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The Bhutanese gompa at Swayambhu: sketches and notes from the Musée Guimet’s Hodgson Collection of Deva Dharma Maha Vihar

Le gompa bhoutanais de Swayambhu : croquis et notes de la collection Hodgson du Deva Dharma Maha Vihar hébergée au musée Guimet
S Shiriin Barakzai
Traduction de Joseph La Rose

Résumés

English Français

Cet article décrit deux esquisses et trois pages de notes sanskrites conservées dans la collection Hodgson du musée Guimet. Les titres des croquis suggèrent qu'il s'agit d'un temple situé à l'ouest du mahacaitya de Swayambhu (Kathmandou), actuellement sous gestion bhoutanaise et connu sous le nom de Dongag Choling. Une description des croquis et une traduction des notes jointes sont fournies ici, grâce à des photographies partagées par le musée Guimet lors de la fermeture liée au COVID-19. Même avant le tremblement de terre de Gorkha en 2015, à la suite duquel le temple a été entièrement reconstruit, les peintures murales dont il est question dans les croquis n'existaient plus. Dans cet article, les croquis sont comparés à une esquisse de 1885, réalisée par Oldfield, et à la structure actuelle, afin de comprendre l'évolution structurelle du temple. La comparaison avec l'esquisse d'Oldfield suggère que l'identification du temple est correcte et qu'une reconstruction suite à l'incendie de 1907 a entraîné des changements significatifs, non seulement au niveau de la structure générale, mais aussi au niveau de la décoration intérieure. Les images scannées des croquis ne permettent pas de savoir si le temple était ou non sous contrôle bhoutanais à l'époque où ils ont été dessinés, il est donc nécessaire de se référer à l'ensemble des croquis originaux.

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Notes de l’auteur

Appendices transcribed and translated by Joseph La Rose.

Texte intégral

Introduction

  • 1 On the legendary early connection between Bhutan and the Gorkha kings and subsequent Bhutanese man (...)

1This article stems from research into the history of the Bhutanese monastery (dgon pa) to the west of Swayambhu caitya.1 While searching for historical images of the temple, I was reminded of a 2004 article by art historian Jerry Losty on Brian Hodgson’s collections of sketches. Losty reproduces some of the drawings housed in the Musée Guimet’s Hodgson Collection, including his figure 5.3 ‘Interior of the Vihara of Swoyambhu Nath where the principal rites are performed and a lamp is kept perpetually burning’, Musée Guimet, Paris, Hodgson Collection, Set I, no33 (Losty 2004: 86). Losty also refers to sketch no32 ‘From the interior of the Vihara of Swoyam Bhu Nath’ also stored at the Guimet (Losty 2004: 107, fn41).

Fig 1. Extract from sketch no33 of small bearded figure (#41) between the central and left statues on the main shrine

Fig 1. Extract from sketch no33 of small bearded figure (#41) between the central and left statues on the main shrine
Agrandir Original (png, 1,2M)

Musée Guimet, Paris, Hodgson Collection, Set I.

  • 2 My thanks go to Kashinath Nyaupane for an initial oral translation to ascertain the general conten (...)

2Aware of the Bhutanese connection, I was immediately drawn to the small bearded statue on the projecting central section of the main altar, between the centre and left statues, sketch no33, in the usual style of Bhutan’s Zhabdrung, Ngawang Namgyal (see fig 1). Visiting the National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet was made impossible by the COVID pandemic and so I chanced an email request in March 2020. I was fortunate that the Nepal and Tibet curator was able to access the collection during lockdown and locate both sketches as well as three sheets of notes2 attached to sketch no32 ‘by a thread’ (fig 2+3).

Fig 2. Sketch no32

Fig 2. Sketch no32
Agrandir Original (jpeg, 249k)

Musée Guimet, Paris, Hodgson Collection, Set I.

Fig 3. First sheet of notes attached to sketch no32

Fig 3. First sheet of notes attached to sketch no32
Agrandir Original (jpeg, 302k)

Musée Guimet, Paris, Hodgson Collection, Set I.

3Some of the Sanskrit notes in devanāgarī and English, as well as the numbering of the figures, are still not entirely legible in the photos. Neither the sketch nor the notes are signed by the artist or scribe, as noted by Losty:

Neither of the two sets of drawings in Paris commissioned by Hodgson has any inscription by which to identify the artists. They are of varying levels of competence and complexity as drawings, and appear to reveal various hands, distinctively Indian, Nepalese or Tibetan, which come out more particularly in the sculptural drawings. The list of his drawings, however, which Hodgson compiled in 1845, indicates that both sets in Paris are the work of his Bauddha citrakar Rajman Singh. (Losty 2004: 82)

4Losty also comments on the general style of the Guimet sketches:

These drawings display a mixture of techniques and stylistic influences which makes it difficult to believe, as Hodgson states categorically, that they are all from the one hand. The first set, illustrating Buddhist iconography, is particularly varied. Some are just simple line drawings, without shading. Some claim to be representations of paintings.
Others are drawn more in accordance with iconographic manuals, and these seem distinctively Nepalese, like the outline drawings before colour of a manuscript or wall painting. Some seem distinctly Tibetan, with skilled use of wash, swirling clouds and draperies. (Losty 2004: 84)

5In our case it seems that these sketches of a Himalayan temple and the murals contained therein were possibly of a style with which the artist was unfamiliar. This would explain the comments in the notes about ‘unusual robes’ and the failure to recognise some of the figures, labelling them only as bhikṣu (monk).

6With regards the notes, Losty writes:

Hodgson’s first two sets of drawings and their duplicates now in the Musée Guimet still retain their original wrappings, including envelopes of traditional Nepalese handmade paper…On the wrappings Hodgson has written abbreviated details taken from his lists written in February 1845...with dates ranging between 1816 and 1825. The evidence therefore indicates that this part of the collection was begun shortly after 1820, with Hodgson’s first arrival in Kathmandu as scarcely more than a boy, and probably was completed around 1825. Each drawing is accompanied by a lengthy description in verse by Hodgson’s pundit Amritananda, in Sanskrit on a separate piece of paper, Nepalese and handmade, which is tied by string to the drawing’. (Losty 2004: 83–84)

7It is not clear how Losty determines that the notes were written by Amritananda, but the Guimet curator also believes this to be the case. Access to higher-resolution images of sketch no33 show that the figures therein are also numbered, and so we might reasonably expect explanatory notes to be attached to it as well.

Structural evolution of Deva Dharma Maha Vihar

8As stated, today the temple is under Bhutanese management and was renamed Dongag Choling (mdo sngags chos gling) in the 1970s but remains known as Marme Lhakhang and Deva Dharma Maha Vihar. It is also identified as Swayambhu Gumba (Pruscha 1975: 108) and Shyambhu/ Shambu Gompa (UNESCO 2015: 71) although Locke uses the Newar name Syangu Baha for both the Jyoti Kirti Mahavihar and Samhyengu Mahavihar, and does not include Marme Lhakhang in his inventory (Locke 1985: 378, 397). None of these vihar names are used on Hodgson’s sketches nos 32 and 33.

9Due to damage caused by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, the entire temple had to be rebuilt. Since Hodgson’s time, I am aware of at least three, if not more, renovations. The first known reconstruction occurred following a fire around 1907 (Shakya 2004: 309, Namgyal and Dolma 2021: 501–502) with the temple design changing from a Newar pitched roof3 (fig 3) to a Himalayan flat roof (fig 4).4

Fig 4. Deva Dharma Maha Vihar with pitched roof on the left

Fig 4. Deva Dharma Maha Vihar with pitched roof on the left
Agrandir Original (jpeg, 175k)

Photograph by Kurt Boeck 1898, retrieved from Wikimedia.

Fig 5. Deva Dharma Maha Vihar with flat roof on the left

Fig 5. Deva Dharma Maha Vihar with flat roof on the left
Agrandir Original (jpeg, 294k)

Photograph by William Brook Northey, 1920: Shrines and tombs at the Swayambhunath Temple – the most celebrated of all the Buddhist temples which are left in Nepal

  • 5 It appears that the room which is now the protector room already existed and was not a new structu (...)

10Pruscha records a renovation in 1962, led by Surya Bdr Lama, a Kimdole Tamang caretaker (Pruscha 1975: 108). A further renovation took place in the 1970s initiated by the then Bhutanese Queen Grandmother, Ashi Phuntsho Choden, when the 68th Je Khenpo ‘added’ a protector shrine (mgon khang) (Phuntsho 2013: 271–273).5 At the time of the 2015 earthquake, the temple interior did not include any paintings of Buddhas or other figures, though there was a row of southern Drukpa Kagyu lineage statues above the shrine.

Sketch no32

11Sketch no32 is currently only accessible at the Musée Guimet’s Hodgson Collection (fig 2). The actual size is unknown, but Losty records that the sketch is on handmade paper (lokta) which is typically 20” x 30”. Sketch no32 is in portrait format with an approximate ratio of 2.5 (H) to 2 (W). There is a ‘title’ in devanāgarī written top left, ‘nepālakābuddhamārgidevamutipattra 31 madhye 32 sīṃbhunātha ghyāṅabhitra lekhyāko’. This translates as ‘32nd of the 31 sheets [concerning] the images of the Buddhist deities of Nepāla. Drawn inside the monastery at Svayambhūnātha’. Therefore, this note suggests that there are another 30 or 31 sketches in this set.

12A note in English, top centre, states ‘Interior of the Vihar at Swayambhu nath with the lattice opening (illegible – w/?, west of?) the great chaitya No. 32’. The sheet is folded in half, top to bottom. The top half of the sheet shows an elevation of a shrine with narrow steps or shelves lined with offerings.

  • 6 Sketch No33 does not show a rhinoceros horn or torma in any of the interstices.

13Above the shrine is a row of five Buddhas in monastic robes, seated on various lotus thrones, with smaller figures in the interstices above and below the aureoles of the five larger Buddhas. Notes in devanāgarī are given for both large and small figures. Among the small Buddhas, position 14 is replaced with what looks like a torma but which, the notes state, is a rhinoceros horn.6

  • 7 See, for example, Luczanits 2003.

14The devanāgarī numbering starts from the left, from the row of large Buddhas (1–5), then continues through the small upper images (6-11) to the small lower images (12–17). This does not follow the traditional numbering system used by ‘Tibetan’ artists.7 The names of the Buddhas, both large and small, are written in devanāgarī above each of the figures in the upper half of the sketch. A few have been corrected.

  • 8 This is unusual because religious texts are usually stored with the smaller face facing outwards, (...)
  • 9 Wylie: rnga, rnga dbyug.

15The five large Buddhas, each with three halos, are bare chested and wear two thin monastic robes suited to warmer climates, the upper robe wrapped around their right shoulder. Below this line of large and small Buddhas, the shrine is depicted as a series of tiered shelves. Starting with the top shelf, they hold butter lamps, water bowls, tormas, another row of butter lamps and finally a shelf of cloth-wrapped religious texts (dpe cha).8 There are two unknown squares on the front of the shrine. On the floor is another row of butter lamps, while at centre there is a double-faced drum on a stand and a curved drumstick that appears to float.9 Below the shrine is a row of medium-size Buddhas, each with three halos and different mudrās. The devanāgarī numbering continues from above, going from left to right (18–31). The Buddhas are also labelled in devanāgarī.

16Now we turn to the bottom half of the sheet. There are three rows of monastics numbered top to bottom, left to right (1–15). The second and third rows are interrupted by a triple-bay lattice window in the centre. Some of the figures in the bottom half are labelled in devanāgarī; however, most are only indicated as bhikṣu (ie monk). Where names are given, they follow Sanskrit conventions. Some names noted on the sketch differ from those given on the accompanying sheets of Sanskrit notes.

17Some temples provide captions for paintings to identify the figures portrayed in wall paintings. The fact that Tibetan names are not used and that some figures remain unidentified in the sketch suggests that this was not the case in this temple.

  • 10 Selected by Buddha Shakyamuni from among his disciples. He requested them to remain in the world t (...)

18These monastic figures have various arrangements of halos and aureoles, mudrās and attributes. Most of them sit on a cushion, but two are on raised thrones, while the first one sits on a lotus throne. The top-left image appears to be Shakyamuni, as confirmed by the notes, and we can identify the others based on iconography as the first 14 of the Sixteen Arhats.10 Having access to both sketches, no32 and no33, we know that the remaining arhats and their two companions are found on sketch no33.

19These figures are numbered starting from 1 at the top left, then along the middle and then the bottom rows. As mentioned, this is not the usual method of numbering in the Tibetan Buddhist style.

20The three larger upper openings of the triple bay window are hung with chain-mail of circular links. Four fluted posts are topped with capitals that support a shared lintel. Bells hang from the lintel in the centre of each window bay. Smaller ‘landscape’ openings are seen below the main openings. The central one appears to be covered with semi-circular chain-mail and the outer two with wooden or woven lattices.

Notes attached to sketch no32

  • 11 A full transcription and translation of the notes accompanying sketch no32 are provided in an appe (...)

21Three sheets of lokta paper are folded in half lengthwise and stitched at the top and bottom of the fold to create a booklet (fig 3), the front and back left blank (folio 1a+4b). Inside there are six folios of handwritten Sanskrit in devanāgarī, one column of text on each folio.11 A margin has been left on all sides of each column. The handwriting is the same on all sheets.

22Where the text describes the figures in the sketch, the śloka (stanza) numbering corresponds to the figure numbering on the sketches. Unlike the sketches, there are no English notes on these sheets, though someone has added the śloka numbers in devanāgarī in the margins for ease of reference.

23The introduction states that the wall depicted on sketch no32 is the northern wall. However, if the temple is the Deva Dharma Maha Vihar, then the wall with the window is to the east and the shrine is against the west wall. For the shrine to be to the north, the building would presumably be to the north of the mahācaitya, eg where the Karma Raj Maha Vihar now stands (fig 5).

Fig 6. Location map of Swayambhu stupa

Fig 6. Location map of Swayambhu stupa
Agrandir Original (png, 73k)

Source: adapted from https://swoyambhustupa.com/​map-of-swoyambhu-stupa

24Folios 1b and 2a describe the numbered figures depicted in the top half of sketch no32. It starts with the five large Buddhas, going from left to right, then describes the smaller Buddhas above and below, again from left to right (1–17). It then details the shrine, the butter lamps and water bowls, before describing the row of small figures drawn below the shrine. For the description of the butter lamps etc, the numbering jumps from 18 to 32, before returning to 19. There are four ślokas numbered 32, though no object is marked 32 on the sketch.

25The descriptions suggest that the author of these notes may only have had access to the sketch, not to the actual temple itself, since they do not give the context of these paintings, namely that they are part of a larger scene with other Buddhas left and right of these. However, the notes do include details, such as the oil used in the lamps, of mudrās and attributes which are difficult to make out from the sketches but may have been identifiable from the original wall paintings, and of ritual objects not shown in the sketches.

26Folios 2b and 3a describe the 15 numbered figures at the bottom of sketch no32, before providing a paragraph about the Kāṃboja Lhasa gompa. The description of these figures is extremely cursory compared to the other descriptions. In addition, they suggest that a level of imagination was at work, describing the words being chanted, and the thoughts and aspirations of the figures. However, these descriptions are not entirely in keeping with the sketch which, we have stated shows Shakyamuni and 14 of the Sixteen Arhats.

  • 12 The Iron-age kingdom of Kamboja is said to have covered South and Central Asia and is mentioned in (...)

27The reference to Kāṃboja is confusing if this sketch is of Deva Dharma Maha Vihar. Is Kāṃboja a devanāgarī rendering of ‘Kham bod chen’?12 The paragraph on the Kāṃboja Lhasa gumba states that Kāṃboja is located in the Himalayas, near the Mañjughoṣa River and the Mañjuśrī Mountain. However, the mountain Mañjuśrī is generally associated with Wu Tai Shan, which is neither in the Himalayas nor near Lhasa. Thus, the identification of Kāṃboja and its relevance remain elusive.

28Folios 3b and 4a introduce the Kathmandu Valley and two vihars in Lalitpur. It mentions the array of Buddhist icons and vihars in the valley, and Newar practices during the month of Shrawan (ie Gunla). Two vihars are singled out. However, somewhat confusingly, the names Rudravarna and Uku vihar are used today as different names for the same vihar or, rather, Rudravarna is part of Uku baha. The content of the śloka on these vihars is not commented on here.

  • 13 For details, see the full translation below.

29There are two different styles of deletion in the notes. Some edits seem to be contemporary with the time of writing; words struck out with heavy lines or even whole characters having been inked out. Others seem to indicate deletion at a later date, where a thin line is drawn through the words. Some missing words are added below the line. In addition, there are at least two sentences where it seems that the first part is missing and the text starts midstream.13 Is it possible that a sheet from the booklet is missing?

Sketch no33

30Sketch no33 has already been published by Losty (2004: 86).

Fig 7. ‘Interior of the Vihara of Swoyambhu Nath where the principal rites are performed and a lamp is kept perpetually burning’

Fig 7. ‘Interior of the Vihara of Swoyambhu Nath where the principal rites are performed and a lamp is kept perpetually burning’
Agrandir Original (png, 2,9M)

Source: Musée Guimet, Paris, Hodgson Collection, Set I, no33’

31Sketch no33 (fig 7) is in landscape format, with a ratio of 2 (H) to 2.45 (W). The sheet has been folded into four and all the images are in black ink. Like sketch no32, there are devanāgarī notes in what appears to be the artist’s hand and faintly written notes in English and devanāgarī, possibly in pencil. There is a Nepali devanāgarī ‘title’ in the top left, ‘nepālakā buddhamārga devamurtti patra 38 madhye 33 svayaṃbhunāthako ghyāṅ’, which translates as ‘33rd of the 38 sheets of the images of Buddhist deities of Nepāla. The shrine/monastery at Svayambhūnātha’ which suggests this is one of a total of 38 sketches, contrary to the reference to a set of 31 on sketch no32.

32The upper register is an elevation on a shrine with a protruding central section, not shown in sketch no32. Above the shrine is a row of Buddha figures seated on various lotus thrones, with smaller Buddhas in the interstices above and below the larger Buddhas’ aureoles, as seen in sketch no32. All are numbered in devanāgarī and the larger ones are identified by faintly written notes in English above each figure, but not all are legible from the photos.

33The devanāgarī numbering of the deities starts with the small image in the top left and proceeds to the right (1–10). It then jumps to the corresponding set of small interstitial images below, again proceeding from left to right (11–20). It is only now that the larger images along the middle are numbered, again from left to right (21–29).

34As in sketch no32, the nine large Buddhas are bare-chested and wear two thin monastic robes, the upper robe wrapped around their right shoulder. They have curly hair and an uṣṇīṣa topped by a jewel or lotus bud, various mudrās and attributes, head, body and full halos. Consulting the original sketch may enable identification.

35If the artist had concentrated on the central part of the shrine in both sketches, we would expect the five large buddhas at the top of sketch no32 to correspond to the row of nine buddhas at the top of sketch no33. However, when comparing their mudrās and attributes, we find that they do not.

36The two rows of ten smaller Buddhas above and below are similarly bare-chested, a thin robe wrapped around their right shoulder. These figures only have head and body halos. Their mudrās and attributes vary, but are more difficult to distinguish in these smaller images.

37A different hand has added faintly written numbers and labels in both English and devanāgarī, possibly in pencil. Not all are legible in the photographs.

38The shrine below these figures is shown as a series of tiered shelves. Starting from the top, they hold butter lamps, water bowls, tormas and another row of butter lamps. The lowest shelf appears to hold monastic texts wrapped in cloth. Below this, are two dark squares with a lighter-coloured border, one on either side of the projecting central shrine. Another row of butter lamps is arranged along the floor.

39The front face of the projecting central shrine is decorated with a pair of addorsed lions facing each other, a classic Buddhist lion throne (siṃhāsana). The centre and corners of the projecting section are decorated with a mirror adorned with makara-tail aureoles (Beer 1999: 22-23). Just above mid-height of the central shrine is a row of seven offering bowls. There are vases of flowers at either end of this shelf.

40The next shelf up shows a line of either six wall paintings or small statues, dancing, some holding musical instruments (50–55), separated into two groups of three by a central jewel or ritual mirror. On either end of this shelf are water offering vases (bum pa) with protruding peacock feathers (bum pa’i kha rgyan), then a ḍamaru and two bells either side of the right vase.

41On the main altar are three large Buddha statues seated on lotus thrones (30–32), all wearing patchwork robes (chos gos). The centre statue, slightly larger than the other two, is in the earth-touching mudrā (sa gnon phyag rgya) and his left hand lies open on his lap in meditation mudrā (dhyana). The hand of the statue to the right is in abhaya and to the left in dhyāna mudrā. The hands of the right-hand statue are in dharma cakra mudrā. This identifies the triad as the Buddhas of the three times; past, present and future.

42Between the left and centre statues is a small statue about a third of the height (41), a seated monk, his right hand touching the earth, his left hand in his lap. He wears a Drukpa (‘brug pa) hat.14 What makes him unusual is the long beard for which Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal is famous.

43In front of the large centre statue are another eight small statues (42–49), not identifiable from the photograph. At either end of this projecting section of the shrine are four small stupas (L: 33–36, R: 37–40).

44On the floor in front of this central shrine is a low stool with a conch on which stands either a covered butter lamp or some kind of mandala. At each corner of the central shrine is an elephant tusk supported by a wooden stand. To the right of the left tusk is a large butter lamp almost as tall as the tusk. To the right of the right tusk is a large flat-bottomed bowl containing a ladle. Below this bowl is the description ‘Interior of the Vihar of Swoyambhu Nath where the principal rites are performed and a lamp is kept perpetually burning’.

45In the lower register of the sketch are a number of small and large figures, clearly not representing their actual positions within the temple. At the top left are eight figures in three rows, numbered in both English and devanāgarī (56–63). The top left is a sword-wielding Mañjuśrī (56), in the middle a four-armed Lokeshwor (57), to the right a flaming Vajrapani (58) – the Rigsum Gonpo (rig gsum dgon po). The middle row depicts two monks (59+60) their heads shaven, bare-chested and dressed in thin robes. The right-hand monk sits in a Western style on a raised seat, pendant-legged, holding a small stupa which identifies him as Abheda. Thus, they appear to be the remaining two of the Sixteen Arhats, the left one sitting cross-legged with his hands in dhyāna mudrā, thumbs touching.

46The lower row (61–63) starts with a small Amitabha on a lotus emerging from a tiger. Facing him is a larger seated figure, his feet resting on a footstool and holding a fly-whisk, which identifies him as the Upāsaka Dharmatāla, an attendant to the Sixteen Arhats. Behind him is a wooden framed backpack for carrying texts and there appears to be a parasol above his head. The last character is a well-fed monk, again in thin robes and bare-chested, holding a piece of fruit or lotus seed in his left hand, and possibly a rosary in his right. We can identify him as Hva Shang, who also accompanied the Sixteen Arhats on their travels.

  • 15 Although there are eight numbered figures, the small Amitabha is actually part of Upāsaka Dharmatā (...)

47We note that the sketch artist did not recognise these figures as the Sixteen Arhats, which possibly led to them being separated into two sketches, and not being named in the accompanying notes. To the right of these eight15 figures are four larger figures, recognisable as the Four Guardian Kings presented in a single row, each with a smaller dancing figure in the foreground, numbered in English and devanāgarī (64–71). They are all labelled in devanāgarī and one also in English.

48In reference to the devanāgarī ‘title’ at the top left of the sheet, I am convinced that these are not statues (murti), but paintings. Only the three figures on the central projecting shrine are depicted without halos or aureoles, ie as statues. As for sketch no33, we can assume that there are other sheets in this set of 38, or 31, made of Swayambhu ghyāṅ (monastery).

49Comparing sketches nos32 and 33, the main difference is that no32 has no central projecting shrine and thus no statues or other large shrine objects. The sketch only depicts five large Buddhas, while no33 has nine. As already noted, this set of five does not match any five in no33. The absence of a central shrine and of ‘overlapping’ painted Buddhas can be explained if no32 does not include the central part of the west wall.

The Oldfield watercolour

50From the information contained in Hodgson’s sketches and notes, we are able to positively identify the temple as Deva Dharma Maha Vihar, based on the triple bay window and the tentative reading of the label as ‘west of’ the caitya given on sketch no32.

Fig 8. ‘Interior of a “Goomba” or Lama Priests residence at Sambhunath. Octr. 1855’

Fig 8. ‘Interior of a “Goomba” or Lama Priests residence at Sambhunath. Octr. 1855’
Agrandir Original (png, 1,6M)

Source : Shelfmark WD3301, item 3301. By permission of the British Library

51However, we can also refer to a watercolour by Oldfield dated October 1855 housed at the British Library (fig 8) and entitled on the reverse:

Interior of a ‘Goomba’ or Lama Priests residence at Sambhunath. In the Centre of the Chamber is a large copper cauldron, full of Ghee in which the ‘Everlasting’ fire is kept burning. The gilt figures of Buddha Sakya Linger, as well as the paintings on the wall, and those hanging from the roof, are all ‘Tibetan’.

52Comparing the contents of the sketches and the reference to an everlasting flame (as in Hodgson’s sketch no33), we can confirm they are of the same temple. However, neither sketch mentions whether they depict a ground- or first-floor room.

53Confirmation of Oldfield’s temple as the Deva Dharma Maha Vihar comes from volume 2 of his ‘Sketches from Nipal’:

  • 16 My emphasis.
  • 17 Resthouse, from Sanskrit and used in Nepali, usually transcribed as pauwa.

[O]pposite the shrine of Amitabha….[i]n an upper16 apartment of this building there resides a family of Thibetan Lamas from Lhassa, to whom has been entrusted, from time immemorial, the custody of the sacred and everlasting fire… The principal temple of Sambhunath is under the charge of the Lamas who live in the powah17 on the western side. (Oldfield 1880: 242–244)

  • 18 In Pruscha’s inventory of the valley he describes this temple as ‘the oldest monastery of Swayambh (...)

54Of interest is the identification of the temple as a ‘vihar’ by Hodgson, but ‘goomba’ and ‘powah’ by Oldfield. Although both terms refer to Buddhist temples, Westerners including Pruscha and Locke, apparently consider vihars distinct from gompas.18

55With regard to similarities between Oldfield’s and Hodgson’s sketches nos32 and 33: Oldfield depicts a row of large Buddhas along the west and north walls above the shrine, with smaller standing figures in the gaps below, instead of seated images above and below as per Hodgson’s sketches. We also see a row of small figures above the window on the east, presumably corresponding to the bottom row of medium-size figures in the upper half of sketch no32.

56Furthermore, Oldfield makes clear that the rows of Buddhas are paintings, not statues.

The room in which this sacred fire is kept is so low and dark that the numerous objects of interest which it contains cannot be very clearly seen. A raised counter or altar runs round two sides of the room, and on it are placed manuscripts, books, implements of worship, vessels for holding fire, figures of Buddha, models of chaityas, etc. On the wall above it are several large drawings – apparently of Chinese or Thibetan execution – of Lamas, Buddhas, and other saints. (Oldfield 1880: 242–243)

57As Oldfield writes, his sketch shows the stepped stone shrine continuing from the west along the north wall. On the west, the projecting central shrine supports water offering bowls in front of three statues. His mention of manuscripts on the altar matches the cloth-wrapped texts seen on the bottom shelf in both sketch no32 and no33, and on the window shelf in his sketch.

58On the floor in front of the shrine, Oldfield has drawn an elephant tusk and two large butter lamps, as seen in Hodgson’s sketch no33. On an apparently stone plinth is a butter lamp cauldron, similar to sketch no33’s water container. In front of this is a table holding another offering bowl, with empty bowls stacked to the side and beneath it.

59Oldfield’s room is supported by a pair of simply decorated pillars, the furthest of which is possibly hung with a sword and incense holder. We see the triple bay window covered with chain mail which we presume faces the mahacaitya to the east. The intermediate posts of the window appear to be topped with capitals. No window lintel or beam is evident. The wall thickness provides a wide window shelf, on which are cloth-wrapped texts, a water vase and other containers obscured by one of the intermediate pillars.

60There are two figures in heavy belted robes. One stands, while the other is seated cross-legged in front of a small table on which there is an unwrapped text, and surrounding him are a number of ritual objects including a large drum and bells. Against the rear wall are two leather wrapped storage baskets.

61There is no skylight and a beam runs down the centre of the room. This attests to the date of Oldfield’s sketch – 1855 – that is before the 1907 fire when the roof was still pitched.

  • 19 ie 1855–1959. See Regmi 1977: 72–73.

62Oldfield, as Hodgson does in his sketches, also places the temple under Tibetan rather than Bhutanese control. Do we presume that both were mistaken? Or that they were not able to distinguish between Tibet and Bhutan? While dating Oldfield’s sketch to 1855 possibly places it in the period when Bhutan temporarily lost management of the temple,19 this does not apply to Losty’s estimate of 1820–1825 for Hodgson’s sketches.

Comparison of Hodgson’s sketch and the temple’s present interior

63Today, the temple is much wider, no longer a narrow Newar room with a pitched roof. The view from the main entrance opens out to the left, with the shrine situated beyond a skylight. However, the view to the right remains the same, of the triple bay window (fig 9). The first line of pillars, which previously supported the central roof beam, now support the eastern edge of the skylight.

Fig 9. Present interior view from door

Fig 9. Present interior view from door
Agrandir Original (jpeg, 381k)

Picture: Barakzai 2023

64As mentioned, there are no figures painted on the walls today; however, there are a number of other details of interest. Referring to sketch no33, we see the shrine is ‘supported’ by two lions on either side of a mirror adorned with makara-tail aureoles (fig 7) which is repeated at the corners of the shrine.

Fig 10. Three-panel stone shrine centrepiece, addorsed snow lions turned to face each other, either side of crossed vajras

Fig 10. Three-panel stone shrine centrepiece, addorsed snow lions turned to face each other, either side of crossed vajras
Agrandir Original (jpeg, 270k)

Picture: Barakzai 2017

65The post-earthquake renovation shrine is decorated with three stone panels (fig 10); two addorsed snow lions turned to face each other on either side of a crossed vajra, support the shrine. This central section projects slightly from the rest of the shrine, but not as much as it appears to in sketch no33. The snow lions in sketch no33 are of a slightly different design.

66Both Hodgson’s sketches also show a square panel either side of the central projecting section. Today, although not square, we find two sets of two stone carvings embedded in the marble, either side of the central section (fig 11). Unfortunately, none have accessible inscriptions, though all depict donors.

Fig 11. Stone carvings set into the lower register of the shrine

Fig 11. Stone carvings set into the lower register of the shrine
Agrandir Original (png, 1,3M)

Picture: Barakzai 2017

67With regards the main statues on the shrine, Hodgson’s sketch no33 shows three large statues with smaller ones, including the Zhabdrung statue, positioned in the centre. Oldfield’s sketch also shows three large statues. Today, there are seven large statues on the shrine. It is known that the three central statues were donated in 1908 following the post-fire reconstruction. Another two were donated in 1914 (Shakya 2004:492). Thus, based on Hodgson and Oldfield’s sketches, it appears there were only three statues present at the time of the 1907 fire.

68Nevertheless, if we compare the postures in the sketches with today’s statues, neither of the sketches show aureoles behind the statues as we see today (fig 12). The Shakyamuni is essentially the same, the right hand in earth-touching mudrā, while the left holds an alms bowl, which is not shown in sketch no33. As for the Dipankara statue, in both sketches, the left statue’s left hand – in its lap – is lower than in the statue we see today. Similarly, the hands of the Maitreya statue in Hodgson’s sketch no33 are also in a different mudrā, whereas in Oldfield’s watercolour the statue is obscured by a pillar.

Fig 12. In the centre is a bronze Shakyamuni Buddha, to his right Dipankara, to his left Maitreya.

Fig 12. In the centre is a bronze Shakyamuni Buddha, to his right Dipankara, to his left Maitreya.
Agrandir Original (jpeg, 553k)

Picture: Barakzai 2020

69With regards the triple bay window of Deva Dharma Maha Vihar (fig 13), it is located on the east, facing the mahācaitya. Today, the openings are covered with gold-plated copper lattice sheets. There are no capitals between the supporting posts and the lintel. However, there is a window shelf in each bay, as seen in Hodgson’s and Oldfield’s sketches, today formed by cupboards in the bottom section.

Fig 13. View of the eastern wall and triple bay window

Fig 13. View of the eastern wall and triple bay window
Agrandir Original (jpeg, 393k)

Picture: Barakzai 2022

Conclusion

70Although my initial interest was sparked by the small bearded statue, the identification in the notes as the ‘gompa of Kāṃboja desh near Lhasa’, raises questions. If the statue on the shrine in sketch no33 is indeed Ngawang Namgyal then it was presumably drawn while Bhutan managed the temple. If Kāṃboja is indeed near Lhasa, possible explanations include: the sketch pre-dates Bhutanese management, was drawn between 1856 to the early 1860’s when Bhutan temporarily lost management, Bhutan has been conflated with Tibet or Bhutanese management was unknown by the writer of the notes.

71Neither Oldfield’s nor Hodgson’s sketches mention whether their contents relate to a ground- or upper floor, though Oldfield’s writings suggest the latter. The inclusion of the window also suggests this, ornamental windows hardly ever being found at ground-floor level.

72Despite doubts raised by the Lhasa connection and identification of sketch no32 as the north wall, other aspects assure me that Hodgson’s sketches are of Deva Dharma Maha Vihar, as is Oldfield’s. The latter positions the building as facing the Amitabha shrine, which we confirm with a tentative reading of sketch no32’s description as ‘west/o of the great caitya’.

73Unfortunately, according to the notes of sketch no33, it is not certain whether the small statue is indeed Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. The description of statue no41, to the right of the offering lamp, states that he is a siddha, a lama, with a moustache and a scholar’s hat. The notes say he touches the ground with his left hand, whereas it is in fact the statue’s right hand.

74It is unclear as to when the wall paintings were lost and under what circumstances this occurred. However, the 1907 fire seems to be most likely, though it could also have been the 1970’s intervention which maintained the Himalayan style. With regards to the 1908 reconstruction, Shakya wrote in 1978 that ‘local elders say that the original form was much more impressive and ornate that the present structure’ (Shakya 2004: 492).

75I am neither an art specialist nor a linguist but, since Hodgson’s sketches and notes are not accessible in Nepal, I felt it useful to share what little I could with others, especially if it encourages future study of the original materials.

  • 20 Bazin, personal communication, 12 March 2020.

76The 2015 earthquake provided the impetus for many damaged buildings to be studied, yet much of their history is still not widely known. The Hodgson collection provides a potential source of information, though there are many caveats for using the contents for heritage reconstruction. Even so, they are interesting in their own right, providing a snapshot of 19th-century perspectives and an understanding of the valley. As noted by the Guimet curator, ‘It is a good thing you work with some Hodgson’s drawings, as they have not been much studied until today’.20 If the devanāgarī ‘titles’ have been correctly understood, there are possibly 34 or 36 further sheets of sketches of this monastery in the Guimet collection.

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank the curators at the Guimet for sharing images of the sketches and notes with me. My thanks also go to K Nyaupane for early assistance with translation which confirmed the interesting content of the notes, and to J LaRose for a clean transcription and translation. Thanks also to the reviewers, particularly for assistance with the Sanskrit and the understanding of various details in the sketches, and to EBHR’s editorial team for encouraging me to follow up with the Musée Guimet.

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Bibliographie

Beer, R. 1999. The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs. Chicago: Serindia.

Edgerton, F. 1953. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary. 2 vols. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Korn, W. 2010. The traditional architecture of the Kathmandu Valley. Bibliotheca Himalaya Series III, Vol. 11. Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar.

Locke, J. 1985. Buddhist monasteries of Nepal: a survey of the bāhās and bahīs of the Kathmandu Valley. Vol 2, Kathmandu. Kathmandu: Sahayogi Press.

Losty, J P. 2004. ‘The Architectural Monuments of Buddhism: Hodgson and the Buddhist architecture of the Kathmandu Valley’. In Waterhouse 2004 ‘The Origins of Himalayan Studies: Brian Houghton Hodgson in Nepal and Darjeeling 1820–1858’. pp77–133. London: Routledge.

Luczanits, C. 2003. ‘Art-historical aspects of dating Tibetan art, in Dating Tibetan Art. Essays on the Possibilities and Impossibilities of Chronology from the Lempertz Symposium, Cologne’, edited by Ingrid Kreide-Damani. Contributions to Tibetan Studies, 3. pp25–57. Wiesbaden: Ludwig Reichert Verlag.

Namgyal, C T and Dolma G Y. 2021. The Royal History of Sikkim: a chronicle of the House of Namgyal. Chicago: Serindia Publications.

Oldfield, H.A. 1880. Sketches from Nipal, historical and descriptive. Vol II. London: W H Allen and Co.

Paljor, Khenpo Y and Das C. 1908. Pag sam jon zang. Calcutta: The Presidency Jail Press.

Phuntsho, Y. 2013. 'brug gi yum chen rjes dran. mi dbang rgyal yum a zhe phun tshogs chos sgron dbang phyug. Thimphu: CBS.

Pruscha C. 1975. Kathmandu Valley: the preservation of physical environment and cultural heritage: a protective inventory. Volume 2. Kathmandu: UNESCO.

Regmi, MC. 1977, Regmi Research Series 9. Kathmandu: Regmi Research

Shakya, H R. 1978 (trans 2004). Sri Svayambhu Mahacaitya. Kathmandu: Svayambhu Bikash Mandal.

Tshewang, P. 1994 (trans 2012). History of Bhutan. Thimphu: Jamyang Lhundrup.

UNESCO. 2015. 2015 Earthquake Damage Mapping Swayambhu Monument Zone Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property. Kathmandu: UNESCO.

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Annexe

Appendix

The following Sanskrit translation was prepared by J La Rose, Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Translator’s note

The following edition was prepared from three pages of neat, legible, handwritten devanāgarī which appears to be of the same hand. The text comprises two large sections. The first is a description of some of the wall paintings in a monastery near the Swayambhu caitya in Kathmandu, Nepal. The second section is ostensibly a description of the region of Kāṃboja, although its topics vary. Both sections contain irregularly numbered subsections. There are occasional deletions and a few instances of interlinear insertions. I have employed the following sigla to indicate these:

(deletion) characters deleted by the scribe
< > interlinear scribal insertion

The formatting of the following edition accurately reproduces the number of lines on each page of the original as well as the number of characters on each line. The punctuation and numbering which follows many sections is also reproduced in the edition.

The translation that follows the edition was prepared without access to the images described in the first section of the text. As a result, there are undoubtedly some inaccuracies that would be easily corrected by consulting the images. It is also possible that the apparent irregularity of the numbering of the first section would be explained by reference to the images. I have left the names of the various Buddhas untranslated and maintained the diacritics of the Sanskrit spelling. The only change I have made to the spelling of their names is to restore the class nasals that are represented generically in the text with anusvāra. I have also left place names unchanged, except for Svayaṃbhū, which I replace with its current Swayambhu.

The entire text has been translated with some fidelity to the syntax of the original. For example, full stops are generally used only where the text itself uses a doubled daṇḍa. The result in many places is the translation of long Sanskrit descriptive sentences with long English sentences that make abundant use of semi-colons and dashes. I have also retained the passive voice of the original Sanskrit in many places. I do so with the hope of not offending the sensibilities of readers. Instead, I hope to give them a greater feel of the original language. There are a few notes in the translation where I explain the occasional troublesome word or phrase.

Edition

Sheet 1, Column 1 – folio 1b

Oṃ namo ratnatrayāya || || gopucchaparvate svayaṃbhūcaityasya paścimadigbhāge

buddhaśālāyāṃ guṃbā iti khyāte || || tasyām eva buddhaśālāyāṃ uttarasyāṃ

bhittau likhitāni buddhabiṃbādīni likhyate || || tatra prathamataraṃ ṣoḍaśa

parimitāni buddhabiṃbāni vilasaṃti || || tatra prathamaṃ akṣobhyanāmā dhyā-

nibuddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ gaganavarṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇālaṃkṛtasarvāṃgaḥ vicitra-

cīvaranivasananivāsitaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣeṇa bhūmisparśanamudrāṃ vāmenā-

kuṃcitena piṇḍapātradharaṇottānapāṇitalaṃ bibhrāṇaḥ kamaloparivajrā-

sanaḥ || 1 || tadvāme ratnasaṃbhavaḥ ekāsyaḥ kanakavarṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇālaṃ-

kṛtāvayavaḥ vicitracīvaranivasananivāsitaḥ dvikaraḥ dakṣeṇājānu-

kuṃcitena varadamudrāṃ dadhānaḥ vāmenākuṃcitena nābhipradeśe uttānapā-

ṇitalaṃ dadhānaḥ padmoparikuliśāsanaḥ || 2 || tadvāme amitābhaḥ ekā-

syaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇālaṃkṛtasarvāṃgaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣavāmābhyāṃ sa piṇḍapātradhyā-

namudrāmudritaḥ vicitracīvaranivasanaparivṛtasarvāṃgaḥ padmoparikuli-

śāsanaḥ || 3 || tadvāme amoghasiddhanāmā buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ dūrvādalaśyāma-

varṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇālaṃkṛtasarvāṃgaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣeṇa hṛtpradeśe ākuṃ-

citenābhayamudrāṃ vāmena nābhipradeśākuṃcitena piṇḍapātradhāraṇottā-

napāṇitalam ādadhānaḥ padmoparikuliśāsanaḥ || 4 || tadvāme vairocananā-

mā buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ śvetavarṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇadharo śītyanuvyaṃjanavirāja-

mānaḥ dvibhujaḥ dvābhyāṃ dakṣavāmābhyāṃ vāmadharmacakramudrāṃ bibhrāṇaḥ || 5 ||

tadūrdvapaṃktau prathamadakṣe vairocanaḥ || 6 || tadvāme akṣobhyabuddhaḥ || 7 || tadvāme

ratnasaṃbhavaḥ || 8 || tadvāme amitābhaḥ || 9 || tadvāme amoghasiddhaḥ || 10 ||

tadvāme vairocanaḥ || 11 || teṣāṃ dhyānādikaṃ prāgvat || || ||

adhobhāge paṃktau prathamadakṣe vairocananāmā buddhaḥ sarvaṃ pūrvavat paraṃ ca

dharmacakramudrām ujhitvā dvābhyām abhayamudrāṃ bibhrāṇaḥ || bahudhyānatvāt

anyamudrābhedaḥ || 12 || tadvāme akṣobhyabuddhaḥ || 13 || tadvāme gaṇḍaka-

śṛṃgaṃ sthāpitaṃ || 14 || tadvāme ratnasaṃbhavabuddhaḥ || 15 || tadvāme amoghasi-

ddhabuddhaḥ || 16 || tadvāme sa eva buddhaḥ || 17 || tadadho dhopaṃktau dvātriṃśat pa-

rimitāni dīpapatrāṇi prajvalitāni vilasaṃti || 32 || jalabhari-

tāni jalapātrāṇi ca || 32 || śikharākārāṇi naivedyagoḍāni ca || 32 ||

punar api dīpapātrāṇi || 32 || punaś ca dīpapātrāṇi || 32 || teṣāṃ madhyabhā-

ge ḍiṇḍamavādyaṃ darpaṇākāraṃ vicitravarttulāvaliśobhitaṃ tāḍanadaṇḍa-

sahitaṃ vādanārtham upasthāpitaṃ || 1 || adhobhāge pārśvayoḥ sapīṭhakaṃ

rakṣābhagavatī pustakadvayaṃ || || ekasyāṃ paṃktau caturddaśasaṃkhyakābuddhāḥ

śuśubhire || || tatra prathamaṃ amoghasiddhanāmā buddhaḥ || 1 || 18 || tadvāme

amitābhaḥ || 19 || tadvāme ratnasaṃbhavaḥ || 20 || tadvāme sa eva || 21 || ||

tadvāme śālendrarājanāmā buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ kāṃcanavarṇaḥ dvātriṃśalla-

kṣaṇāśītyanuvyaṃjanālaṃkṛtasarvāṃgaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣeṇājānuprasārite-

na varadamudrāṃ śālakusumaṃ ca bibhrāṇaḥ vāmenākuṃcitenottānapāṇi-

talaṃ dadhānaḥ vicitracīvaranivasananivāsī padmoparikuliśā-

sanaḥ || 22 || tadvāme kamaleśvararājanāmā buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ kamala-

Sheet 1, Column 2 – folio 2a

sitavarṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇadharo śītyanuvyaṃjanālaṃkāro laṃkṛtaḥ dvibhujaḥ

dakṣeṇa hṛtpradeśe ākuṃcitena kamalaṃ vāmena nābhipradeśe uttānapāṇi-

talaṃ dadhānaḥ vicitracīvaranivasananivāsī padmoparivajrāsanaḥ || 23 ||

tadvāme daṃtarājeśvaranāmā buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ kamalanālasūtravarṇaḥ dvātriṃśa-

llakṣaṇadharo śītyanuvyaṃjanālaṃkārālaṃkṛtaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣeṇa hṛtpradeśā-

kuṃcitena daṃtidaṃtam ādadhānaḥ vāmenākuṃcitena pātradharaṇottānapāṇita-

laṃ bibhrāṇaḥ padmoparivajrāsanaḥ || 24 || tadvāme maṇikusumarājeśvaranāmā

buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ maṇivarṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇāśītyanuvyaṃjanālaṃkṛtaḥ dvibhu-

jaḥ dakṣeṇājānuprasāritena maṇiratnaṃ bibrhāṇaḥ vāmena pātradhāraṇottā-

napāṇitalaṃ dadhānaḥ padmoparivajrāsanaḥ || 25 || tadvāme utpaleśvaranāmā

buddhaḥ ekānanaḥ kokanadavarṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇāśītyanuvyaṃjanālaṃkṛ-

tamātraḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣeṇa mahotpalaṃ vāmena pātradhāraṇottānapāṇita-

lam ādadhānaḥ padmoparivajrāsanaḥ || 26 || tadvāme kumudagaṃdheśvaranā-

mā buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ kuvalayavarṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇāśītyanuvyaṃjanā-

laṃkṛtaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣeṇājanuprasāritena kauravakusumaṃ bibhrat vāmena

pātradhāraṇottānapāṇitalaṃ dadhānaḥ vicitracīvaranivāsanivasanaḥ

padmoparikuliśāsanaḥ || 27 || tadvāme ratnarājanāmā buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ

kāṃcanavarṇaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣeṇā nābhipradeśākuṃcitena triśikho jvali-

tamaṇiratnaṃ vāmena pātradhāraṇottānapāṇitalam ādadhānaḥ dvātriṃśalla-kṣaṇāśītyanuvyaṃjanālaṃkārālaṃkṛtagātraḥ vicitracīvaranivāsana-

nivāsī padmoparivajrāsanaḥ || 28 || tadvāme aparimitāyurjñānadhyā-

nanāmā buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ himarajatavarṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇāśītyanuvyaṃ-

janālaṃkṛtāvayavaḥ vicitracīvaranivasananivāsitaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣe-

ṇājānuprasāritena aparimitajñānadhyāna iti varadamudrāṃ vāmenākuṃ-

citena uttānapāṇitalaṃ dadhānaḥ padmoparivajrāsanaḥ || 29 || tadvāme bhai-

ṣajyarājanāmā buddhaḥ ekamukhaḥ kāṃcanavarṇaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇāśītya-

nuvyaṃjanālaṃkṛtaḥ vicitracīvaranivasananivāsitaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣe-

ṇājānuprasāritena harītakīphalam ādadhānaḥ vāmenākuṃcitena pā-

tradhāraṇottānapāṇitalaṃ bibhrat padmoparivajrāsanaḥ || 30 || ||

tadvāme padmagaṃdheśvararājanāmā buddhaḥ ekāsyaḥ kamaladhavala-

varṇaḥ dvibhujaḥ dakṣeṇa hṛtpradeśākuṃcitena padmaṃ vāmena pātradhāraṇo- ttānapāṇitalam ādadhānaḥ dvātriṃśallakṣaṇāśītyanuvyaṃjanālaṃkṛta-

śarīraḥ vicitracīvaranivasanaḥ kamaloparikuliśāsanaḥ || 31 ||

ete sarve vairocanāvatārāḥ akṣobhyāvatārāḥ vajrasatvāvatārā matama-

tāṃtarobhedāḥ pravṛttikāryato nāmadhyānabhedāḥ bahvābhyāsāt kāṃbo-

jīyair jñātāḥ || || pūrvapaṭṭikāyāṃ etādṛśaṃ gavākṣatrayaṃ vicitritaṃ

prakāśayati ghaṇṭātritayanināditaṃ tadupari ekasyopaṃktau

buddhādibiṃbāni sapta vilasaṃti || || tatra prathamataraṃ śākyasiṃ-

hatathāgatabimbaṃ kāṃbojadeśīyalāmājūnāṃ bhāṣayā śākyabhuvā i-

ti nepālīyabhāṣayā kvācapāladeva iti || tasya dhyānabhedam asti ||

Sheet 2, Column 1 – folio 2b

ekamukhaḥ kanakavarṇaḥ raktavarṇo pi dvibhujaḥ dakṣiṇājānuprasāri-

tena bhūmisparśanamudrāṃ dadhan vāmena hṛtpradeśākuṃcitena bodhiṃ prā-

pya saṃbuddo smi akaniṣṭhabhuvanaṃ prāpayiṣyāmi jagat uddhariṣyā-

mīti ūrdhvamudrāṃ dadhānaḥ sahasrāracakrāṃkitapāṇipādatalādidvātriṃ-

śallakṣaṇāśītyanuvyaṃjanālaṃkṛtasarvāṃgaḥ vicitracīvaranivasana-

nivāsitaḥ kamaloparikuliśāsanaḥ || 1 || tadupāsakāś caturddaśasaṃ-

khyābhikṣavo vaṃdyā sayavade iti bhāṣayā lasaṃti tatra prathamaṃ eko bhi-

kṣuḥ cīvaranivasanaparivṛtasarvāṃgaḥ maṃcopari utkuṭukāsanaḥ dakṣeṇa

kareṇa sitacāmaradaṇḍaṃ dadhan vāmena dhūpapātram ādadhāno dhūpāyamāno

jagat surabhayan namo buddhāya namo dharmmāya namo saṃghāyeti japan tri-

ratnam abhajat dhūpako yaṃ bhikṣuḥ || 2 || ekaḥ piṇḍapātram upaḍhaukayan

muṇḍī cīvaranivasanaparivṛtāṃgaḥ vajrāsanaḥ piṇḍapātradhāraṇamudrā-

m ādadhānas triratnam abhajat dhyānalīnaḥ || 3 || eko bhikṣur muṇḍī cīva-

ranivasanaparivṛtāṃgaḥ (vajrāsanaḥ piṇḍapātradhāraṇamudrām ādadhāna-

s triratnam abha) uttarāsaṃgī maṃcopary utkuṭukāsanaḥ vāmena kareṇa sita-

cāmaradaṇḍam ādadhan dakṣeṇa puṣpopadhaukan pūjanamudrāṃ hṛtpradeśe

dhārayan ratnatrayam abhajata trimaṇḍalapariśuddhaḥ || 4 || eko bhikṣuḥ kuṃci-

takeśaḥ uttarāsaṃgī cīvaranivasanaparivṛtaḥ dakṣeṇa hṛtpradeśākuṃcitena

dhyānamudrāṃ tyaktvā pūjanamudrāṃ dadhānaḥ vāmenaikena pāṇitalenottāna-

dhyānamudrāṃ dadhānaḥ pīṭhopari vajrāsanaḥ ratnatrayam apūja<ya>t dhyānalīnaḥ

|| 5 || eko bhikṣuḥ kuṃcitakeśaḥ cīvarāvṛtasarvāṃgaḥ uttarāsaṃgī ratna-

trayapūjanāṃte nakulamāgataṃ dvābhyāṃ karābhyāṃ khelayan ratnatrayam ase-

vat || 6 || bhikṣur ekaḥ kuṃcitakeśaḥ uttarāsaṃgī cīvarāvṛtasarvāṃgaḥ

upaḍhokanārthaṃ ratnamayamukuṭaṃ hastābhyāṃ dhārayan ratnatrayam apūpuja-

t samādhilīnaḥ || 7 || bhikṣur eko muṇḍī cīvarāvṛtasarvāṃgaḥ pīṭhopari

dakṣalalitāsanaḥ vāmena vījanārthaṃ sitacāmaram ādadhānaḥ dakṣeṇa

pūjanamudrāṃ bibhrat ratnatrayam arcayan dhyānalīno vyatiṣṭhat || 8 || ||

bhikṣur eko muṇḍī uttarāsaṃgī cīvarāchāditasarvāṃgaḥ karadvayena tāla-

dvayam ādadhānaḥ dhyānalīno ratnatrayam abhajat || 9 || bhikṣur eko muṇḍī

uttarāsaṃgī cīvara (āvṛta) nivasanaparivṛtāṃgaḥ pīṭhopari samāśritaḥ śā-

kyasiṃhāya nivedanārthaṃ pāyasapūritapiṇḍapātraṃ dvābhyāṃ pāṇitalā-

bhyāṃ saṃdadhāno 'parimitāṃ dhāraṇīṃ paṭhan dhyānalīno ratnatrayam abhaja-

t || 10 || eko bhikṣur muṇḍī uttarāsaṃgam udvahan cīvaranivasanapari-

vṛtasarvāṃgaḥ vāmena kareṇa piṇḍapātram ādadhāno dakṣeṇa pāṇitalena

prajñāpustakaṃ sa dadhan paṭhan dhyānalīno ratnatrayam abhajat nirvāṇārthaṃ || 11 ||

|| eko bhikṣuḥ muṇḍanaśiraskaḥ uttarāsaṃgī vicitracīvaranivasanani-

vāsitaḥ pīṭhopari dakṣalalitāsanaḥ dvābhyāṃ prasāritābhyāṃ dorbhyāṃ śā-

kyasiṃhāyopaḍhokanārthaṃ trimaṇisaṃpuṭitapaṃcasthānasaṃbaṃdhitama-

ṇimālāṃ bibhrāṇo bodhyarthī dhyāvanalīno jagaduddharaṇakāmo vyatiṣṭha-

ta || 12 ||

Sheet 2, Column 2 – folio 3a

eko bhikṣuḥ kuṃcitakeśaḥ uttarāsaṃgī vicitracīvaranivasananivāsi-

tāṃgaḥ caityabhaṭṭārakasaṃśobhitordhvabhāgaṃ khikivarīdaṇḍaṃ purobhāge sannidhā-

ya dvābhyāṃ karābhyāṃ pāyasaparipūrṇapiṇḍapātram ādadhāno nābhipradeśe

pīṭhopari vajrāsanaḥ īṣadadhomukhaḥ iṣannimīlitanayanaḥ ratnatrayam sa-

manusmaran jagaduddhaṇakāmo dhānanīlo vyaśobhata || 13 || bhikṣur eko mu-

ṇḍanaśiraskaḥ sottarasaṃgaḥ vicitracīvaranivāsananivāsitaḥ pī-

ṭhopari dakṣalalitāsanaḥ dakṣeṇa kareṇa prajñāpustakam ādhāya vāmena ka-

reṇābhayamudrāyā pustakam āchādayan aparimitākhyāṃ dhāraṇīṃ paṭhamānaḥ

jagaduddharaṇe dhyānalīno vyatiṣṭhata || 14 || bhikṣureko kuṃcitakeśaḥ vi-

citracīvaranivasananivāsitaḥ pīṭhopari dakṣordhvapādaḥ vāmādhaḥpāda-

talaḥ dakṣeṇājānuprasāritena jalapātraṃ saṃdadhāna vāmena hṛtpradeśe cai-

tyabhaṭṭārakordhvasaṃśobhamānaṃ khikivarīdaṇḍam ādadhāno ratnatrayam anusma-

ran dhyānalīno vyatiṣṭhata jagaduddharakāmaḥ || 15 || || 0 || || ||

      kāṃbojadeśa lhāsā guṃbā

pṛthivīmaṇḍale uttarasyāṃ diśi himālayo nāma nagādhirājo sti ta-

tpārśvavarttī kāṃbojanāmā deśo varīvartti maṃjughoṣeṇādhiṣṭhato mahā-

cīnamaṃjuśrīparvatādhiṣṭhātṛṇā || tatra vihārā anekaśo vilasaṃti

bhāṣayā guṃbā iti prasiddhāḥ ratnakhacitasuvarṇanirmitagavākṣatoraṇā-

dipariśobhitāḥ || tatra vihāraṃ prati buddhāvatāro lāmājū iti vikhyā-

taḥ siddhaḥ paṃcābhijñāvāptaḥ eka eko viharati śatasahasraniyūtala-

kṣakoṭibhikṣusaṃghaparivṛtaḥ || te śiṣyā bhikṣavo rātriṃdivam aviśramya pā-

ṭhakā jāpakāḥ pūjakā dhyānalīnāḥ samādhilīnāḥ pauraścaraṇikā u-

pāsakā niyamācārā viharaṃti bodhyarthino jagadarthe || || tatra tatra sarva-

tra vihāre suvarṇādidhātunirmitā bodhimṛttikānirmitā suvarṇa-

raṃgādivilepitā buddhādibiṃbāḥ śatasahasraniyūtalakṣaparimitāḥ

saṃti sauvarṇādidharmadhātumaṇḍalādimaṇḍalāny aparimitāni pra-

tiṣṭhāpitāni vilasaṃti dhānyākārādicaityabhaṭṭārakānāṃ suvarṇa-

mayānāṃ dhātugarbhitānām aparimitāni pratiṣṭhāpitāni vilasaṃti

dhānyākārādibiṃbāni jagad rakṣaṃti || kāṃbojapradeśa sā- dṛśasta

dṛśo buddhadharmasaṃghamayaḥ || tatprabhāvāt tatra suvarṇanidhayaḥ pradeśe prade-

śe samudbhavaṃti || || tatra tatānāṃ lāmājūnāṃ madhye ko pi ko pi lā-

mājū svayaṃbhūdarśanāya nepālam āgataḥ tena tena tāni tāni nirmi-

tāni biṃbāni sthiratarāṇi vila<sa>nti || || ||

Sheet 3, Column 1 – folio 3b

nepāle || vihāraṃ prati (bahir devatā) śrāvaṇamāse bahir devatābiṃbāni || ||

śrīsvayaṃbhūdharmmadhātuvāgīśvaracaityabhaṭṭārakapratipālitanepāla-

maṇḍalāntargatakāṣṭhamaṇḍapalalitapattanabhaktapurābhidhamahāna-

garavareṣu deśagrāmanigamajanapadaparivṛteṣu bahavo vihārāḥ saṃti

buddhabimbacaityabimbadharmadhātumaṇḍalamahākālaharītīhanumadā-

dibiṃbayutā || tatra sarvatra vihāreṣu prativatsaraṃ śrāvaṇaśuklāṣṭamīm ā-

rabhya kṛṣṇacaturddaśī paryantaṃ gṛhābhyaṃtarasthāpitāni buddhabodhisatvā-

dīnāṃ biṃbāni vihāraśālāyāṃ sthāpanīyāni pūjanīyāni ca tatprītyā-

dātavyāni ca bhāṣayā bahirboya iti prasiddhā || atha ca suvarṇalikhitā-

ni raṃgalikhitāni pratimāpaṭāni purāṇāṃtarakathetihāsāṃtarakathā

likhitāni pratimāpaṭāni ca || bhāṣayā tulāṃpau paubāhā iti prasi-

ddhāni tāny api sthāpanīyāni prakāśanīyāni yāni dṛṣṭvā pāpakṣaya-

puṇyavarddhanam ity udaṃtaḥ || || tatra prathamaṃ lalitapattanavihārasaṃsthitā-

nāṃ || || tatra dvātriṃśatparimitā vihārāḥ saṃti || tatra prathamaṃ māṇikya-

galāt maṃgalabhaṭṭābhidharājakulād āgneyakoṇabhāge rūdravarṇanāmā

mahāvihāro sti bhāṣayā bakubāhāla iti yo vihāro śaṃkhadhara- (kṛ-

te e) yogikṛte ekāṃke nepālavatsare rudradeva nāmnā vaiśyavaryeṇa bhi-

kṣubhūtena nirmitaḥ || yatra bodhimṛttikāviracitaraṃgavilepitahiṃgu-

rivarṇaḥ śākyasiṃhabuddhasya biṃbo ratnakhacitasvarṇādyalaṃkārālaṃkṛta-

sarvāṃgaḥ || caityaṃ biṃbaḥ svarṇaviracito dharmadhātumaṇḍalaṃ ca viharati ||

tasmin pratiṣṭhitāni bahirdevatānāṃ bahīdyo iti vikhyātānāṃ biṃbā-

ni bhittivitānādiśobhitāyāṃ śālāyāṃ || tatra prathamaṃ buddhādhiṣṭhita-

koṣṭhāgārasya bahirbhāge dakṣiṇe parśve suvarṇnirmitāni caityāryatārā-

vasuṃdharādīnāṃ paṃcabiṃbāni bhittivitānādipariśobhitāyāṃ śā-

lāyāṃ ekaṃ caityabiṃbaṃ ca svārṇaṃ tadagre kālacakrākhya<tatra>pustakaṃ (hū) ca

bahūni ca citravicitravāsāṃsi ca nepālamāhatmyakathālikhita-

pratimāpaṭaś ca etāni sthāpitāni || 1 || tadagre vedikāśālā-

dvayaṃ || tatra dakṣe dīpaṃkarabuddhabiṃbo mahān trihastaparimitoccaḥ sva-

rṇanimitaḥ bhāṣayā kukūdhalādeva iti prasiddhaḥ 1 rudradevabhikṣubiṃ-

baś ca suvarṇanirmita āryatārābiṃbatrayaṃ svārṇaṃ ca 3 tāmrādinirmitt-

tāni suvarṇavilepanāni piṇḍapātrāṇi taṇḍulabharitāni daśa-

saptasāhasrabhikṣusaṃghebhyaḥ piṇḍapātrāṇy upaḍhaukayan pātrapūraṇa-

m ādhāya upaḍhaukitaṃ || 11 || vāme lāmābhikṣur eko vilasati kāca-

mṛttikānirmitaḥ bhāṣayā kayocā iti khyātaḥ atisitavarṇāti-

suṃdarasmitavadanaḥ cīnapradeśādānītaḥ || 1 || tatpṛṣṭhopari mahocca-

svārṇasiṃhopari sauvarṇam āryatārābiṃbaṃ sauvarṇabuddhabiṃbānāṃ catu-

ṣṭayaṃ ca svārṇaṃ triratnabiṃbaṃ ca svārṇe hālāhalabiṃbaṃ ca svārṇaṃ sūkṣmata-

raṃ bahūni vāsāṃsi nicolaprachadaraṭlakādīni || || || ||

<vitastipātraṃ tārābiṃbatrayaṃ || 13 ||>

Sheet 3, Column 2 – folio 4a

anyasmin vihāre ukubahīti vikhyāte bhāṣayā dīpaṃkarādīnā-

m āryatārāṃtānāṃ biṃbāni tāmranirmitāni suvarṇavilepitāni dāru-

nirmitāni ca saptati parimitāni vilasaṃti 70 taṃtrākhyānākhyeti

hāsakathāṃtaralikhitapratimāpaṭaśca yatra vihāre metreyabiṃbaḥ svārṇo

mahān vireje || || ||

Translation of the notes

For clarity’s sake, each śloka here is given as a new paragraph even though, as seen above, the original does not do so, except for the paragraph on the Kāṃboja Lhasa gumba. Single character deletions are not noted, but entire sentences crossed out are included here in round brackets.

[folio 1b] Om. I bow to the three jewels. On Gopucchaa mountain, to the west of the Swayambhu caitya, there is a Buddha hall, called a guṃbā in the local language. In this particular Buddha hall, on the northern wall, painted images of Buddhas and so forth are painted. Foremost are sixteen, regularly spaced Buddha images. Among them, the first is the meditation Buddha named Akṣobhya – he has one face; he is the colour of the sky; his body is adorned with the thirty-two marks; he is dressed in colourfulb robes; he has two arms, maintaining the earth-touching mudrā with his right arm and holding his alms bowl in the upturned palm of his left arm, which is bent; his seat of enlightenment is a pale-red lotus. 1

To his left is Ratnasaṃbhava – he has one face; he is the colour of gold; his limbs are adorned with the thirty-two marks; he is dressed in colourful robes; he has two hands, making the gift-giving mudrā with his right, which reaches to his knee and placing the upturned palm of his bent left arm near his navel; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 2

To his left is Amitābha – he has one face; his body is adorned with the thirty-two marks; he has two arms, with both the right and the left he makes the meditation mudrā with an alms bowl; his body is wrapped in colourful robes; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 3

To his left is the Buddha named Amoghasiddha – he has one face; his colour is dark, like a blade of durvā grass;c his body is adorned with the thirty-two marks; he has two arms, maintaining the no fear mudrā in the region of his heart with his bent right arm and holding his alms bowl in the upturned palm of his left arm, which is bent near to his navel; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 4

To his left is the Buddha named Vairocana – he has one face; his colour is white; he bears the the thirty-two marks; he is displaying the eighty secondary marks; he has two arms, with both his left and right arms he is making the left-turning dharma wheel mudrā.d 5

In the row above him, starting on the right,e is Vairocana. 6

To his left is the Buddha Akṣobhya. 7

To his left is Ratnasaṃbhava. 8

To his left is Amitābha. 9

To his left is Amoghasiddha. 10

To his left is Vairocana. 11

All of them perform the meditation mudrā and so forth, as previously described.

In the row below, starting at the right, is the Buddha Vairocana – all is the same as before and more. Leaving behind the wheel-of-dharma mudrā, he performs the no fear mudrā with both hands. This kind of mudrā is different because of much meditation. 12

To his left is the Buddha Akṣobhya. 13

To his left is placed a rhinoceros horn. 14

To his left is the Buddha Ratnasaṃbhava. 15

To his left is the Buddha Amoghasiddha. 16

To his left is that same Buddha. 17

In the next row down thirty-two regularly spaced burning lamps are seen. 32

And water bowls full of water. 32

And mountains of sweets as offerings. 32

And lamps again. 32

And lamps again. 32

In the middle of these is placed a musical instrument called a ḍiṇḍimaf for the purpose of making music; it is shaped like a mirror and decorated with rows of colourful circles; it is with sticks for beating the drum. 1

On the sides of the space below is a pair of books, the Rakṣābhagavatī, on a stand.

Buddhas, fourteen in all, appear in one radiant row.

Among them the first is the Buddha named Amoghasiddha. 1, 18

To his left is Amitābha. 19

To his left is Ratnasaṃbhava. 20

To his left is the same again. 21

To his left is the Buddha named Śālendrarāja – he has one face; his colour is gold; his body is adorned with the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks; he has two arms, maintaining the boon-giving mudrā by holding the flower of the Sal tree with the right arm stretched out to his knee, his palm upturned, and his left arm bent; he is dressed in colourful robes; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 22

To his left is the Buddha named Kamaleśvararāja – he has one face; his colour is white like a lotus; [folio 2a] he bears the thirty-two marks; he is adorned with the eighty minor marks; he has two arms, keeping a lotus near his heart with the bent right arm and holding his upturned left palm near to his navel; he is dressed in colourful robes; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 23

To his left is the Buddha named Dantarājeśvara – he has one face; he has the colour of the fibre of the lotus stalk;g he bears the thirty-two marks; he is adorned with the eighty minor marks; he has two arms, holding an elephant's tusk near to his heart with his bent right arm and bearing a bowl in the upturned palm of his left arm; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 24

To his left is the Buddha named Maṇikusumarājeśvara – he has one face; he is the colour of a jewel;h he is adorned with the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks; he has two arms, the right arm outstretched to the knee bearing a Maṇi jewel and a bowl in the upturned palm of his left arm; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 25

To his left is the Buddha named Utpaleśvara – he has one face; he is the colour of the red water lily; he possesses the adornments of the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks; he has two arms, the right holding a large lotus and the left holding a bowl in the upturned palm; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 26

To his left is the Buddha named Kumudagandheśvara – he has one face; he is the colour of the blue water lily; he is adorned with the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks; he has two arms, his right arm outstretched to the knee bearing a Kaurava flower and his left hand holding a bowl in the upturned palm; he is dressed in colourful robes; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 27

To his left is the Buddha named Ratnarāja – he has one face; his colour is gold; he has two arms, holding a three-pointed, shining maṇi jewel with his right arm bent near his naval and holding a bowl in the upturned palm of his left hand; his body is adorned with the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks; he is dressed in colourful robes; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 28

To his left is the Buddha named Aparimitāyurjñānadhyāna – he has one face; his colour is silvery white; his body is adorned with the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks; he is dressed in colourful robes; he has two arms, his right arm outstretched to the knee and maintaining the boon-giving mudrā, known as Aparimitāyurjñānadhyāna, , his left arm bent and his palm upturned; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 29

To his left is the Buddha named Bhaiṣajyarāja – he has one face; his colour is gold; he is adorned with the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks; he is dressed in colourful robes; he has two arms, holding the Myrobalan fruit with his right arm outstretched to the knee and holding a bowl in the upturned palm of his left hand; his seat of enlightenment is a lotus. 30

To his left is the Buddha named Padmagandheśvararāja – he has one face; he is the colour of the white lotus; he has two arms, holding a lotus close to his heart with the bent right arm and holding a bowl in the upturned palm of his left hand; his body is adorned with the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks; he is dressed in colourful robes; his seat of enlightenment is a red lotus. 31

All these are avatars of Vairocana, avatars of Akṣobhya, and avatars of Vajrasattva; there are differences of thought; because of the needs of practice, there are differences in name and meditation; as a result of much practice, they are known by the people of Kāṃboja.

On the lowest strip, a triad of painted windows of such a kind appear, filled with the noise of a triad of bells; on top of which, in one line, seven images of Buddhas, etc., are seen.

Among these, the foremost is the image of the Tathāgata Śākyasiṃha, called Śākyabhuvā in the language of the lāmājus from the region of Kāṃboja, called Kvācapāladeva in the language of the people of Nepal.i For him there is a difference in meditation. [folio 2b] He has one face; his colour is gold; he also has the colour of a jewel; he has two arms, maintaining the earth-touching mudrā with his right arm outstretched to the knee and holding the elevating mudrā near to his heart, his left arm bent, while saying, ‘Having attained enlightenment, I, fully enlightened, will cause the beings of Akaniṣṭha heaven (to attain enlightenment); I will save living beings’; his entire body adorned with the thirty-two marks, starting with one-thousand-spoked wheels on soles of his feet and the palms of his hands, and the eighty minor marks; he is dressed in colourful robes; his seat of enlightenment is a red lotus. 1

His followers, venerable monks fourteen in number, are seen. They are ‘The famous ones’j in the local language. First among them is a monk—his body is covered by his robes; he is on a seat squatting on his heels; holding a white ox-tail fan with his right hand and holding an incense bowl with his left, perfuming and making fragrant the world, he reverences the three jewels, muttering ‘Namo Buddhāya, Namo Dharmāya, Namo Saṃghāya’. This one is the incense monk. 2

A monk offering alms – his head is shaved; his body is covered by his robes; he is in the vajra posture, maintaining the alms-food-bearing mudrā; he reverences the three jewels while absorbed in meditation. 3

A monk – his head is shaved; his body is covered by his robes; he wears the upper robe; he is on a seat squatting on his heels; holding a white ox-tail fan with his left hand and offering a flower with his right hand, maintaining the worshipping mudrā near to his heart, he reverences the three jewels, purified because of the nature of his generosity, his gifts, and his recipients. 4

A monk – his hair is curled; he wears the upper robe; he is covered by his robes; abandoning the meditation mudrā, he maintains the offering mudrā near to his heart with his bent right arm; with his left arm he maintains the meditation mudrā with the upturned palm; he sits on a seat in the vajra posture, worshipping the three jewels while absorbed in meditation. 5

A monk – his hair is curled; his entire body is covered by his robes; he wears the upper robe; shaking a musical instrument with his two hands for the purpose of worshipping the three jewels, he serves the three jewels.k 6

A monk – his hair is curled; he wears the upper robe; his entire body is covered by his robes; holding in his two hands a crown made of jewels as an offering, he worships the three jewels while absorbed in mental concentration. 7

A monk – his head is shaved; his entire body is covered by his robes; he sits on a seat in the royal position with his right leg pendant; holding a white oxtaill for the purpose of fanning with his left hand and performing the worshipping mudrā with his right hand, praising the three jewels he remains absorbed in meditation. 8

A monk – his head is shaved; he wears the upper robe; his entire body is covered by his robes; holding a pair of cymbals in his hands, he reverences the three jewels while absorbed in meditation. 9

A monk – his head is shaved; he wears the upper robe; his body is covered by his robes; resting on a seat, he holds with the two palms of his hands an alms bowl filled with food prepared with milk for presentation to the lion of the Śākyans; reading an unequalled dhāraṇī,m he reverences the three jewels while absorbed in meditation. 10

A monk – his head is shaved; he wears the upper robe; his entire body is covered by his robes; holding a filled alms bowl in his left hand and holding a wisdom text in his right palm, he reads; absorbed in meditation, he reverences the three jewels in order to reach nirvana. 11

A monk – his head is shaved; he wears the upper robe; he is dressed in colourful robes; he sits on a seat in the royal position with his right leg pendant; he bears with his two outstretched forearms a garland of jewels bound together in five places as a gesture of respect to the three jewels; he sits absorbed in meditation for the sake of attaining enlightenment, desiring to save the world. 12

[folio 3a] A monk – his hair is curled; he wears the upper robe; his body is dressed in colourful robes; the space above him is adorned with a caitya worthy of veneration;n in the space below him is a khikivarīo staff; he holds with his two hands near his navel an alms bowl filled with food prepared with milk; he sits on a seat in the vajra posture; his face is slightly downwards; his eyes are slightly closed; recollecting the three jewels, his desire to save the world, he remains absorbed in meditation. 13

A monk – his head is shaved; he wears the upper robe; he is dressed in colourful robes; he sits on a seat in the royal position with his right leg pendant; holding a wisdom text with his right hand and covering a text with his left hand which is making the no-fear mudrā, reciting a dhāraṇī named ‘Unlimited’; he remains absorbed in meditation in order to save the world. 14

A monk – his hair is curled; he is dressed in colourful robes; he sits upon a seat with his right foot above and left foot below;p holding a bowl of water with his right hand outstretched to the knee, holding near to his heart a khikivarī staff that is adorned on the upper part with a caitya worthy of veneration; recollecting the three jewels, he remains absorbed in meditation with the desire to save the world. 15

      The region of Kāṃboja, the Lhāsā Guṃbā

In the circle of the Earth, in the north, there is a high king of the mountains named Himālaya. In its vicinity is a region named Kāmboja. It was inhabited near to the river by Mañjughoṣa, the protector of Great-China-Mañjuśrī mountain. There, many monasteries, known as guṃbās in the local language, are seen. They are adorned with archways, windows, and other features fashioned from gold and set with jewels.

There, in every monastery, there is an incarnation of the Buddha known as a lāmāju – he is accomplished; he has attained the five superior knowledges. Each and every one is surrounded by an assembly of monks that number ten million lakhs of a hundred thousand millions of thousands of hundreds.

Night and day, these student monks recite, mutter, and worship without rest. Absorbed in meditation, absorbed in concentration, doing preparatory rites, and practising restraint, these attending monks live with the goal of enlightenment for the sake of the world.

In each and every monastery, there are images of the Buddha, numbering lakhs of a hundred thousand millions of thousands of millions, painted with gold and various colours, fashioned out of the clay of enlightenment,q fashioned out of the primary elements such as gold and so forth. Numberless maṇḍalas – the dharmadhātu maṇḍala etc, of gold and so forth have been established. Numberless venerable caityas, beginning with heap-of-paddy-shaped ones,r made of gold, containing the elements have been established.s Numberless images of heap-of-paddy-shaped caityas and so forth protect the world.

The region of Kāṃboja is full of the Buddhas, Dharmas, Saṃghas of this kind. Because of their power, hoards of gold are found everywhere.

There, from among these numerous lāmājus, some one or another lāmāju came to Nepal in order to see Swayambhu. All these fixed images that are seen were established by him.

[folio 3b] In Nepal, in every monastery, in the month of Shravana, images of the deities are taken outside.

There are many monasteries in the great cities named Kāṣṭhamaṇḍapa, Lalitapattana and Bhaktapur, which are inside the circle of Nepal protected by the glorious and venerable Swayambhu Dharmadhātu Vāgīśvara caitya. These cities are surrounded by regions, villages, towns, and the countryside. The monastaries are full of images of Buddhas, caityas, dharmadhātu maṇḍalas, Mahākāla, Harītī, Hanuman and so forth.

In every monastery, every year beginning with the bright eighth of Shravana to the end of the dark fourteenth, images of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas placed inside houses are to be placed and worshipped in the rooms of the monasteries. Having cherished them, they are to be taken. This is called bahir boya in the local language.

And then, pictures of images are drawn in gold and drawn in colour. And pictures or images are drawn from stories in history and stories in the Puranas.

In the local language, they are also called tulāṃpau paubāha.t Seeing these that are placed and displayed, the result is the destruction of evil and the increase of merit.

Foremost among them for those situations in the monasteries of Lalitapattana...u

There, there are monasteries numbering thirty-two.

Foremost among them is the great monastery named Rūdravarṇa, called Bakubāhāla in the local language. It sits in the south-eastern corner from the royal family named Māṇikyagala Maṅgala Bhaṭṭa. This monastery was built by the monk, the best of merchants, named Rudradeva in the first Nepali year established by the yogi Śaṃkhadhara.v In it, there is an image of the Buddha Śākyasiṃha – it is red in colour, having been smeared with the colour of the clay of enlightenment; the whole body is decorated with gold and studded with jewels.

There is the image of a caitya made of gold and the dharmadhātu maṇḍala.

In it, images of the gods of the courtyard, called bahīdya, are found in a room that is adorned with walls, canopies and so forth.

Foremost among them, in the outside space to the south of the storehouse inhabited by the Buddha are five images of caityas, Āryatārā, Vasundhara and so forth, made of gold, in the room that is adorned all around with walls, canopies, and so forth. And placed in front of it there is one image of a caitya made of gold, and the book of the Kālacakra, and many variously coloured clothes, and image cloths on which are represented legends of Nepal. 1

In front of it is a pair of pavilions.

In the right one there is a large image of the Buddha Dīpaṃkara, made of gold, the height of which is three hastas.w In the local language it is called Kukūdhalādeva. 1

An image of the monk Rudradeva, made of gold, and a trio of images of Āryatārā, made of gold. 3

Begging bowls, made of gilded copper and other materials, are filled with rice. Offering begging bowls to the seventeen-thousand monks of the saṃgha. Having filled a bowl, it is offered.x 11

In the left one there is one lama-monk, made of glass and clay, known as kayocā in the local language. It is very white and has a very beautiful smile. It was brought from China. 1

Behind it, there is a golden image of Āryatārā above a very tall golden lion, and a foursome of golden images of Buddhas, and a golden image of the three jewels, and a golden image of Hālāhala, and a trio of small, golden images of Tārā that are the size of one hand. 13

There are many cloths, boxes, coverings, blankets, etc.

[folio 4a] In another monastery, called Ukubahi in the local language, there are seventy images of Āryatārā, Dīpaṃkara and so forth. They are made of gilt copper and wood. 70

And in this monastery, where there are image cloths on which are represented histories and stories from the tantras, an image of Maitreya, large and made of gold, shines.

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Notes

1 On the legendary early connection between Bhutan and the Gorkha kings and subsequent Bhutanese management of Swayambhu, see Shakya (2004: 259–260, 491) and Tshewang (2012: 149–153).

2 My thanks go to Kashinath Nyaupane for an initial oral translation to ascertain the general content of the notes.

3 See also Herzog and Higgins 1901 accessed at http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/s/019pho000430s52u00023000.html

4 See also Morris 1926 accessed at https://www.gettyimages.co.nz/detail/news-photo/buddhist-temple-at-swayambhunath-nepal-1926-news-photo/964875128?

5 It appears that the room which is now the protector room already existed and was not a new structural addition.

6 Sketch No33 does not show a rhinoceros horn or torma in any of the interstices.

7 See, for example, Luczanits 2003.

8 This is unusual because religious texts are usually stored with the smaller face facing outwards, with one end marked with the text title. Instead, the sketch shows the texts stored ‘long-ways’.

9 Wylie: rnga, rnga dbyug.

10 Selected by Buddha Shakyamuni from among his disciples. He requested them to remain in the world to protect the Dharma.

11 A full transcription and translation of the notes accompanying sketch no32 are provided in an appendix to this article.

12 The Iron-age kingdom of Kamboja is said to have covered South and Central Asia and is mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali texts, including the Mahabharat, where it is located near the Hindu Kush. This location makes no sense in our context. Despite the Lhasa reference, I found no potential locations in either Wylie’s 1970 Tibetan Religious Geography of Nepal or his 1962 Geography of Tibet. Das identifies the country kaM po tsa/dza as Cambodia, and kaM bo dze as a place north west of India, and as applying to the Mongols of Tartary and Indo-China. (Paljor, Das 1908: Index 10). Neither of these makes sense for a temple ‘near Lhasa’.

13 For details, see the full translation below.

14 As per HAR https://www.himalayanart.org/pages/hatsindex/hats_kagyu/index.html

15 Although there are eight numbered figures, the small Amitabha is actually part of Upāsaka Dharmatāla’s image.

16 My emphasis.

17 Resthouse, from Sanskrit and used in Nepali, usually transcribed as pauwa.

18 In Pruscha’s inventory of the valley he describes this temple as ‘the oldest monastery of Swayambhu, constructed by Kul Singh Tuladhar and renovated in 1962 by Surya Bahadur Lama’. (Pruscha 1975: 108) Did he think it older than the Newar vihars? Locke omits this temple from his ‘Survey of the Bahas and Bahis of the Kathmandu Valley’ although the overarching title of his three volumes is ‘Buddhist Monasteries of Nepal’.

19 ie 1855–1959. See Regmi 1977: 72–73.

20 Bazin, personal communication, 12 March 2020.

a Cowtail Mountain, identified in the Kathmandu Valley as Swayambhu Hill.

b vicitra can be ‘colourful’, but also ‘variegated’, ‘beautiful’, ‘strange’.

c Scutch or Bermuda grass (Nep: dūbo).

d I am unsure of how to translate the vāma of the text's vāmadharmacakramudrāṃ. Elsewhere in the text, the word vāma is used regularly to mean ‘left’. It is possible that vāma here is an error and can be ignored.

e Based on the sketch, this is from the first large Buddha’s perspective.

f A kind of drum.

g ie white.

h ie multi-coloured like crystal.

i Presumably Nepal bhasa?

j My translation of the word sayavade as ‘the famous ones’ is provisional. It is based on Edgerton's entry for śayavatī (Edgerton 1953: 523)

k Tentative translation on my part of this sentence.

l Although translated here as oxtail, such flywhisks are usually yak tails.

m Long mantra.

n Although, for the sake of caution, I have translated the phrase caityabhaṭṭāraka as ‘a caitya worthy of veneration’, it may be that this phrase refers to a specific set of caityas in Lalitpur.

o The term khikivarīdaṇḍa presumably refers to a particular type of staff. The qualifier khikivarī is obscure, but may be related to the term khikkhirika found in Edgerton's dictionary (see fn 29 above).

p ie ‘royal pose’?

q It is not clear to me what ‘clay of enlightenment’ (bodhimṛttikā) means.

r The assumption made here is that the phrase ‘heap-of-paddy’ (dhānyākāra) refers to the shape of the monument, although Dhyānakataka Mountain is also considered to be the site where the Buddha is said to have taught the Kalacakra. See: https://roar.media/english/life/culture-identities/five-main-shapes-sri-lankan-stupas.

s Tentative translation on my part of this sentence. There is an issue with the syntax of the Sanskrit. I am assuming that the ungrammatical abundance of genitive, plural forms should be read as nominative, plural forms.

t The second of these two words corresponds to modern paubhā, the Newari equivalent of the Tibetan thangka.

u This sentence seems be a fragment.

v The founder of Nepal Sambhat in 879 CE.

w A cubit, length of a man’s forearm.

x The syntax of this line is not clear to me.

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Table des illustrations

Titre Fig 1. Extract from sketch no33 of small bearded figure (#41) between the central and left statues on the main shrine
Crédits Musée Guimet, Paris, Hodgson Collection, Set I.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-1.png
Fichier image/png, 1,2M
Titre Fig 2. Sketch no32
Crédits Musée Guimet, Paris, Hodgson Collection, Set I.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-2.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 249k
Titre Fig 3. First sheet of notes attached to sketch no32
Crédits Musée Guimet, Paris, Hodgson Collection, Set I.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-3.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 302k
Titre Fig 4. Deva Dharma Maha Vihar with pitched roof on the left
Crédits Photograph by Kurt Boeck 1898, retrieved from Wikimedia.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-4.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 175k
Titre Fig 5. Deva Dharma Maha Vihar with flat roof on the left
Crédits Photograph by William Brook Northey, 1920: Shrines and tombs at the Swayambhunath Temple – the most celebrated of all the Buddhist temples which are left in Nepal
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-5.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 294k
Titre Fig 6. Location map of Swayambhu stupa
Crédits Source: adapted from https://swoyambhustupa.com/​map-of-swoyambhu-stupa
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-6.png
Fichier image/png, 73k
Titre Fig 7. ‘Interior of the Vihara of Swoyambhu Nath where the principal rites are performed and a lamp is kept perpetually burning’
Crédits Source: Musée Guimet, Paris, Hodgson Collection, Set I, no33’
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-7.png
Fichier image/png, 2,9M
Titre Fig 8. ‘Interior of a “Goomba” or Lama Priests residence at Sambhunath. Octr. 1855’
Crédits Source : Shelfmark WD3301, item 3301. By permission of the British Library
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-8.png
Fichier image/png, 1,6M
Titre Fig 9. Present interior view from door
Crédits Picture: Barakzai 2023
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-9.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 381k
Titre Fig 10. Three-panel stone shrine centrepiece, addorsed snow lions turned to face each other, either side of crossed vajras
Crédits Picture: Barakzai 2017
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-10.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 270k
Titre Fig 11. Stone carvings set into the lower register of the shrine
Crédits Picture: Barakzai 2017
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-11.png
Fichier image/png, 1,3M
Titre Fig 12. In the centre is a bronze Shakyamuni Buddha, to his right Dipankara, to his left Maitreya.
Crédits Picture: Barakzai 2020
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-12.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 553k
Titre Fig 13. View of the eastern wall and triple bay window
Crédits Picture: Barakzai 2022
URL http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/docannexe/image/1336/img-13.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 393k
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Référence électronique

S Shiriin Barakzai, « The Bhutanese gompa at Swayambhu: sketches and notes from the Musée Guimet’s Hodgson Collection of Deva Dharma Maha Vihar », European Bulletin of Himalayan Research [En ligne], 60 | 2023, mis en ligne le 12 juillet 2023, consulté le 15 janvier 2025. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/1336 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/ebhr.1336

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Auteur

S Shiriin Barakzai

S Shiriin Barakzai is a final-year MA student at Lumbini College of Buddhism and Himalayan Studies, Kathmandu, affiliated to Lumbini Buddhist University, Lumbini.

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Traducteur

Joseph La Rose

Joseph La Rose teaches Sanskrit at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence CC BY 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont « Tous droits réservés », sauf mention contraire.

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