Nepal : Historical Study of a Hindu Kingdom (Volume I & II)

Description

About the Book

This book presents the English translation of Sylvain Lévi’s monumental three-volume work, Le Népal: 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 Lévi’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.

Book Blurbs

Sylvain Lévi’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 Lévi 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 Levis 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