Nepal: Historical Study of a Hindu Kingdom - Volume I & II
Author: Sylvain Levi
Category: Nepal   
Popularity:

 

About  .

The Book

NEPAL
Historical Study of a Hindu Kingdom

Volume I & II

Sylvain Levi


Translated by
Mary Harris

Foreword by
Dr. Pratapaditya Pal

Edited and Annotated by
Deepak Shimkhada, Ph.D.




About the Book

This book presents the English translation of Sylvain Levi's monumental three-volume work, Le Nepal: Etude Historique d'un Royaume Hindou (1905), originally published in French. While the present translation encompasses Books I and II, Book III, consisting solely of inscriptions, has been omitted.

At the time of Levi's visit, Nepal was a kingdom, a status it maintained from the Licchavi period (5th century) until 2008, when the monarchy was abolished. While the title ?Historical Study of a Hindu Kingdom? may appear anachronistic today, it faithfully reflects the original work's context, written over 120 years ago when Nepal was a Hindu kingdom. Changing the title due to the country's political transformation would be inappropriate. Rulers and regimes come and go, but nations endure. This book, therefore, serves as a unique window into Nepal's past, offering a glimpse rarely available to contemporary readers.


About the Editor

Dr. Deepak Shimkhada, a retired professor of art history and religion, brings his enduring passion for Nepal's art, culture, and history to this Nepal edition of Sylvain Levi's seminal work. Driven by this passion and a close association with the translator, Mary Harris, Dr. Shimkhada served as editor and annotator, overseeing the translation project launched in 1982.


Professor Shimkhada, in collaboration with Madhab Maharjan, Chief of Mandala Book Point, and Rudra Kumar Nepal, a former career diplomat, proudly presents this Nepal edition to all those eager to delve into Nepal's rich tapestry of cultural and historical heritage. This meticulous translation promises to broaden the accessibility of this invaluable resource, allowing a wider Nepali audience to appreciate the profound insights into their nation's past.




Sylvain Levi's seminal work was the first attempt to produce a comprehensive study of Nepal, drawing on all the indigenous, Chinese and European sources then available. Although published more than a century ago, it remains relevant, particularly for its characterisation of Nepal as an `India in the making.? The value of Mary Harris? first full, accessible English translation is enhanced by the information Deepak Shimkhada and Pratapaditya Pal provide about Sylvain Levi himself and the treatment of his work by other scholars.
John Whelpton, author of A History of Nepal,
Cambridge University Press, 2005

Levi's book is considered to be the first scientific research on Nepal. With his extensive use of Chinese and Tibetan documents along with the indigenous and Western sources, the book is an authoritative account of contemporary Nepal in its historical perspective. The content of the book is as relevant today as it was in 1898 when the book was written. Congratulations to the editor for his invaluable gift to Nepali people and the entire academic world.
Tri Ratna Manandhar, Ph.D.
Professor emeritus of history, Tribhuvan University

This book makes the non-Anglophone Sylvain Levi?s odyssey accessible to a wide audience in South Asia and outside. The pattern of Levi's orientalist scholarship, his passion for the arts and culture of Nepal and the Sanskrit language and his power of theorisation makes him stand out as a scholar who combined scholarship with sublime passion, and emotions with historical realism. Thanks to Dr. Shimkhada for bringing out the book in English.
Abhi Subedi, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Tribhuvan University