Abstract
Abstract Restrictions on the freedom of speech and press, along with the unavailability of competitive printing solutions in Nepal under the Rana regime, caused the centre of gravity of scholarly activities to shift to India. A number of Nepali intellectuals, who came from a variety of backgrounds and had various reasons for having migrated to India, were involved in writing and publishing starting by the end of the 19th century. In those days Benares had few if any peers among Indian cities as a centre of local traditions of education and Sanskrit learning, and as a spiritual, economic and literary destination for Nepalis. Benares, which occupies a special place in Nepali history for its immense contribution to the country’s cultural, social, literary and political evolution, was also the main hub of Nepali print entrepreneurs. This article will delve into early such entrepreneurs and an array of Nepali printing activities in Benares before 1950.
Highlights
Nepal has a long and prestigious tradition of Sanskrit scholarship
The print entrepreneurs associated with the nascent Nepali print culture in North India were mostly Brahmins who ran print or mail order businesses in Benares
Most of them did not have any previous experience in such businesses before they went to Benares and soaked up the atmosphere there
Summary
Alakā Ātreya Cūdāl, “Nepali sāhityako itihāsmā Kaśī,” In Uttarbhāratko nepālī sāhityako itihās, ed. by Alakā Ātreya Cūdāl, In Jagadambā nepālī sāhityako bṛhat itihās, vol 3, ed. by Mādhav Prasād Pokhrel (Lalitpur: Kamalmaṇi Prakāśan, 2077 v.s.). Martin Gaenszle, (in collaboration with Nutan Dhar Sharma), “Nepali Kings and Kāśī: On the Changing Significance of a Sacred Centre,” Studies on Nepali History and Society 7, 1 (2002): 1–33. These pāṭhśālās along with tuition in the private houses of learned pandits were financed and supported by wealthy merchants.. These pāṭhśālās along with tuition in the private houses of learned pandits were financed and supported by wealthy merchants.8 Later this tradition was established in various places in Nepal.. Later this tradition was established in various places in Nepal.9 The students of such pāṭhśālās would go to Benares for the final exam, as there were no authenticating institutions to provide certificates in Nepal. Other Nepali scholars including the royal priest Hemraj Sharma and Ram Mani Acharya Dixit studied in Kāśī with the pandit Gangadhar Shastri.. When in 1915 Madan Mohan Malaviya established Benares Hindu University, even more Nepalis were attracted to the city, where they typically studied English, medicine or engineering
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