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MSS EUR HODGSON/84 Limbu manuscripts: alphabet and Mundhum 1842, 1846 |
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Limbu alphabet practice book: Limbu-Nepali,
Limbu-Nepali vocabulary [vol 83-85/various
fol.different] , Mundhum. |
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1[vol.84 fol(s)1] Limbu-Nepali vocabulary 1846 Nepali hand-made paper, fine condition, fair
writing. |
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Limbu Nepali |
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Selected list of Limbu-Nepali vocabulary
(only 23 words); Nepali title description of the next item (Item 2)
written as liṃbuharuko bāhrakhari. |
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2[vol.84 fol(s)2verso-22] Limbu alphabet 1846 Nepali hand-made paper, fine condition, fair writing, folio 22
is blank. |
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Limbu Limbu |
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Limbu alphabet practice book written in
Limbu and Nagari scripts and described as liṃbuharuko bāhrakhari (folio 1), the latter word being taken
from the title of the Nepali alphabet primer or Bāhrakahrī;
the Nāgarī section is not completed after folio 13; syllables
categorised under inital consonant, for similar material organised by
syllable finals (vowel or vowel plus final consonant)
see[vol 78/4
fol.315-322] |
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3[vol.84 fol(s)23-99] Limbu alphabet collected from an old book found in
Sikkim 1846 Nepali hand-made paper, fine condition, fair writing, ff.
24-25 are crossed out, folio 98 is blank. |
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Limbu Limbu |
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Examples of the Limbu alphabet collected
and presented in Limbu and Nagari script on the basis of an old book
found in Sikkim. The alphabet book is described in Nepali as
"liṃbuharuko parhanyākramako akṣara sukhimako kuhiko pustaka
vamojima lekhyāko" (Text book of Limbu alphabet written on the
basis of a decaying Sikkimese book). For the original book from Sikkim,
see [vol 88/01
fol.1-10] . The book lists characters of the Limbu script, including the
combination aā representing a special consonant sound; use
of vowel signs in the later section of the practice book. It is commonly
believed that this alphabet was a good representation of Limbu
pronunciation at the time of Sirijanga (18th century);
Nagari section is not complete and left totally blank after folio 47;
title description in Nepali on front page of folio 1 and a colophon-like
description in Romanized Nepali and (briefly) in Limbu on the verso of
folio 99. |
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4[vol.84 fol(s)100-163 verso] Limbu text of Yakthung mundhum
and a copy of a letter from the Collector's Office related to a land
transaction and revenue from the Jaleshwar area of
the Nepal Tarai 1842,
1846 Hand-made but slightly acidic paper, fine condition, fair
writing. |
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Limbu Avadi/Maithili |
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ff. 100-156 recto, 158-162 recto: Complete text of the Yakthungmundhum, which basically deals with
Limbu cosmology beginning with the origin of the self-existent god
(svayaṃbhū) and his offspring (the universe and
earth-rocks, mountains, ocean, rivers, trees, air, fire, rain, different
gods and goddesses, animals and creatures, different metals and precious
stones) and finally human beings including the early ancestors of the
Limbus, Mujingna
or Mujinama and her daughters Khejingna,
Phedangma and Yeba. It ends with
the story of the activities and death of
Sawanggemba, Yukpunggemba, the
early male ancestor of the Limbus (father of the mythical Limbu
couple Suhampheva and Ladangna, a brother and sister) and the
origin of evil spirits. |
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The story of the appearance of Svaymbhu destroying the state of
complete emptiness and darkness described in this mundhum
bears a surprising resembles to a well-known Vajrayana Buddhist
myth. |
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ff. 157-156 verso (in left to right order): A document dated 1842
written in the Hindi/Urdu language and Nagari script describing a
transfer as a result of an auction of land at Jalesaraṃ (Jaleshwar),
apparently situated within the maujā of
Betiya, Amal Pragannā of
Majhauvā and jamindārī
of Tolāvelvā; the revenue collector involved was
Robert Ferguson and the
former and present landlords were Nagched Thakur and Liladhar Thakur and Sahebram Misra and his son Jagu Misra respectively. The collector
is probably to be identified with the B. B. Ferguson mentioned in
another manuscript of about the same date, see [vol 58/27
fol.97-98] . The manuscript
reveals that Ferguson was one of Hodgson's family friends and had some
land and other property in his name in the Nepal Tarai, which was in
dispute between him and local feudals known as mahāpātras. Another manuscript
from the Hodgson Collection listing wealthy landowners from the
Jaleshwar area of the Tarai is [vol 60/23
fol.219] . The same Ferguson
also appears to be mentioned in two manuscripts from the Royal Asiatic
of London Hodgson MSS. in the RAS 01/52/169 and
01/72/238-39; |
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ff. 163 verso-163 (in left to right order): The same land transaction
document transcribed in very poor Roman (both Nagari and Roman versions
have been inserted completely arbitrarily into the continuous text of
the Yakthung mundhum). |
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Nepali title description and English transliteration. |
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5[vol.84 fol(s)164-211] Limbu text of Yakhangshema
mundhum 1846 Hand-made and slightly acidic paper, fine condition, fair
writing, ff. 165 and 207-211 are blank. |
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Limbu |
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Complete text of the Yakhangshema mundhum of the Limbus; Limbu, Nepali and Romanized Nepali title
description on the title page (folio 164), only three lines of Nepali
translation in the beginning of the text (folio 166). This
mundhum describes the myth relating to the origin and
growth of the Savayethang
Limbu (common name of the eight early Limbu kings) as the direct
descendants of Suhampheba and Lahadangna (brother and sister from the
same father but different mothers), and includes information on Limbu
customs and manners. |
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Basic points covered by this mundhum are: origin of sins
and growth of sinful offspring, divine creation of kinship for the
betterment of the earth, separation and distribution of Limbu
population, origin of the Limbu ritual specialists Phedangma, Samba, Yeba, Yema
and Savayethang, creation of different clans and families, making
houses and human settlement, origin of human spirit
(preta), beginning of the tradition of marriage rite phungtuba and other human
traditions. |
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Although the Yakhangshema mundhum is a separate Limbu
cosmological text, it has the appearance of a second part of the
Yakthung mundhum because the
mythical description in the former is just a continuation of the story
told in the latter. |
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6[vol.84 fol(s)212-251 verso] Limbu paidāyas
(Limbu origin legends) 1846 Hand-made but slightly acidic paper, fine condition, fair
writing, ff. 211 and 251 are blank. |
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Limbu Nepali |
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Complete text of the paidāyas (origin
story) of the Limbus with a Nepali
translation; Nepali and Romanized Nepali title description on the bottom
page of the text reading "liṃbuharuko munthuṅ/ liṃbuko
paidāyas" (stories and legends related to the origin of the
Limbus). This also includes the description of Limbu cosmology as found
in mundhums and oral traditions. This text is
also known as the story of
Ojohang, Pangbohang and
the genealogy of the early ancestors of the Yangyanghang clan of the Limbus. It includes
the following major points: |
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Origin of the universe and earth, birth of the early ancester of the
Limbus, Khamjikkum Khambongba also known in Nepali as
bhuinphuṭṭā; |
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Story of Parokmiba, Yamphamiba and the creation of rain,
vegetation, different kinds of living creatures and finally of human
beings; |
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Story of Mujinama-Khejinama, mother of human beings in
general; |
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Origin and growth of the Savayethang (the eight early Limbu
kings), children of Lahadangna; |
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Description of different rulers in the human world; |
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Genealogy of the Savayethang group of Limbu rulers; |
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ff. 223-229: Mythological story related to King Pangbohang; |
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ff. 241-250: Story related to King Ojohang and other different rulers
of the Pallo-Kirant region including Dasa-Limbu kings,
Yakkha kings, Dasa-Kholombas
also known as Dasa-Majhiya (not accepted as kings but local
commissioners); |
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The Limbu paidāyas ends with a description of the advent
of the Gorkhali rulers and the fall of the local Limbu feudal territory
of Pallo-Kirant. |