Book: Ancient Nepal,

Medieval Nepal Vol I, II,

Modern Nepal Vol I, II,

Author: Dr DR Regmi

Pages: 751 + 163; 1076 + 129; 602 + 318 with maps photos and sketches

Published by Rupa & Co, New Delhi

Dr Prem Uprety

Kathmandu

Dr DR Regmi is a legend in Nepali history and politics. His selfless devotion to a cause he believed in is the hall-mark of his active career that spanned over six decades. Though an economist by training he became a historian by choice.

His four volumes on Nepal’s history is a prized possession of many.

The first book titled Ancient Nepal was originally published in 1965. The book is divided into two chapters opening with pre- and proto-history of Nepal covering the entire Lichhavi period from the first to the seventh century AD, and includes the Thakuris, Guptas and Narendra Deva. Here he enters into a controversial hypothesis of Nepal defeating the king of Kashmir in the eight century AD. The whole episode hinges on the indentification of Aramundi as a ruler of Nepal. Indian scholars like RC Mazumdar quoting verses 531-553 from Rajtarangane of Kalhan points out that “the Raja Aramudi is skilled in magic and a protector of Nepal”. But Regmi rejects this view by asserting that Aramundi is an unknown figure in the history of Nepal. Regmi also denies the popular theory of Amsu Varma giving his daughter in marriage to the Tibetan monarch Strong-Tsang-Gampo. Amsu Varma had died between 615-620 AD, while the marriage of Strong took place in 635 AD. The author suggests that it is very probale that Strong-Tsang-Gampo married a princess of some Himalayan kingdom south of Tibet.

The last chapter is devoted to the political, social and economic conditions of Nepal from 400-800 AD, and is certainly the most analytical chapter. The author analyses the political culture of Nepal in the Lichhavi period characterised by dual government and a well advanced administrative and judicial system. His description of trade, industry, food and drinks and the evolution of art and architecture constitutes the basic building blocks of the book.

His second book Medieval Nepal, published in two volumes, is a monumental work. The first volume takes the history of Nepal from the decline of the Lichhavis from 740 AD to 1482, that is the rise of Yaksa Malla. This work covers a little interested period in Nepal’s history, for this period is little documented by epigraphic and numismatic sources. The book is segmented into nine chapters, with the ninth further sub-divided into 10 sub-chapters. The chapters are devoted to political history of Nepal from Raguvadeva to Jayashthiti Malla and Yaksa Malla.

In the fourth chapter, he skillfully discusses the Pal suzerainty in Nepal in the ninth and tenth centuries. Indian historians like Mazumdar asserts that the Pal ruler, Dharma Pal, occupied the throne of Nepal. Strong Pal influences in Nepali woodwork and bronzes has further added weight to his theory. But Regmi points out that the expedition Dharma Pal never reached Nepal. Had he done so, he would have listed Nepal as one of the states conquered by him.

Then the ninth chapter deals with the social and economic conditions of Nepal in the middle ages up to the sixteenth century followed by a pursuey of medieval art and architectures.

The second volume covers the Baisi and Chubisi states and the three city states of Kathmandu valley — Patan, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. It also deals with the flourishing trade with Tibet, and how Nepal’s monopoly in minting coins for Tibet led to an unprecendented surged in her economic activity. This new economic growth is also reflected in the rapid growth of an urban culture in the Valley and the towering of fine arts like architecture (stupa, pagoda, and sikhara), sculptures (woodwork and bronzes), and paintings. If Nepal excelled in stone art in the Lichhavi period, then in the Malla period Nepal excelled in woodwork and bronzes. From the point of view of art and architecture, medieval Nepal will be remembered as a “golden age”.

The author’s research into Nepali history culminates into two volumes of Modern Nepal. In these two volumes, the writer shows how Nepal emerged from the politics of fragmentation of the eighteenth century to a teoritorially consolidated state. In short, this is a story of Nepal’s unification process under the leadership of the state of Gorkha in the eighteenth century and the emergence of a powerful Himalayan state in the nineteenth. Here, the defeat of the Britain contingent under captain Kilnoch in 1768 at Sidhuli Gadi, is graphically described which signated the fall of the Malla dynasty from Kathmandu Valley in 1768-69. It was in the early decades of the nineteenth century Nepal expanded into the West as well as south. In the west Nepal conquered Kumoon and Gadwal, then it reached the river Sutlej in the Punjab and attached Kangra. Nepal’s expansion in to the West and South brought open confrontation with the British which resulted in the Anglo-Nepal war of 1914-1915. The two-year-war concluded with the signing of the peace treaty of Sugauli of 1815. This treaty guided Nepal-India relations for a little more than 100 years.

The treaty has nine clauses and among them these are most important. Article 7 says Nepal could not take any European or American as a British citizen into state service without the consent of the British, Article 8 says Kathmandu and Calcutta were to exchange residential ministers to stay in each other’s courts.

Nepal was very uncomfortable with this provision for she did not want an Englishman stationed in Kathmandu to spy in all its activities. However, the most humiliating part of the treaty was Article 2 under which Nepal had to surrender one-third of her existing territory to the English. However, ever since Nepal and England have remained friends in peace and allies in war.

To conclude, today is an age of specialisation in research. A researcher confines his study to a narrow small area. But Dr Regmi developed his unique expertise over a wider canvas of Nepali history extending from pre-historic times to the modern period.

The printing and jacket design are good, but the quality of hard cover leaves much to be desired.

(Dr Uprety is a professor of History at Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu)