear special significance in the study of Nepalese history and its historical tradition. In continuation to the itihāsa-purāṇa tradition [1][2] as prevalent in the Indian sub-continent, these writings have mostly been referred to, where there is an absence of other historical sources. As a distinct historical narrative, they have a lot to reflect about the past in a broader sense. In Nepal, such chronicles are abundant and historically important, but yet least researched. This sector is yet to be explored fully [3] and is probable to mirror interesting and near-to-credible (or sometimes highly credible) information about the past.

The vaṃśāvalīs, etymologically, refer only to the list of people of certain vaṃśas (gotra or clan, ancestry in general).[2]

List of some popular chronicles (vamsavalis) of Nepal
Name of Chronicle Date of last compilation Place of compilation Paper Size Folios Script Language
Gopālarājavaṃśāvalī [4] c. 1349 AD Kathmandu valley (Bhaktapur) 28 cm x 5 cm 48 Bhujimola Sanskrit and Nepal Bhasa
Bhāṣā Vaṃśāvalī [5][6] after 1768 AD Kathmandu valley - - Devanagari Sanskrit and Nepali
Nepālavaṃśāvalī [7] after 1790 AD Kathmandu valley 22.5 cm x 9 cm 13 Devanagari Sanskrit
Wright's Chronicle [8] after 1847 AD Kathmandu valley - - Devanagari Sanskrit and Nepal Bhasa
Kirkpatrick's Chronicle [9] c. 1800 AD Kathmandu valley - - - -
Gorkhā Vaṃśāvalī [10] after 1774 AD Gorkha - - Devanagari Nepali
Śrīpālī Vaṃśāvalī [11] 1831 AD Dailekh - - Devanagari Nepali
Kāṭhmāṇḍu Upatyakākā Ek

Rājavaṃśāvalī [12][13][14]

 c. 1885 AD Kathmandu valley - - Devanagari Sanskrit and Nepal Bhasa
The Vaṃśāvalī of the Malla

Rājās of Jājarkoṭ [15]

 NA Jajarkot - 4 Devanagari Nepali
Devatāharuko vaṃśāvalī [16] 1988 AD Kathmandu 33 cm x 22.5 cm 145 Devanagari Sanskrit and Nepali

Alongside the list in the table, in the collection of Hodgson are following vaṃśāvalīs as specified by Hasrat:[17][18] [The no./vol. refers to the codes in Hodgson collection.]

  1. No. 27 (19): Bamshavalis, 5 books: Vol. 17. Fol. 1-117; Vol. 52, Fol. 180-1.
  2. No. 28 (7): Chronology of Nepal, Vol. 17. Fol. 220-27.
  3. No. 29 (8): Bamsavali, Newari, 2 Vols: Vol. 9, 16, 17 and 19.
  4. No. 29 (16): Bamsavali, Newari, Vol. 52. Fol. 7-52; Vol. 102, Fol. 9-16.
  5. No. 29 (1-6): Gorkha Bamsavali, Vol. 51. Fol. 49-1, 92-107; Vol. 55, Fol. 1-4.
  6. No. 30 (1): Gorkha Bamsavali, Nepali and History of Nepal, Vol. 52, Fol. 57-
  7. Vol. 74, Fol. 21-23; Vol. 101, Fol. 140-150.
  8. No. 32 (1): Vamsavali etc. Vols. 50, 54, 56, 93, 95 and 104.
  9. No. 32 (2): Vamsavali, Vol. 93. Fol. 89 ff; Vol. 101, Fol. 158-167.
  10. No. 32 (5): Early Gorkha Vamsavalis, Vol. 51. Fol. 111-120.
  11. No. 33(6): Gorkha Bamsavali, Roll No. 45.
  12. No. 36 (1): Vamsavali Statistics etc., Vols. 26, 51, 54, 74, 99, 100 and 101.
  13. No. 37 (5): Vamsavali, Vol. 51, Fol. 181-2.
  14. No. 39 (6): Nepal Chronology, Vol. 7. Fol. 152-170.
  15. No. 39 (1): Vamsavalis, Vols. 50 and 55.

Shreṣṭha (2012) [19] mentions of 101 different vaṃśāvalī manuscripts preserved at National Archives, some of which are named after kings, gods, particular caste groups or places. Following is the list he provides:

  1. Rājavogamālāvaṃśāvalī
  2. Mukundasenanṛpavaṃśāvalī
  3. Makavānapurīyananṛpavaṃśāvalī
  4. Rājopādhyāyavaṃśāvalī
  5. Maithilavaṃśāvalī
  6. Maithilabrāhmaṇavaṃśāvalī
  7. Macchendravaṃśāvalī
  8. Nepālavaṃśāvalī
  9. Nepālarājavaṃśāvalī
  10. Gorkhāko Vaṃśāvalī
  11. Rājaguruvaṃśāvalī
  12. Munasigharānako Vaṃśāvalī
  13. Rāmaśāhavaṃśāvalī
  14. Bhāṣā Vaṃśāvalī
  15. Sūryavaṃśāvalī
  16. Harivaṃśāvalī
  17. Śāhavaṃśāvalī

He also gives the main text of another vamsavali, viz. Harsiddhivaṃśāvalī. In the microfilm collections at Nepāl Archives under Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project, are also the vamsavalis collection, as published in a catalog (Part 2) under the subjects Itihāsa 1-5 Lagat (pp. 1–41) and Itihas Tādapatra (pp. 42–46), collected with the code, name of the vamsavali, film number, condition, script, number of folios, size, language and others.

References
  1. Thāpar, Romilā. (2009). The Vaṃśāvalī from Chamba: Reflections of a Historical Tradition. The Mahesh Chandra Regmi Lecture 2009 [By Social Science Baha on 14 October 2009, Kathmandu]. Lalitpur: Himal Books.
  2. Rajopadhyaya, Abhas D (2014). An Analytical Study of the Message-Contents of the Gopālarājavaṃśāvalī from the Perspective of Disseminating Heritage Information in Vaṃśāvalīs of Nepāl [MA Thesis]. Kathmandu: Kantipur City College (Affiliated to Purbanchal University).
  3. Ricardi Jr., Theodore. (1973). Book Review: History of Nepal. In Kuloy, Hallvard K. (Ed.). Kailash: A Journal of Himalayan Studies. Vol. I. No. 1. Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhaṇḍār. p. 106.
  4. Vajrācārya, Dhanavajra and Malla, Kamal P. (1985). The Gopālarājavaṃśāvalī. Weisbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag (Nepāl Research Centre Publications; 9).
  5. Poudel, Nayanāth. (Ed.). (1963). Bhāṣā Vaṃśāvalī. Kathmandu: Nepāl National Library, Department of Archaeology, His Majesty's Government. (Archaeology Publications Series No. 21)
  6. Lamsāl, Pundit Devīprasād (Ed.). (1966). Bhāṣā Vaṃśāvalī (Dvitīya Bhāga) [Second Part]. Kathmandu: Nepāl National Library, Department of Archaeology, His Majesty's Government. (Archaeology Publications Series No. 38)
  7. Malla, Kamal P. (1985). Nepālavaṃśāvalī: A Complete Version of the Kaisher Vaṃśāvalī. CNAS Journal. Vol. 12 No. 2. Kathmandu: Tribhuvan University. pp. 75-101.
  8. Wright, Daniel (Ed.). (1990). History of Nepal: With an Introductory Sketch of the Country and People of Nepāl. New Delhi: Asian Publication Services. [First edition 1877, Cambridge; translated from Parbattiyā by Munshī Shew Shunker Singh and Pandit Shrī Gunānanda].
  9. Kirkpatrick, Colonel. (1975). An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul. New Delhi: Asian Publication Services. [Originally published in 1811 by London: W. Bulmer and Co. Cleveland-Row]
  10. Gorkhā Vaṃśāvalī. (1974). Ancient Nepal. No. 28. Kathmandu: Department of Archaeology, His Majesty's Government. pp. 1-28.
  11. Nepāl, Pūrṇa Prakāsh ‘Yātrī’. (1983). Khaśa-Samrāṭ Nāgarāja ra Śrīpālī Vaṃśāvalī. Ancient Nepal, No. 77. Kathmandu: Department of Archaeology. pp. 1-12.
  12. Sharmā, Bāl Chandra. (Ed). (1968). Kāṭhmāṇḍū-Upatyakāko Ek Rājavaṃśāvalī. [With an introduction]. Ancient Nepal, No. 4. Kathmandu: Department of Archaeology, His Majesty's Government. pp. 3-15.
  13. Sharmā, Bāl Chandra. (Ed). (1968). Kāṭhmāṇḍū-Upatyakāko Ek Rājavaṃśāvalī. Ancient Nepal, No. 5. Kathmandu: Department of Archaeology, His Majesty's Government. pp. 1-17.
  14. Sharmā, Bāl Chandra. (Ed). (1968). Kāṭhmāṇḍū-Upatyakāko Ek Rājavaṃśāvalī. Ancient Nepal, No. 6. Kathmandu: Department of Archaeology, His Majesty's Government. pp. 1-29.
  15. Bhattarāī, Biśwanāth. (1974). Jājarkoṭe Rājā ra Malla Rājāharūko Vaṃśāvalī. Ancient Nepal. No. 27. Kathmandu: Department of Archaeology, His Majesty's Government. pp. 49-55.
  16. Rājopādhyāya, Dineshānanda. Devatāharūko Vaṃśāvalī. (Unpublished)
  17. Hasrat, Vikram Jit (1970). History of Nepal. Punjab. pp. xvii.
  18. Regmi, Jagadish Chandra. (1989). Vaṃśāvalī ra Vaṃśāvalīharū [With texts of the Nepālavaṃśāvalī]. Ancient Nepal, No. 114. Kathmandu: Department of Archaeology. pp. 1-7.
  19. Shrestha, Rajit Bahadur. (2012). Abhilekha. Lalitpur: Nhū Hisu Pucaḥ. p. 45.
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