[INDOLOGY] Question about Nepalese manuscripts

[Kengo Harimoto]

Dear all,

As someone who was involved in the NGMCP, I share the frustration regarding the confusion over script names—not just for those from Nepal but for scripts across South Asia that are derived from Brāhmī.

After starting my work with the NGMCP and becoming more familiar with its manuscripts, I’ve become convinced that script names are often or even always arbitrary.

Regarding the NGMCP catalogue entries, script names there were simply carried over from the original handwritten data cards, which sometimes used dubious labels like “Newari.” For instance, what the NGMPP/NGMCP referred to as “Transitional Gupta” should more accurately be called “Siddhamātṛikā” today. There may also be literature discussing script names like “Rañjanā” and “Kuṭilā,” and I believe other script classification lists were in use in Nepal during the NGMPP/NGMCP period.

Given these inconsistencies, my practice is to avoid using specific script names whenever possible. Instead, I prefer to describe the script by saying: “The script of this manuscript resembles the script widely used in this or that area around this or that time period,” ideally citing concrete and easily accessible examples.

Hope this eases some frustrations.

With best wishes,

-- 
Kengo Harimoto

> On Dec 8, 2024, at 01:30, Harry Spier via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
> 
> Charles wrote:
> 
> It sounds like you are trying to incorporate previously catalogued Nepalese mss. into some project. Care to elaborate? 
>  No new project. I started the thread just to find out if NGMCP manuscripts in general don't have spaces between words.
> 
> Harry
> 
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