Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts in the University library, Cambridge : with introductory notices and illustrations of the palæography and chronology of Nepal and Bengal / by Cecil Bendall.

  • Cambridge University Library.
Date:
1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts in the University library, Cambridge : with introductory notices and illustrations of the palæography and chronology of Nepal and Bengal / by Cecil Bendall. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    24/348 (page 8)
    • • • HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. Ylll our MSS. were written more or less directly under royal or court influences. In many cases, as we shall see, kings are stated to be the authors*; in others, lists of the royal family are given, or the command of some royal person for the writing. The great event which happened in Nepal at this time was the conquest of the country by Harisimha of Simraon. On the names of his dynasty, none of which appear in our MSS., see the special Table in Chronological Appendix II. The first two names of the next group, Jayarjuna [a.d. 1374 and 1384 (see Add. 1689 and 1488)] and Hatnajyotirdeva [A.D. 1392 (see Add. 1108, written in an obscure town)] are unknown to the histories. These kings were probably predecessors of the “refractory Kajas of Patan and Kathmandu/' who were “completely subdued” by Yaksha-malla soon after this time (Kirkpatrick, p. 266). The next three reigns, those of Jayasthiti, Jyotir-malla and Yaksha-malla, appear to have been a time of prosperity in Nepal. MSS. are abundant, and mostly contain the names of the sovereigns and, in some cases, further particulars. We are also helped for this period by a most interesting inscription lately discovered at the great temple of Pa^upati in Nepal and published in the “Indian Antiquary” for Aug. 1880. It is dated N. S. 533 (A.D. 1413), and gives not only the name of the king, Jyotir-malla, but also that of his father Jayasthiti, and the names of various other members of the royal family, which occur in several MSS. with similar honorific titles and other indications, and form one of the many proofs of the trust¬ worthiness of the colophons of these MSS. As to the doings of Jayasthiti-malla, the first of the three, the Vannjavall is particularly eloquent; certain pandits specially employed by him are mentioned by name (Wright’s “Nepal,” p. 183, fin.). The MSS. of this reign are, as might be expected, * Compare also Dr Pischel’s remarks in the “Katalog der Handschr. d. d. inorg. Gesellschaft,” pp. 8—9.