A paper presented in the Second China–South Asia
Literature Forum on the theme of Trans-Himalayan Cultural Connectivity, held
during October 15-20, 2019, at Nepal Academy, Kathmandu.
In the imagination of the people of Nepal, a land of mystery lies beyond the northern borders of the Himalaya – that is, beyond the natural border of the great snowy peaks. The passage being formidable and impenetrable, it cannot be crossed throughout the year. So the people cross it through some passes and enter it especially in summer and they traverse along these lands of Nepal or Tibet (China) for different purposes.
Since ancient
time great scholars and seers visited these lands and enriched each others' civilizations. We have a
record of the study that during the prehistoric period a Tibetan Scholar named
Thunmi Sammot developed the present day Tibetan script out of the Bramhi script of
ancient India. He also translated Panini's
Grammar, Panchatantra, and the Ramayana
into The Tibetan (see, Bhattarai 2008).
Today one can find the oldest script used in the valley of ancient Kathmandu in the Great Wall of
China. Recently a journalist visitor brought the evidence of this from China. In an
article published in Nepali Times, Sewa
Bhattarai writes: "Usnisa Vijaya Dharini Sutra is
written in six languages at the Cloud Platform, including in Sanskrit. What is surprising is that the Sanskrit lines inside
the arch are not in the usual Devanagari letters, but in the Ranjana script
that originated in Kathmandu Valley. Ranjana is called ‘Landzha’ in Mandarin, and
can be found in religious monuments across Tibet and China, having travelled
with the spread of Mahayana Buddhism, whose main texts including the Pragya
Paramita are written in Ranjana." ( see, Bhattarai A).
Nepalis
travelled to China for trade and business. So they carry herbs, traditional
medicines, food items, clothes and salt with the help of beasts of burden,
whereas throughout most of the year the passages remain forbidden. Despite
this, some great seers have crossed these adventurous borders and traversed
through these mysterious lands and descended down the great plains of the South, went as far as
India and brought Buddhism back to China. First Bhrikuti was brought to Tibet,
later on Arniko travelled as far as the mainland of China and carried with him
the message of great Nepali skill of art and architecture.
The
relation of Nepal with Tibet or China is age-old which is fastened with spiritual ties first, and
secondly there are economic and cultural exchanges dating back to unknown past.
These have kept us together. Compared to these, political and economic routes
keep on changing and are not much dependable.
I
had an opportunity to present a paper in a 2015 seminar organized by the China
Writers' Association in Yunnan in which we discussed the Silk Road connections
in the past, in which Nepal used to offer two passages to the south.
Unlike this,
the present paper is my effort to seek the visions of the Nepalese writers as
depicted in their works through which they read and represent Tibet and China.
Plan of the study
In the present paper I take six
literary publications---two epics, two novels and two travelogues all authored
by Nepali writers within a span of a century. I draw data for my discussion
from these creative works that I analyze from the perspectives proposed. In one
of the epics the imaginary character's travel to Tibet is the theme of the
story, in another epic a historical character's travel to the mainland of China
and the erection of a lasting monument called White Dagoba in Peking makes a
story. The third creation is a novel that discusses Nepali characters living in
Tibet since time immemorial. In the fourth one, that is also a novel, a Nepali
group of artists travel to mainland China and build a marvelous palace in
Nepali pagoda style for the Mongol emperor who is known as the grandson of
Genghis Khan. The palace is described as a piece of perfect art. The fifth and
sixth creations are travelogues written by two famed writers of Nepal. They had
spent a couple of days in Tibet.
For the people of Nepal, Tibet represents
China in terms of geography, culture, history. In fact China is an epic unread
and unknown in the minds of the Nepalese people. However, they have revered her
as a high land domiciled by great people beyond the Himalayas.
The central theme of the paper is to show how
history and geography offer a space for creative writers, and how literature
preserves our civilization that is built on human experience and how it
compares with imaginative creations.
Background
The six literary creations that I
have selected from Nepal are, chronologically, as follow
1.
Muna Madan – a folk--epic by great poet Laxmi
Prasad Devkota (1909—1959) created in 1936.
2.
Sotala(a novel by Dor Bahadur Bista ( born
1924..) Written in with the locale of Lhasa, first published in 1976.
3.
Tibbatmaa Das Din (Ten
Days in Tibet)a travelogue of Lhasa, Tibet by Ganga Prasad Uprety (born
1947) first published in 2007.
4.
Sansarko Chhanama Mahaakavi (The Great Poet on the Roof of the
World) a travelogue written by Dr Tulasi Bhattarai ( born 1949) first published
in 2008
5.
Aranikokrit Sweta Chaitya (An epic on Arnico's White Dagoba) created by a centenarian scholar Satyamohan
Joshi (born in 1919)published in 2015.
6.
Yangsheela (a fictitious novel depicting the
locales of Nepal to Beijing) written by Dr Hari Raj Bhattarai (born 1953),first
published in 2017.
Now I would like to introduce each of the aforesaid works briefly.
Muna -Madan
Of the six works selected to
represent Nepalese vision of the mysterious North, Muna Madan is a folk epic written by Laxmi Prasad Devkota, who is
known as Mahakavi, that is, the great poet. Scholars hold the view that Mr.
Devkota is the sole personality to represent Nepali literature at its best,
worldwide. To his credit there are about 100 works including translations.
Devkota's Muna-Madan is the most popular Nepali
folk epic and has been treated as an immortal creation in Nepali literature.
That is why it has been rendered into eight versions of English so far and an
equal number into other languages including the Tibetan. This is the story of a
young couple, Madan and his consort Muna. Madan had to leave for Lhasa to earn money and fulfill the desires
of his mother and wife. Muna worries and implores him not to leave. But instead
Madan is determined to go and consoles her in these words
Dear Muna, a
flower in the moon,
Don’t speak such words
Why do you forget that I shall return soon ?
Twenty days on the road and twenty on Lhasa ! ( Devkota, p. 170)
Muna had
tried to follow him but he convinced her not to do so as his old mother would
be all alone. She had to be left back at home. Then she expresses a most
philosophical of opinions that Madan was choosing wealth at the cost of peace
and happiness:
A trader in a wild country,
bearing hardships what will you gain ? Oh say,
by going to Lhasa and leaving her behind ?
Bags of gold are like dirt of hand ,
what shall we do with wealth ?
'tis better to live on greens and nettles , my love,
with peace
of a happy mind
Love, with a
contented mind. ( p. 60)
Muna's
appeals were deep and touching but Madan expressed his irresistible desire to
go to Lhasa and bring some wealth in the form of gold. There was a long
tradition of traders and labourers going to Lhasa, just as Nepali youths rush
to gulf countries at the cost of their lives today. Leaving one's own
motherland forced by poverty was then a curable disease. But today nearly one
fourth of Nepal's population are away from home. Muna--Madan is a prototype of Nepali life. Then Madan spoke in order
to console her at the last moment:
Dear, your words touch my heart, but see,
Muna,
Life depends on that
wretched wealth,
I'd love to offer mother
life-giving milk,
To fulfill her a wish to
build a tap
And a shelter for the weary traveler,
And love to deck your wrists with bracelets of gold
To strengthen the foundation of this house
Weakened by debts. Such hopes rose in my hearts
And died in me. Now I am set to travel forth,
Drawn by desire. With God above
And courage, my friend, I shall overcome hurdles,
While doing good, should some misfortune strike,
Should I die on the way , ah, my love,
Once again beyond this earth, in heaven,
We'll meet again.( p. 70)
The poet Devkota had not travelled to
Lhasa of Tibet. However, the picture of the road, its surroundings and of Lhasa
proper are vivid and stunning. It compares well with the real descriptions of
today. Having taken leave from the bereaved Muna, Madan left for the
destination; the poet describes the long and arduous journey in these words:
Over the thorny paths
and mountains,
Steep climbs and myriad hurdles,
The dirt-'n-rock road to
Lhasa lies
All bare and deserted.
The fog lies thick,
Snow fills the ground
and poison flowers bloom.
It drizzles even as the
icy winds blow.
Tombstones and monasteries
of Lamas
Travelers with round
shaven heads
Lying beside the road.
…..
Cold foliage form
makeshift beds
The teeth chatter with
cold
And rice remains
uncooked
Bearing many hardships
on the way
Under the spell of his
destination,
Madan has clear waking dreams of Lhasa
Imagination paints with enchantment
Scenes from far away; from the road he sees
Lhasa city shine with strange glow.
At last a big, golden roof gleamed lovely
in the evening . Beneath Potala
near the meadows, Lhasa smiled. Like hill,
that touches the sky was this huge palace
of Dalai lama made of gold-tinged copper
golden roof. Yak-tail curtains
When he goes
to Lhasa he presents a vivid description of the highland and the exquisite
beauty of nature. The journey is extremely difficult. Many years later, he
returns to his homeland of Kathmandu from Lhasa. On the way he fell ill and lay
on the death bed when a Bhote local treated him and showed kindness. The Bhote
character stands as a symbol of humanity. Devkota has tried to show that not
power and pelf but human heart is great. Not caste and creed but humanity is
worshipped.
Madan
returns home but unfortunately his beloved Muna was dead and mother was gone.
He should not have left his homeland of Kathmandu, better he would have stayed
and survived on frugal food. In fact he had gone to Tibet like this
Gold is merely the dirt of hand
What can you do with
wealth
Better live on coarsest
of meals
And pass your life
happily.
The core message of this is what Lord
Rama says in the Ramayana, Mother and
motherland are greater than heaven. But since time immemorial, Nepalese
youth have left their land and spent their youthful days in Tibet, Bhutan,
Burma, Hong Kong. And now they have scattered in many parts of the world,
mostly the Gulf and the UK, USA and Australia. Almost one fourth of the total
population have been living in different diasporas or are ever migrating from
country to country. Nepali is now known as most wandering, migratory race.
Maybe because of poverty and ignorance, mostly because of oppression,
deprivation, unrest and struggles in every decade have forced them to leave.
We
have a traceable record of history that Songtsen Gampo (617-650) the great king of Tibet married Bhrikuti Devi the Lichhavi princess
of Nepal. She took with her the seed of Buddhism, and later on Arniko the great
artist went to China and built the white dagoba temple. These are great
remarkable traces of history, now almost legendary.
Sotala
Sotala is a
Nepali novel written by Dor Bahadur
Bista, former Ambassador to Tibet. The Sotala is a term of address in Tibetan used for males. Here, the
chief character is addressed sometimes as Sotala. Its locale is Tibet and the
characters are Nepali and Tibetan both. It was first published in 1976. It’s a
wonderful combination of reality and fancy of a great anthropologist, historian
and writer of Nepal.
In
his Preface,
the writer says, and these words draw the gist of the creation: It is since time immemorial that many
Nepalese have crossed the Himalayan border and gone to the neighboring land and
returned. For thousands of years this has continued. The Nepali princess
Bhrikuti was married to the Tibetan King.
Sotala
is a valuable piece of work which introduces the life and culture of Tibet and
shows the ties of friendship and relations since time immemorial. In his Preface the writer says: Many Nepalese have travelled to and from
the neighboring country that lies beyond the Himalayas. This tradition has
lasted for thousands of years. The Nepali princess of the 7th
century called Bhrikuti was given to the hands of the Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo. Later on she was
called Harit Tara, the green star, and her husband was called Awalokiteswara,
his second wife Sweta Tara, the White Star. Later on people began worshipping
them.
Since then the
sculptors, craftsmen, traders, monks and scholars began to visit Tibet. During
the Vedic period the region beyond the Himalayas was known as Tribistap was
described as the treasure (mine) of gold during the puranic age. It is
therefore that during the Mahabharata war (around eight thousand years ago) the
Pandavas for shortage of treasure went to Tibet. Herodotus the Greek historian
who started writing history 2,400 years ago has also mentioned that those who
lived below and under the Himalayas used to cross it and go beyond to bring
gold. Even the common people of Nepal still believe that there is a gold mine
beyond the Himalayas.
(They
refer to Lhasa for this purpose, and there is an age old famous Napoli proverb
which provides evidence: There is gold in
Lhasa but my ear is unadorned[1])
The hero of Muna-Madan,
the folk epic written by Laxmi Prasad Devkota, goes to Lhasa and brings back a
bag of gold. But we haven't heard from anyone how someone with sturdy feet and
invincible courage could reach Lhasa, how they lived there and what did they to
survive. Nobody has heard about such facts. I had started to put my pen on to
paper with the purpose of bringing this mystery into light. And this gave me
the shape of a novel. That’s all for today.
Sotala reveals
the background of those days when Nepal—Tibet trade and business prospered. It
shows the long tradition of Nepalese people living in Tibet in connection with
their business. But life is horrible, especially those of women. Only males
could travel up to three months to do business in Lhasa, and they mostly got
married to Bhote women (Tibetan) there. Mostly Newars of Kathmandu chose
business.
This
tradition of Nepal-Tibet relations mainly based on trade and commerce must have
begun since time immemorial. Sotala presents a vivid picture of socio-cultural
ties and the lives of trader Nepalese in Lhasa, which covers a story of about
two hundred years ending 1950s when Indian movement for freedom was in rise and
Nepalese people influenced by the same were envisioning a freedom movement in
Nepal. There is a glimpse of everything: the Dalai Lama period, the traditional
society, and its cultural bondages in Tibet.
Sotala supports the oral narratives
of Muna-Madan. At the heart of Nepalese traders in Kathmandu are the lumps of
gold from Lhasa for which they have suffered a lot. The trade expands later on,
and goods are imported all the way from Calcutta and passed through Kalimpong
which is carried by porters on their backs or transported through beasts of
burden —yaks, donkeys, horses and soon. But three months of travel is
unimaginable.
One of the characters called Hira
says, "In the past it took us three months to travel through the Kuti
pass. How shall I describe the troubles of the way!"
A young character named Sanuman
(Sonam) realizes, "Sanuman looked far away. The yellow rays of the sun was
that had recently gone down were spreading in the sky. The gold roof of the
Potala palace shone brilliantly in that light. Sanuman's eyes didn’t move. And
looking at that stunning beauty, he spoke, "It is therefore people hardly
take courage to visit Lhasa. They should be really courageous. Or they should
be helpless to choose any alternatives, and risking one's own life, should take
to Lhasa" ( page 9).
Sanuman is born of a Tibetan (Bhote)
woman. So the Nepalese society ranks her lower than the girls of their own
caste and culture. They are discriminated, and their children known as khacchar
or khacheda (meaning mule, a hybrid) who are deprived of equal
cultural/religious rights in the family. Thus the Nepal people traversed to
Tibet risking many things.
The valley of Kathmandu exported
chili, rice, molasses, spices. Sonam describes the great beauty of that region
in these words:
The matchless beauty designed by
nature. The singing falls sprinkling white drops. The steep rocks and cliffs of
different nature lined up so exquisitely. Different species of trees that he
(Sanuman) had never imagined. The buki flowers along the highlands. All these
entered his mind and soul. He was extremely delighted to have an opportunity to
travel to Lhasa. Moreover, his personality together with his inner heart were
getting cleaner, purer, finer, and more perfect. And he grew more sensitive or
romantic every day.(page 24).
Nepal-Tibet relation ties rested on
religious grounds. Buddhists have contributed a lot and made these countries
borderless. Sonam explored that Mahayana Buddhism entered Tibet from Nepal and
India. Tibetan lamas spread Buddhism in the Khumbu region of Nepal. Not only
this, but they have spread monasteries and Lamaism throughout the country. (p
47)
Sanuman
developed himself into a rich businessman got married to a Bhote woman and bore
a son who was later known as khachhar. This is quite a depressing story of
Nepali people. The queen turned into an ordinary woman. The khacchar Nepali
diaspora there have their own deities and traditions. The novel reveals that
the poor live in filth and dirt, and shows many strange traditions of Tibetans.
There is an early dawn of democracy,
but the novel ends around the 1950s. It is tragic and pitiable that the Nepali
diaspora live like non entities there. Because of faulty traditions and lack of
rules, their lives are still not improved.
Ten Days in Tibet (Tibbatmaa Das Din)
Ten Days in Tibet is a wonderful travel account. The writer Mr. Ganga Prasad Uprety is a
famed travel essayist, and moreover, the present Chancellery of Nepal Academy.
He had an opportunity to travel to different important places of Tibet with
some distinguished scholars of Nepal. It was the story of October 2004.
Having landed at Gonggar airport, they took
the highway to Lhasa. The writer describes the great moment in very captivating
words: our guest Mr. Liu could speak simple English fluently. Our bus departed
for Lhasa. The bus followed a fine, well-tended, clean road. They had preserved
the beauty of the landscape and environment. One could observe the Chinese
technology of protecting nature. There were stoppages along the way, and in
some distance one could come across toilets and water facilities. There were
rocks which showed paintings representing Chinese culture. One could see
sparingly distributed human settlement on the way. After another hour and a
quarter, we arrived at Lhasa. (page 10)
The
purpose of the visit of the Nepali team was to study Tibet. The writer observes—Tibetan culture is one
of the richest cultures of the world. Tibet is considered one of the components
of China. Its history is studded with glories pages and it has a glorious
tradition equally long. The Buddhist temples, graves of different kings in the
past, their palaces and the evidences of the labor skill and artistic visions
of the Tibetan artisans. These represent her material as well as spiritual
beliefs since time immemorial. From these emanate the historicity of her
cultural traditions, the originality of the people's belief systems, and their
originality and the minute details of Tibetan life.
The
travel accounts show that the team's itinerary consisted ten days travel
starting from Lhasa and ending at Shigatse near Khasa, the nearest point from
Nepal. Mainly their visit to Potala, Jokhang and Norbulinkha was the first
priority as the places preserved the great history of art, culture and religion
of that region. The writer had also an aim of demystifying the claim that Tibet
has suffered a lot since the 1951 revolution. The Museum in Lhasa was a great achievement of
knowledge, and precious items are treasured carefully.
They
witnessed the changing scenario of Tibet and the still pitiable situation of
the people from distant villages. One important point of great interest is the
number of Nepali diaspora inhabiting Tibet since time immemorial. Different
bilateral decisions were taken in the pages of history that inspired, compelled
and forced a small number of Nepali populace to live in Tibet. However, their
situation is pitiable as the writer perceives.
The team observed in passing the contemporary
lives, fast changing perspectives, the government's efforts to preserve
language and promote art and cultured. Finally they moved to Shigatse, another
city of great importance, and crossed into Nepal from Khasa.
The
writer's observations may be a useful guide for future travelers. He says:
Tibet is considered a the treasure house of historic facts, art and
artifacts (page 15)
The Jokhang temple reveals a mixture of Nepali and Tibetan architecture.
Some of the artifacts in the temple and monastery are related to Nepal as well.
(page 22)
The meaning of Lhasa is pious land. During the 7th century
Bhrikuti brought with her an image of the
Buddha as dowry from Nepal. On the ground floor of that temple they have
placed that image, and the whole city was named like this. ( page 230 )
The topics included in this
travelogue are
1.
We flew above the Himalayas leaving
mount Everest below
2.
Potala, Jokhang and Norbulinkha
3.
The changing picture of the Tibetan
families as reflected in Chheten Chhoma
4.
Tibetan educational system as
reflected in Tibet University
5.
Nepalese people residing in Tibet
6.
Tourism management in Tibet
7.
New model of Tibetan development and
attractive business system
8.
Tibetan institutes in the
preservation of literature, language and culture
9.
The language policy of China:
Regarding the development of Tibetan language
10. From Lhasa to Shigatse
11. Shigatse town that has a close familiarity with Nepal
12. Facing the Himalayan mountains in the south
13. The hospitality of the city of Khasa and our farewell at the Friendship
Bridge
The Great Poet on the Roof of the World
This is a travelogue published in
2008 immediately after his visit of Tibet. He was the leader of a ten member
team, each member representing some literary institution of Nepal. Dr Bhattarai
was the Member Secretary of the then Royal Nepal Academy.
The
main purpose of the visit was to inaugurate the statue of Laxmi Prasad Devkota
in Lhasa. The same poet who composed the tragic semi-epic Muna-Madan whose hero(Madan) returns from Lhasa after six months.
Misfortunes followed him and everything was lost when he returned home (Nepal).
Remembering
the great poet, his statue was established in Lhasa and his Muna Madan rendered
into Tibetan-Chinese. The writer reached Lhasa with the team by land route,
though walking trails were no longer
followed.
This
is one of the best books presenting geographical, historical and cultural
glimpses of this land. For the people of Nepal, Tibet has remained an
unforgettable region and as neighbors they underwent different fortunes of
prosperity and misery, friendship and enmity. But they are inseparable from
each other. Unlike Muna Madan this book presents a vivid picture of Tibet under
the following titles:
1. The great poet Devkota under the roof of Potala
2. Nepal Tibet Relations
3. Lhasa and Bhrikuti
4. Tibet
5. Nepal Office in Lhasa
6. Nepali Institutions
7. The Kingdom of Tibet and the Dalai Lama
8. Communism and Religion
9. Strange Dinner in our Honor
10. Tibetan Tea
11. Unforgettable Moments
12. Mouth of the river Arun
13. Glossary of some Tibetan Words
The
100 page book presents things squarely and gives a glaring as well as critical
picture of Tibet. Now I would like to quote some extracts from this writer and
show how clear and vivid he is in describing the experience of Tibet trip:
Thus
we reached Lhasa in the evening of the 8th. The following day we
travelled to various places. Since childhood we have heard the story of
Bhrikuti who was married to Sranchan Gampo the emperor of Tibet. We bowed our
heads to her in the temple of Aryatara Devi situated at Bhakor area. This
daughter of Nepal is the centre of reverence for us all.
Bhakor area is the old
market of Lhasa where Nepali people settled. The whole area around Bhrikuti is
known as Bhakor. People circle around this. We also encircled the holy temple
Jhokham. We had a sweet feeling of cordiality. (page 12)
On that very day they had arranged a program of
unveiling the statue of Devkota. Its chief guest was the Chhiring Samdu, the
Vice Chair of the Tibetan autonomous Region. Rama Sharma, Member Secretary of
Nepali Shiksha Parishad, and the Consul Shankar Pande unveiled the statue of
Devokta in Lhasa.
It is an incomparable work that Mahakavi's statue has
been established in Lhasa. It’s a new bridge set up between Nepal Tibet- China,
a symbol of new relationship.
Nepal and China have had good friendly relation since
time immemorial. It is based on peace, cordiality and friendship. Buddha,
Bhrikuti and Arniko have fastened the cultural ties of these countries. Today,
having set up the statue of Mahaakavi, this bilateral relation has been made
stronger.
Devkota's Muna Madan has been translated into Tibetan
language as well. On the basis of this, his statue has been set up here.
In this way, the reverence given to a writer
has given us courage to strengthen the ties between two nations.
Yangsheela
Yangsheela is a fictitious novel
written by Dr Hari Raj Bhattarai. The locale of this novel begins from northern
Nepal and goes to Lhasa and beyond, Beijing being the final destination. Its
characters are Nepali and Chinese. The central theme is to reveal the power of
art that Nepali sculptor of the thirteenth century Arniko possessed.
The writer
has mixed fantasy with a very dim outline of historical facts. The central
theme of this novel is the strengthening of Sino–Nepal relationship with help
of the artists' extraordinary performance.
It is based
on the journey of Panchasar, an artist(sculptor) from the valley of Kantipur
(ancient name of the present Kathmandu). The female character is Melamchi, a
Limbu (of Mongol origin) from eastern Nepal. They reach Tibet, build a palace
and move beyond to Beijing. It was during the period of Genghis Khan's
grandson.
There is a thin layer of history and some
fragrance of myth and hearsay and folk belief combined together. The writer had
not visited the land, but he has applied imagination and artistry in writing a
very powerful fiction of the decade. This shows how a creative artist holds
control over the truth and creates a replica of it. Imagery is the best word
that befits here.
Yangsheela is
an intellectual fiction. One of it themes is to show how artists and religious
seers have kept Sino Nepal relation very strong. Another theme is man-woman
relation, sex and love. This is a universal theme. Also, there is enough space
to show how kings and monarchs and people in power exploited women by turning
them into toys. Now the situation has changed.
The character
describes China in such words: China is an unshakable store of great knowledge,
and she is an impregnable archive or museum of knowledge. They built a Royal
Place in Mahachin, the great Baizing
of China, they built a pagoda style palace which embodied the great art and
skill of Nepal. There is memory of home, conflict of culture, and coordination,
Nepali people in old Chinese diaspora.
An epic on Arnico's White Dagoba (Arnicokrit Sweta
Chaitya)
The writer Satyamohan Joshi has
background on why and how he decided to compose an epic on the White Dagoba
situated in Peking.
He
says, "After 1951 dictatorial rule fell down in Nepal and different
plans for the development of the nation were proposed. Among them was the
establishment of a Buddhist Association called Dharmodaya Sabha.
The
Sabha organized the fourth Buddhist conference in 1951, for which a 13-member
Chinese delegation came to Nepal. After that they invited the Buddhist
delegates from Nepal to China. Six years later we started for China under the
leadership of Bhiksu Amritananda.
When
we arrived in Peking the Buddhist association gave us a warm welcome at the
Buddhist Mahabihar where Aranico's white Dagoba was situated. Since then my
interest grew to study the great artist Arnico and the white dagoba he erected."
After
his return, Mr. Joshi wrote an article titled Arnico and his Art. This aroused interest among the Nepali
scholars.
After waiting for some years the writer got an
opportunity to study Arnico and his contribution deeply. He was given the job
of teaching Nepali language and culture to the students of Peking Broadcasting
Institute since 1964.He was given quarters at Friendship Guest House in Peking.
During
that period he completed two works Arnico's
White Dagoba (Epic) and Nepali
Architect Arnico. The book Arnico's White Dagoba was first written in the
writer's mother tongue, then translated into Nepali and English.
Arnico had
built the white dagoba in the ancient city of Peking with mortar and bricks
during the 14th century. Now Satyamohan another great artist of
Nepal built another White Dagoba in Nepal with the help of words, says
Chhatrabahadur Kayastha in the Introduction.
The epic is
subtitled Epic of Folk Style
because it does not confirm to the classical definition of epic.
The importance
of this new epic has been categorized in different ways. This epic qualifies
all three characteristics expected in a classic epic:
(a)
artistic
narration of an important event of national or international importance,
(b)
artistic
narration of the life sketch of some great personality and his/time,
(c)
artistic
narration of some great achievement made by some nation state.
As a national
event a great artist going to China and building a monument with Nepali art has
been recognized as the symbol of unity in China, and internationally a bond of
friendship and long lasting bilateral relation between Nepal and China.
However, the purpose of the epic is not to give the account of bilateral
relation but to bring the importance of art to light and introduce the great artist.
It is artists who write the lasting book of history which is studied by all,
quoted by all and remembered by all. It is not the question of how true it is,
it is rather the spirit of the creator.
The White
Dagoba has stood as a symbol of long lasting bilateral relations between China
and Nepal. Should we ever carry out translations of Nepali literature into
Chinese, this epic should be given the first priority and the remaining five
books I have discussed above shall follow. This will give Chinese readers a
glimpse of what our writers feel about China, especially through cultural
perspectives. And these writers' voices and visions are the voices of Nepalese
people too.
The China Daily of October 3, 1981 records the
contribution made by Arnico as: Seven centuries
ago, a 17 year old Nepalese artisan named Arnico climbed over the Himalayas,
crossed the Yellow River and came to Beijing , then called Dadu (great
capital). He went to work for Yuan Dynasty (1271-1360) and died in China.
Today's Beijing would be unrecognizable to Arnico; but
he would see at least one familiar sight—the White Dagoba he designed in the
city's western district, one of the oldest structures in the city. It remains a
striking feature of Beijing's skyline despite 700 years of erosion by wind and
rain.
Yuan dynasty records describe Arnico as an
accomplished architect, painter, sculptor and mechanical engineer. He is among
the few foreigners whose biography can be found in Chinese imperial history
books. The white Dagoba was built under his supervision from 1271 to 1279.
Renovated in 1980, it is now open to tourists.– HaiLan
Finally I would like to quote the Xinhua News Agency news Bulletin of July 2, 1980. It says:
"The white Dagoba is a symbol of national
unity" said Wu Menglin, a young architect who worked on the restoration
project.
"It is also a symbol of friendship between the
Chinese and Nepalese people".(Both these excerpts quoted from Introduction
to the Nepali version of the book)
It was a great work, the White Dagoba. But Arnico's contribution was
boundless. Researchers bring the study reports to Nepal that many other works
were accomplished during his life time.
Recently a journalist, having visited
China wrote an article titled Scripts of the scriptures and said
"After Arniko constructed
three stupas, nine great Buddhist temples, two Confucian shrines, one Daoist
temple, he was made the ‘master of all classes of artisans’. Prof Jing Anning
at Michigan State University writes that Arniko made ‘new symbols of the emperor’s
sovereignty, based on designs from Indic culture such as
the dharmacakra (Wheel of the Law) which was used to lead imperial
processions, and the image of Garuda, the celestial bird that was displayed
over the imperial throne".
Conclusion
Literature is the most reliable, most
precious and lasting of human activities. I have briefly discussed the contents
of six Nepali creations whose locale is Lhasa Tibet to Beijing China. These are
created around three central themes of
(i) Buddhism
-- the arrival of Bhrikuti in Tibet
(iii)Art--the
journey of Arnico to that land and the monument he built.
(iii)Public
level connection and trans-Himalayan connectivity.
The study of
these books show, whether the writers have visited or not, they have portrayed
vivid pictures of the northern plateaus and they have not forgotten to record
the plights of the Nepali citizens. They have not forgotten to appreciate the
long lasting relation.
References
Upreti,
Gangaprasad (2007) Tibbatma Das in ( Ten
Days In Tibet) Kathmandu: China
Study
Centre.
Bhattarai,
Tulasi ( 2008) Biswako Chhanamaa
Mahakavi(The Great Poet on the Roof
of the
World) Kathmandu: J P
Pratisthan
Bhattarai,
Sewa " A" . The Life and Time of Arnico. In Nepali
Times (May 15, 2018. Kathmandu)
……….."
B" . The Script of the Scriptures. In Nepali Times
(November 7, 2018 Kathmandu)
Bista,
Dor Bahadur( 2011) Sotala. Lalitpur:
Himal Kitab Prakashan. ( second
edition)
Devkota,
Laxmi Prasad ( 2018 edition) The first complete translation by Padma Devkota (2018)
with introduction, notes, annotation, corrections and Nepali
version together.
Kathmandu: Adarsh Books.
Joshi,
Satya Mohan ( 2015 ) Arnicokrit Sweta
Chaitya (An Epic on Arnico's
White Dagoba) Kathmandu:
Taleju Prakashan.
