A Tibetan religious geography of Nepal

Abstract

Although 1 began work on this study of a Tibetan geography of Nepal several years ago, various unexpected events delayed its completion until now. 1 finished the transcription of the Tibetan text and its translation shortly before the 1959 Tibetan revolt. Following that revolt, the Rockefeller Foundation gave the University of Washington a grant, which provided funds to bring learned Tibetans to the University for a three-year research program. This grant offered unique opportunities to carry out special research; consequently this study of Nepalese religious geography was put aside. While in India in i960 to recruit the Tibetans for our research program, I had the opportunity to revisit Kathmandu, where I tried to locate Tibetan materials related to my study of Nepal's pilgrimage places. I was informed that two guide-books of the Kathmandu valley were printed in Tibetan; but l was unable to find copies during my brief stay. Fortunately, these two guide-books (see appendices A and B for these texts in transcription), together with one of the Bodh- nath stupa, were obtained, later on and forwarded to me by my frieod Pasang Sherpa, to whom I am extremely grateful, for without the aid of these guide-books, many passages in the original geography would have remained ambiguous. After the termination of the special research program supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, I was once again able to resume my work on (his Nepalese geography. During the summer of 1965, 1 was able to devote full time to this study and bring it to completion thanks to the financial assistance I received from the Far Eastern and Russian Institute of the University of Washington, for which I am deeply grateful. It is with great pleasure that I make the following additional acknowledgements: To Professors Luciano Petech (University of Rome), Thomas Ballinger (University of Oregon), Margaret Fisher and Leo Rose (University of California, Berkeley), and Bhuwanlal Joshi (University of California, Santa Cruz) for their kindness in reading an early draft of this manuscript and offering valuable suggestions. To the members of the staff of the Istituto Ilaliano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, whose kind cooperation and affectionate assistance contributed greatly to the completion of this study. And, finally, to my guru, Professor Giuseppe Tucci, who not only gave generously of his limited time and opened his private library to me, but who also through his affection and interest in my work is a constant source of encouragement to me.