Jha H.N., The Licchavis (of Vaisali).pdf

(9683 KB) Pobierz
THE
HUMkNIl
I :
I
HOGPIEI
L
CHOWKHAMBA
SANSKRIT
STUDIES
VOL.
LXXV
THE L I C C H A V I S
IrY
DR
HIT NARAYAN
JHA,
M.
A.,
Ph.
D .
.
Head, Department of Nepalese History, Culture and
Archaeology, Tribhuvan University
With
a
Foreword
by
DR
A.
L.
B A S H A M
THE
CHOW
KHAMBA SANSKRIT
SERIES
OFFICE
VARANASI-1
(
India
)
1970
Publisher
:
The Chowkhamba Sanskrih Series Office, Varanasi-1
Printer
Price
:
Vidyavilas Press, Varanasi-1
:
Rs.
25-00
Edition
:
First,
1970.
9
The
Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series
Office
Publishers and Oriental
&
Foreign Book-Sellers
K.
37/99,
Gopal Mandir Lane
P.
0.
Chowkhamba, Post Box 8, Varanasi-1
(
India
)
Phone
:
63145
FORE
WORD
The Licchavi people appear as if from no where. Their origins
are obscure and their history at most times is equally so.
They
appeared an the scene in what i s now north Bihar at the time of
the Buddha, and for
a
while played
u
signijicant part in the
politics of eastern India until they were conquered by the expand-
ing kingclorn of Magadha.
Afier eight centuries of obscurity
they again make their presence felt, contracting an iinportant
royal marriage with the imperial Guptas and founding
nn
endur-
ing dynasty in Nepal, which ruled from the fourth century or
earlier to the end of the eighth century A.
D.
hear no more of them.
Dr.
3.
N .
Jha has produced an interesting and significant
study of these people, written with deep afectian and enthusiasm
f i r his subject. He has brought together all the available source
material on the subject, and has produced the only monograph
to give a full account of the Licchavis from their jirst appearance
as the rulers of VaiSiili to the end of the Licchavi djlnasty of
Nepal.
1
commend it to all students of early Indian history.
After that we
A.
L.
Basham
Australian National University,
Canberra
1970.
PREFACE
Although the Licchavis played a dominant role
i n
the
political and cultural life of Ancient lndia and Nepal, they
have not been provided with the deserving place in history.
Dr. B.
C.
Law, no doubt, showed great zeal in preparing
an
outline of their history for the first time, but his works are
connected merely with the Licchavis of VaiSgli.
So
is the
case with Dr. Yogendra Mishra and others. Dr.
R.
G.
Basak,
H.
C.
Ray, D.
R.
Regmi, Sri B.
C.
Sharma and a few others
have written books on the Licchavis of Nepal, but they have
not even touched VaiSCili. Moreover, their works are not syste-
matic and precise. Western writers of Nepal history have
based their observations mainly on the
VamSavalis
wliicll are
unauthentic as they were written in a lnuch laler period.
Practically, no attempt was ever made to write a connected
history of the Licchavis of lndia and Nepal. Hence, a con-
nected history based on solid grounds prepared from epigraphic
and numismatic materials and supported by literary and foreign
accounts was a great desideratum.
An
endeavour has been made
in
the present work to utilise
critically all the available materials, especially the epigraphs
most of which have been discovered in the Kathmandu Valley
in recent years and published in local magazines ond journals.
Special attention has been given to cultural history of
Nepal
which was hitherto almost neglected. Besides, the relation
of
the Guptas and the Licchavis which have been matters of great
controverasies have been objectively studied and apt conclu-
sions drawn with view to understand the contemporary Nepal
and India in
the
welcome light they shed.
The present work is broadly divided into two major parts,
the first one of which deals with the Licchavis of VaiSali and
the second one with those of Nepal.
Tliis
division has been
made firstly because VaiSlli and
Nepal
formed two different
states and secondly because two different systems of govern-
ment prevailed there.

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika:

Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin