A chronicle of the kings of England
ID: B_0239_0003
Edited and
translated by Simon Cubelic
in collaboration with
Rajan Khatiwoda
Created: ;
Last modified: 2023-02-16
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The accompanying edition, translation/synopsis and/or commentary are available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
.
Abstract
This anonymous and undated text consists of two parts. The major part (fols. 1r–7r) provides a genealogical account (vaṃśāvalī) of the English monarchs from William the First to George the Fourth, covering the period from ca. 1030 to 1830 CE. Besides the duration of their rule and their genealogical relationships, their major deeds and other events of political, military or technological import marking their reign are recorded. The brief second part (7r–8r) presents basic information on the geography, climate, administration and military of the kingdom of Great Britain.Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1श्रीगणेशायनमः॥॥इंगलिस्तान्कावादशाहहरु2कोवंशाव़लीरअरुषुलासाविस्तारसमेत् लेषिन्छ॥॥
3पहिलाव़लीयम्॥॥जौन्•लडाइगर्नामार•मुलुक्जित्
4नामाप्रख्यात् थिया२०वर्षराज्यगरीलडाइमामर्या॥॥
5इन्काछोरादोश्राव़लीयम्॥वहुतैवुद्धिमान्थिया•ठुलाअ
6मिरहरुर•पादरीहरुलुट्पिट्गर्दथ्याइनैलेछुटाया•इ•व
7हुतनिसाफीथिया१२वर्षराज्यगरीशिकारषेल्नगयामा
8अर्काकोतीरलागीमर्या॥॥इन्काभाइपहिलाहनरी॥॥
9वुद्धिर•विद्यामाप्रसिद्धहुनालेदानिश्मन्दनामथियो
10१९वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥॥इन्काछोराहरुसानाहुनाले
[1v]
1पहिलाव़लीयम्काछोरीकाछोरा•इष्ट्युन्ले•जवर्दस्तिसँग2मुलुक्आफ्नाहातगरी१९वर्षराज्यगरीनिस्सन्तानभै•म
3र्या॥॥इन्काभाइदोश्राहनरी•जवाँमर्द्दीर•वुद्धिमाउस्
5काल्मा•इन्कावरोवरकोइथियेनन्•तिन्लेइंगलिस्तान
6का३टापूमध्येआयर्लेण्डभन्याकोटापू•जीतिइंगलि
7स्तानमामिलाया३५वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥॥इन्काछोरा
8रेचर्ड्पहिलाशेरशाहलडनामाप्रख्यात् थिया•रूममुलु
9क्मा•मुशल्मानहरुसँगवहुत् लड्यानिदान् फिर्न्यावेला
10मा•फौजलाइअर्कोवाटोगरीआफ्नामुलुक्तिरहिँडाइ
[2r]
1थोरैमानिससँगलीआँफुपनिसहरतिरजाँदावाटामाको2इ१राजाले•एक्लैदेषिकयेदगरी२०लाषरुपैयादिया•त
3लाइछोड्छुभन्दा•इन्लेयोषवर•आँफ्नाशहर्मापठाया•
4प्रजाहरुउन्लाइवहुत्मान्थ्यार•२०लाषरुपैयादीति
5न्लाइ•कएददेषीछुटाइल्याया१०वर्षराज्यगरीनिस्
6सन्तानभै•लडाइमामर्या॥॥इन्काभाइजान्•वहुत्•
7रिसाहाथिया•राजाकोधर्मछोडीप्रजाहरुलाइदुःखदि
8नलाग्यार•अमीर•र•रैयत्हरुले•इंगलिस्तान्कावादशाह
9हरुकोदस्तूर•म•छोडन्याछैनभन्न्याविहोराकोकवूल्
10पत्रलेषाइलिया१८वर्षराज्यगरीनिस्सन्तानभैमर्या
[2v]
1जान्काछोरातेश्राहनरी॥॥वहुत् वुद्धिमान् ठुलामानि2स् थिया•तरअभागीहुनालेआफ्नाछोराहरुसितल
3डनुपर्यो५६वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥॥इन्काछोरापहि
4लाइड्वर्ड॥॥इनलेइंगलिस्तान्का३टापूमध्ये•इस्
5काट्लेण्डटापूजिति•इंगलिस्तान्मामिलाया•तीआ
6इन् जान्नामावहुत् नामूद् थिया•उस्कालमाइंगलि
7स्तान्मुलुक्काशहर•र•गाँउहरुमा•भिन्नभिन्नआ
8इन्हुनाले•प्रजाहरूअतिदुःखपाँउथ्या•तिन्ले•ति•
9सवैजगका•आइन्काकिताव् •जम्मागरी•तज्वीज्
10सँग•घटीयादस्तूरमेटी•वढियाठहर्याकोराषिस
11वैकोरीतदस्तूरमिल्न्यागरी१आइन्कोकिताव्•
[3r]
1तयारगर्या•५वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥॥इन्काछोरा2दोश्राइड्वर्ड॥॥इन्कापालामारातीसमुद्रमाजहा
3जचलाउदावाटोविराँउछन् भनीकंपास् तयारगरा
4या•इन्कापालामा•मानिसहरूआपुस्मावहुत् लड्
5दथ्या१९वर्षराज्यगरीनिस्सन्तान् भैमर्या॥॥इन्का
6छोरातेश्राइड्वर्ड॥॥इ•र•पछिविस्तारलेषिन्या
7पाँचौहनरी•जवाँमर्द्दीर•मुलुक्जित्नामा•औ•वु
8द्धिमापनीसवैवादशाहभन्दाज्यादाथिया•इन्का
9पालामाठुलातोपतयारभया५१वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या
10इन्काछोरादोश्रारेचर्ड्॥॥सौखर•दर्जामानामूदथि
11या२३वर्षराज्यगरीकएदैमामर्या॥॥चौथाहनरी
[3v]
1इनलेराज्यपायाकोकारणयोहो॥दोश्रारेचर्डकास2न्ताननहुनालेतेश्राइडवर्डका४छोरामध्येजेठालाइ
3वुद्धिमानठहराइगादीदिया१३वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥
4॥॥इन्काछोरापाँचौहनरीजस्कोविस्तारअघीले
5षियो•मुलुक्जित्नामाप्रख्यात् थियाउन्ले•फ
6राँसीस् मुलुक् जीति•आफ्नाछोरालाइवा़ँहाकोरा
7ज्यदिया१०वर्षराज्यगरीलडाइमामर्या॥॥इन्का
8छोराछैटाहनरी॥॥वावुमर्दा९महीनाकाहुना
9लेवावुलेजीत्याकोफराँसीसमुलुक् इन्काहातवा
10टगयो•उन्कामुलुक्माआपुस्मावहुत् झगडाभ
11यो३८वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥॥तेश्राइड्वर्डका
[4r]
1साहिलाछोराचौथाइड्वर्ड॥॥इन्कापालामाहनरीहरुर2इड्वर्ड्हरुसंगराज्यकानिमित्तवहुतलडाइभयो•दोश्रारिच
3र्डकासन्ताननहुदातेश्राइड्वर्डकाजेठाछोरार•साहिलाछो
4रा•इ•दुवैराज्यकोदावा़राष्तथ्या३वर्षसम्मआपुस्माल
5ड्याचौथाइड्वर्डलेजितिगादीमावस्याइन्कापालामा•इ
6श्वीसन् १४३०माछापागर्न्या हिक्मत् निकास्याछापात
7यारगर्न्यावुद्धिकोतारीफकलकत्तामाछापादेषन्याहरु
8गर्दाहुन् •छापामा१कोसराजामतयारभयापछीहजा
9रौँ किताव् चाडैतयारहुन्छन्•मानिस् पशुमा•यस्तैवुद्धि
10कोफेरछ•मनुष्यहरुवुद्धिवढन्याकुरामामिहीनत् गरु
[4v]
1न् भनीभगवान् चाहन्छन्•तसर्थहाम्राविलायत्माछा2पाकोहिक्मत् अरुहिक्मत् भन्दावढियाठहराउछन्•
3इ•२३वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥॥इन्काछोरापाँचौइड्वर्ड
4वावुमर्दा१३वर्षकाथिया२।३महीनाराज्यगरीमर्या॥
5थोडैउमेर्काहुनालेइन्काजेठावावुलेइन्लाइविषष्वाइ
6मार्याकीभन्न्यासन्देहहामीलाइलाग्छ•उन्काजेठावा
7वुउसै गादीमावस्या॥॥चौथाइड्वर्डकाभाइतेश्रारि
8चर्डलाइ•कोइवुद्धिमान् थियाभन्छन् •कोइर•मुर्षभन्छ
9न् छन्२वर्षराज्यगरीनिस्सन्तानभैलडाइमामर्या॥॥
10सातौँहनरीलेअघीलेषियाकातेश्रारिचर्डलाइलडा
11ईमामार्या•इंग्लीस्तानमाराज्यकानिमित्त३वर्षसम्म
[5r]
1लडाइभयो•जवतेश्रारिचर्डमर्या१छोरीदेषिवाहिकअरु2कोइराज्यकोदावागर्न्यानठहर्दासातौँहनरीलेतेस्केटीलाइ
3विवाहगर्यापछीराज्यकानिमित्तझगडामोकूफभयो•इ•व
4हुतज्ञानवान् थियाठुलामानिस्हरुकोजवर्दस्तिछुटाइ
5रैयत्लाइसुखीगराया२४वर्षराज्यगरीमर्याइन्कापाला
6माजहाजीतोप् तयारभया॥॥इन्काछोराआठौँहनरी
7वहुत् विद्यावान् थिया३२वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥॥इन्का
8छोराछैटाइड्व़र्डअतिवुद्धिमान् थिया•विद्यावढाउना
9लाइपाठशालार•गरीवहरुकानिमित्तवैद्यषानातयार
10गराया•७वर्षराज्यगरीनिस्सन्तानभै मर्या॥॥आठौँ
11हनरीकीछोरीमीरी•चौथाइड्वर्ड्निस्सन्तानभैमर्नालेर•
[5v]
1इन्काइ•छोरीवाहिक् अरुछोराछोरीनहुनालेइनैछोरीवि़2लायत्कादस्तूरमाफिक् गादीमावसिन्६वर्षराज्यगरी
3निस्सन्तानभैमरिन्॥॥इन्कीवहिनीइल्जेविट्वुद्धि
4रविद्यामाप्रख्यात्थिइन्•इन्कापालामाराजकाजवढि
5याडवल्सँगचल्दथ्यो४५वर्षराज्यगरीनिस्सन्तानभै
6मरिन्•इनैकाहुकुममाफिक् कामगर्नालेईश्वीसन्१६००
7देषीकंपनीवहादुरकोवृद्धिहुदैआयो•कमानीगाडीर•
8घडीइनैकापालामातयारभया॥॥पहिलाजम्स् व
9हुतवुद्धिमान् थिया•इन्कापालामाकसैसितलडाइभए
10न•दूर्विन् इनैलेतयार् गराया२२वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या ॥॥
11इन्काछोरापहिलाचारल्स्॥॥इन्कापालामाषर्च
[6r]
1ज्यादापर्नालेसर्दारहरुगरीवभयातर•अरुप्रजाहरुमिहीनत्2रविद्यालेधनिभयातसर्थआफ्नाआफ्नातरफवाटएकसर्दा
3रकाव़कीलहरुवादशाहकाहजूरमाराषनपायाहुदोहोभ
4नीहजूरमाविन्ति गर्दामंजूरभयेन२४वर्षराज्यगरीलडाइ
5मामर्या•इ•मर्यापछीकिरम्व़ल् भन्याकाले१६वर्षराज
6गरीमर्या॥॥इमर्यापछीचारल्स्काछोरागादीमावस्या॥
7इन्काछोरादोश्राचारल्स्२५वर्षराज्यगरीनिस्सन्तानभैम
8र्या•इन्कापालामालन्डन् सहरआधाजल्नालेसवैशहर
9फेरीनयावन्यो॥॥इंन्काभाइदोश्राजम्स्॥॥इन्कापाला
10माआपुस्माज्यादाझगडाहुन्थ्योनिदान्आफ्नुगादीछोडी
11अरुकामुलुक्मागैवस्या॥॥तेश्राव़लीयम्लेजेम्स्की
12छोरीविवाहगर्नालेराजगादीपायाइन्कापालामाफिराँसी
[6v]
1ससंगवहुतलडाइभयोठुलावंदुक् पनीइनैकापालामातयार2भयासवारीमाघोडावाटलोटिनिस्सन्तानभैमर्या॥॥
3दोश्राजेम्सकीछोरीअन्॥॥इन्कापालामाफरासीससँग
4कोलडाञीज्यादावढ्योतेह्रवर्षराज्यगरीनिस्सन्तानभै•म
5रिन्•पहिलाजार्जाइन्कापालामालाटकलाइफलेसुराजुद्दौ
6लाकाहातवाटवंगालाजित्यापात्रोवनाउन्याहिक्मत् इनै
7कापालामाहिरगर्यायस्लेढेरैमनुष्यकोउपकारहुंछ•इ•
8१३वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥॥इन्काछोरादोश्राजार्ज•इन्का•
9पालामा•टेपुर•फराँसीस् अंग्रेजहरुलेजित्याइनैकापाला
10माईरान्कावादशाहनादर्शाहपनि दिल्लीमाआया•यसै
11वेलामालन्डन् शहर्कोतमस् नदीको१२००हातलंवा३५
12हातचौडापूलतयारभयोयसपुल्मा४लाषषर्चभयो•
[7r]
1३३वर्षराज्यगरीमर्या॥॥इन्कानातीतेश्राजार्ज•इन्का2वावु•वज्याछदैमामर्या•इन्कापालामावंगाला•वेहार•उडे
3साहेवान्लेजित्यापाठशालापनीइन्कापालामाज्यादावन्या
4फराँसीस्सँगवहुतलडाञीभयो•निदान् अंगरेजलेफ
5राँसीस्लाइहिन्दोस्तान्वाटधपाया॥॥इन्काछोराचौथा
6जार्ज॥॥इन्काछोराछैनन्•तर४ भाइछन्जेठाभाइव़ली
7अहदहुन्॥॥❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀
8इंग्लिस्तानमुलुककोविस्तार॥॥इंग्लिस्तान्कावा
9दशाहहरु•इंगलंडआएर्लण्डस्काटलंडइ३टापुमा
10राज्य गर्छन्•कलकत्तादेषीतहासम्मजहाजकोवाटो
[7v]
1८०००कोशछ•तहाकोहावा़वाह्रैमैन्हाभोटकामाफिक् छ2गर्मीभन्याहिन्दुस्तान्माफीकहुंछ सर्द्दिवहुतैहुंछ•जाडा
3कासमयमाकैह्लेतुसारो१महिनासम्म१वित्तावाक्लोरहं
4छ•नदीकोपानिजम्दामानिस्हरुतमाशालाइवहुतज
5माहुंछन्•जाडोज्यादाहुनालेतेस् मुलुककामानिस् दुःख
6पाउदाहुन् भनीहिन्दुस्तानीहरुभन्दाहुन् तरउहामानिस्
7सुखैमारहन्छन्उन्काघरप्रतीकोठामाआतीश्षानावना
8इ•पत्थरकाकोइलाकोआगोताप्छन् •ढोकामारझ्याल्मा
9शीशालाइगर्मीगराउछन्•कपडाभन्यापश्मीनैलाउछन्
10वाँहाचावल् उव्जदैन•छोटावडासवगहुँषान्छन्•भारी
11वोक्नालाइगाडीछन्•मानिस् वोक्तैनन्•हामीलाइपनी
12योकामपशुकैहोकीभन्याजस्तोलाग्छवाँहाकोराजधा
[8r]
1नीनगरलण्डन•तमज् नदीकाकिनारामाछएक करोड2पचिस् लाषमानिस् तहाछन्•१सालकोआमदानी७०
3करोडहुंछ राजाहरुकोवृद्धि फौजलेमात्रैहुदैन•वन्दो
4वस्तर•वुद्धिलेवढदछभनीहामीहरुधेरैफौजराष
5तौँन•वाँहाकावादशाहकोफौज्•तोपषानारतुरुक् स
6वारवाहीक् एक लाषपचिस् हजारछन्•इ३टापुमा
7११७सुवाछन्•ताहाँदस्तूरव्यतिरिक्तकेहीकामकुरो
8हुनसक्तैन•भारादारहरुसँगसलाहनगरीवादशाह
9केहीकामपनीगर्दैनन्॥शुभम्॥॥समाप्तमिदं॥॥
Translation
[1r]
Salutation to the venerable Gaṇeśa! [This] chronicle of the kings (bādaśāha)1 of England is written down together with other details (khulāsā) and digressions (vistāra).
William the First: He was famous for waging war and conquering kingdoms. He ruled for 20 years and died in war.
His son [was] William the Second: He was very intelligent. The important noblemen (amira) and the clerics (pādarī) looted and brawled. He ended this. He was very just. He ruled for 12 years and died, struck by someone’s arrow during a hunting trip.
His brother [was] Henry the First. Famous for his intelligence and knowledge, he was called "the Wise" (dāniśamanda)2 . He died after ruling for 19 years.3
Since his sons were minors,
[1v]
the son of the daughter4 of William the First, Stephen (?) (text: iṣṭyun), brought the kingdom under his control by force, ruled for 19 years and died without heir.His brother [was] Henry the Second. There was nobody equalling him in manliness and intelligence in his time. Among the three islands of England, he conquered the island called Ireland and joined it with England. He ruled for 35 years and died.
His son, Richard the First, [called] "Lionheart" (lit. "Lion king"), was famous for fighting. He fought extensively against Muslims in the kingdom of Rum. In the end, during the return journey, he ordered the army to march to his kingdom by another way.
[2r]
As he together with a few people was approaching a city, a king, seeing him alone, took him hostage. [This king] told him that he would let him go if he paid him 20 lākhas of rupees, and [Richard] forwarded this message to his capital. His subjects respected him greatly. They paid the 20 lākhas of rupees, had him released from captivity and brought him back. He ruled for 10 years and died in battle without heir.His brother John was very aggressive. He neglected royal duties (rājāko dharma) and began to inflict suffering on [his] subjects. The noblemen (amīra) and peasants (raiyāta) made him write down an agreement (kabūla) containing the following particulars: “I will not depart from the traditions (dastūra) of English kings.”5 He ruled 18 years and died without heir.
[2v]
John’s son [was] Henry the Third. He was very intelligent and a great man, but it was his misfortune that he had to fight with his sons. He died having ruled for 56 years.
His son [was] Edward the First. Among the 3 islands of England, he conquered the island of Scotland and joined it to England. He was very famous for knowing the law codes (āin). Since at that time there were different laws in the cities and villages of the kingdom of England, the subjects suffered excessively. He collected the law books of all these places. With due thought, he cancelled bad customs (dastūra) and preserved whatever was deemed good. He prepared a single law code (āinko kitāba) suitable to everyone's customs.
[3r]
He died having ruled for [3]5 years.His son [was] Edward the Second. Since during his reign [seamen] went off course while sailing on the ocean during the night, he had compasses made. During his reign people fought a lot with each other. He ruled for 19 years and died without heir.
6His son [was] Edward the Third. He and Henry the Fifth, details concerning whom are written down below, were greater than all [other] emperors in terms of manliness,kingdoms conquered and intelligence. Large cannons were produced during his reign. He died having ruled for 51 years.
His son [was] Richard the Second. He was well known for being licentious and rank conscious. He ruled for 23 years and died in prison.
[3v]
The following is the reason he received the crown: Since Richard the Second had no heir, the throne was handed over to the eldest among the 4 sons of Edward the Third in consideration of his intelligence.7 He died having ruled for 13 years.His son [was] Henry the Fifth, who has already been written about. He was famous for conquering kingdoms. He conquered the French kingdom and handed this kingdom over to his son. He ruled for 10 years and died in battle.
His son [was] Henry the Sixth. Since he was [only] 9 months old when his father died, the French kingdom, conquered by his father, slipped out of his hand. There were many internal conflicts in his kingdom. He died having ruled for 38 years.
[4r]
The third son of Edward the Third [was] Edward the Fourth: During his reign there was a great contest for the kingdom between those loyal to Henry and Edward. Since Richard the Second had no offspring, both the eldest and the third son of Edward the Third claimed the kingdom.8 For three years they fought each other. Edward the Fourth won and ascended the throne. During his reign, in 1430 CE, he demonstrated his ingenuity by establishing a printing press.9 Those who have seen a printing press in Calcutta might praise the intelligence it takes to make a printing press [in the following way]:10 "Once the material has been prepared for 1 [book] on a printing press, thousands of books can be prepared quickly. Such intelligence is the difference between humans and animals. God wants humans to expend their effort on things that increase intelligence.
[4v]
That is why in our country (vilāyat) the resource the printing press represents is deemed greater than any other resource." He died having ruled for 23 years.His son, Edward the Fifth was 13 years old when his father died. He died having ruled for 2–3 months. Since he died at an early age, we suspect that his father's elder brother killed him by administering poison. This was how his father's elder brother could ascend the throne.
Some say that the brother of Edward the Fourth, Richard the Third, was intelligent; some, that he was foolish. He ruled for 2 years and died in battle without heir.
Henry the Seventh killed Richard the Third, about whom was written above, in battle. The war for rule over England lasted 3 years.
[5r]
After Richard the Third died, there was no one left to claim the kingdom except one daughter [of Edward the Fourth].11 The war was settled after Henry the Seventh married that girl. He was very knowledgeable. He pleased the peasants by relieving them from the violence of the nobles (ṭhulā mānis). He died having ruled for 24 years. During his reign, naval cannons were produced.His son [was] Henry the Eighth. He was very wise. He died having ruled for 38 years.
His son [was] Edward the Sixth. He was extremely intelligent. He established schools in order to increase knowledge and hospitals for the poor. He ruled for 7 years and died without heir.
The daughter of Henry the Eighth [was] Mary. Since Edward the Sixth had died without heir
[5v]
and apart from his daughter [Henry the Eighth] had no other children [with his first wife], this daughter ascended the throne in accordance with the customs of Britain (vilāyat). She died having ruled for 6 years.Her [step-]sister Elisabeth was very famous for her intelligence and knowledge. During her reign, royal affairs were conducted under better conditions [than before]. She ruled for 45 years and died without heir. Thanks to actions carried out in accordance with her orders, from 1600 CE onwards the Company Bahādura started to thrive.12 During her reign, vehicles and watches with metal springs were produced.
James the First was very intelligent. During his reign no was battles with anyone occurred. He had a telescope produced. He died having ruled for 22 years.
His son [was] Charles the First. Since during his reign expenditures
[6r]
were excessive, the nobles (sardāra) were impoverished, but other subjects thanks to their [own] efforts and knowledge grew rich. Therefore, when they said by way of petition that it would be good to have one representative per sardāra in place with the king, no consend was forthcoming. He ruled for 24 years and died in battle.13After he died, [a man] called Cromwell ruled (rāja)14 for 16 years before dying.
After he died, the son of Charles [the First] ascended the throne. His son, Charles the Second, reigned for 25 years and died without heir. During his reign half of the city of London burnt down, so that the entire city was built anew.
His brother [was] James the Second. During his reign there were excessive internal quarrels. Finally, he abdicated and settled in another kingdom.
William the Third ascended the throne by reason of having married the daughter of James [the Second],15 . During his reign
[6v]
there were many battles with the French. Large guns were also produced during his reign. During an outing, he fell from his horse and died without leaving an heir.Anne was a daughter of James the Second. During her reign, fighting with the French increased greatly. She ruled for thirteen years and died without heir.
George the First: During his reign Lord Clive took Bengal out of the hands of Siraj Ud Daulah (text: Surājud Daulā).16 During his reign strides were made in the knowledge required for making calendars.17 These are very beneficial to people. He died having reigned for 13 years.
His son [was] George the Second. During his reign, the English were victorious over Tipu (text: Ṭepu) [Sultan] and the French.18 During his reign, too, the emperor of Iran, Nadir Shah, came to Delhi.19 It was during this time that a bridge over the River Thames was built in the city of London measuring 1,200 hātas in length and 35 hātas in width. 4 lākhas were spent on this bridge.
[7r]
He died having ruled for 33 years.His grandson [was] George the Third. His father died when his grandfather was still alive. During his reign, the British (sāhebān) conquered Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. During his reign, too, schools were built in large numbers. There were a lot of battles with the French. Eventually the English expelled the French from Hindustan.
His son [was] George the Fourth. He had no sons, but he did have 4 brothers. The eldest of his younger brothers is the heir presumptive.20
Details of the Kingdom of England
The English kings reign over the following 3 islands: England, Ireland and Scotland. The distance from Calcutta to there is
[7v]
8000 kośas by ship. The climate there is similar to that of Tibet for [all] twelve months. In terms of heat, it is similar to that of Hindustan. The cold is excessive. During the winter time the frost sometimes remains 1 handspan (vittā) thick for 1 month. When river water freezes, crowds of people gather for fun. Hindustanis would say that due to the excessive cold the people of that kingdom suffer, but the people there are happy. They build stoves in rooms of each house and warm themselves by burning chunks of coal. They keep rooms warm by putting glass in doors and windows. In regard to clothing, they wear woollens. Rice cannot be grown there. All, high or low, eat wheat. They have vehicles for carrying loads; people do not carry loads. To us, too, it seems that this is work for animals. The capital city there,[8r]
London, is on the banks of the River Thames. One karoḍa 25 lākhas of people live there [in the kingdom].21 The revenue for 1 year is 70 karoḍas. The prosperity of kings does not depend only on the army. Since [prosperity] increases by reason of organization (bandobasta) and intelligence, we do not keep a large army. Except for artillery (topakhānā) and cavalry (turuk savāra), the [size of] the king's army there is one lākha twenty-five thousand men. On these three islands there are 117 subbās. There, nothing is done which goes against custom (dastūra). Nor does the king do anything without consulting the bhāradāras.Auspiciousness. This [work] is completed.
Commentary
The authorship and date of the present text are not recorded. The last English monarch recorded in the work is George IV, who reigned from 1820 to 1830. Since his date of death is not mentioned, one can assume that he was still reigning as king at the time of composition. Given the accuracy of the facts relating to foreign affairs that circulated at the Kathmandu court during that period, and the speed with which they ascertained (cf. Bajracharya/Cubelic/Khatiwoda VS 2072 and VS 2073), it does not seem likely that the author based his text on outdated information. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the work was written in the 1820s.
The text belongs to a literary genre emerging in 19th-century Nepal which assembled knowledge about foreign countries, especially England, under the heading vaṁśāvalī (chronicle) or itihāsa (history). Other specimens of this body of literature include the two larger compendia Phiraṅgetihāsa (NAK Ms. no. 2/206 = NGMPP B 240/12) and Iṅgalisarājyapravandhavaṃśāvalī (NAK Ms. no. 3/184 = NGMPP B 238/6) along with the concise account Iṅglyaṇḍvaṃśavṛttāvalī (NAK Ms. no. 3/173 = NGMPP B 238/3), all three providing political, economic, administrative and military information on England and its colonies and, to a lesser extent, also on other European countries. More information on the Iṅgalisarājyapravandhavaṃśāvalī is provided by J. Whelpton 2016, 117 n. 150, 134 n. 14, and 152–153 n. 66.
At first glance, the text displays several traits of the traditional vaṃśāvalī genre: The main structural principal is the reign of several kings which presented chronologically and with their familial relationships explained; the kings’ lives follow or are measured against idealized models of royal virtue; historical events are embedded within the overarching frame of the king’s reign, and events are predominantly portrayed as the outcome of the king’s actions.
However, there are also striking points of difference to the common features of Nepalese historiographical narratives (cf. Bajracharya/Michaels 2012, 94–95). One obvious one is the complete absence of legendary or mythic elements and non-human, divine agency both of which set human action within cosmological time and sacred space. Rather, the narrative unfolds in entirely secular (and at times even progressive) terms. The “sense of wonder and religio-aesthetic appreciation” (Bajracharya/Michaels 2012, 95) gives way to an outright admiration of such wonders of technology as the printing press (esp. 4r l.5–4v l.3). Noteworthy is also the audible voice of the narrator and the lineaments of an overt line of argumentation. Throughout the text, the ingenuity of the English kings in fostering technological innovations, military strengthening, infrastructural improvements and the establishment of political institutions is set in a positive light and the instrumental role of intelligence (buddhi) in advancing prosperity highlighted (e.g. 5v ll. 3–5 and 8r ll. 3–4). Interestingly, two of the innovations especially praised in the text, codified law (2v l.6–3r l.1) and the printing press, became symbols of modernization that were taken to heart, as the examples of the Ain of 1854 and the Giddhe Press show.
Besides such ideological-normative points, the text was also meant to provide its readers with an orientation into rather recent political developments. Beginning with the monarchs of the 18th century (6v–7r), South Asia and its colonial history, especially the consolidation of the English colonial state, becomes the major focus of the narrative. This is even more emphasized in the final part (7r l.8–8r), where the historical narrative gives way to a thumbnail sketch of contemporary England.