Nepalbhasa Manuscripts

Known as Thyasafu in the local language of Nepalbhasa, meaning a folded book, Nepalbhasa manuscripts can be unfolded to read various narrations from Buddhist and Hindu religious beliefs. They are mostly written in Prachalit Nepal, Ranjana, and also Devnagari scripts. In the UK, a large number of private collectors, art dealers, auction houses, museums, and archives have been storing countless Newar manuscripts for the last many decades. These manuscripts range from religious books to accounts of private transactions. Although earlier manuscripts are also available, the tradition of writing them reached its peak during the Malla period in Kathmandu Valley.

Nepalbhasa Manuscripts in UK (NMUK)

Considering the importance of these manuscripts, a long-term project to collect, digitise, and preserve these manuscripts has been started by World Newah Organization UK Chapter, titled ’Nepalbhasa Manuscripts in UK’ (NMUK). Established in 2017, World Newah Organization’s UK Chapter is a registered body in the UK and has a worldwide network of people and resources that is committed to the preservation of Newar cultural heritage. World Newah Organization itself was formed in 2011 through a London convention participated by Newar community leaders from around the world.

NMUK searches for Nepalbhasa manuscripts all over the UK, then collect and procure them before digitising, transcribing, transliterating, translating, and archiving them for open access in the public domain. It gives special priority to those manuscripts that are relevant to the living community of the Newars in the UK e.g., manuscripts with references to life rituals, religious worship, and broadening our knowledge of historical facts about the culture of Kathmandu Valley.

NMUK Services

NMUK receives manuscript submissions from the general public and institutions for digitization and archival purposes. It actively searches for important Nepalbhasa manuscripts in the collection of private individuals, art dealers and galleries, auction houses, museums, libraries, and archives in the UK. The collectors can choose to be kept anonymous if they wish to by undergoing a data protection policy. However, the manuscripts will be archived on the NMUK website with open access to the public. Our archive can be browsed here.

NMUK is committed to expand its online archive of digitised Nepalbhasa manuscripts with their transcription and translation. The general public can submit the details of a manuscript you have for digitization and further preservation. Through the NMUK website, it is easy to submit details of the manuscript before its collection is arranged. Once collected, the manuscript will be examined for preservation needs. It will then be digitised and uploaded on NMUK website with a full transcript. Further transliteration and translation will also be provided on the dedicated page for each manuscript.

As a small team with shared expertise in the languages and scripts used in Nepalbhasa manuscripts, the NMUK project is funded by World Newah Organization UK Chapter and other benevolent donors. Details of our core team can be found here. Details of our associates can be found here.

NMUK also provides expert guidance for the preservation of manuscripts and acts as a medium for the collectors to donate their manuscripts to the National Museum of Nepal if they wish to do so. Members of the general public can get involved in several ways with NMUK, as listed here.