There are bodies of texts that reflect distinct classical narrative in the Indian sub-continent are called the vamsavali (IAST: vaṃśāvalī, Devanagari: वंशावली). They bear special significance in the study of Nepalese history and its historical tradition. In continuation to the itihāsa-purāṇa tradition [1][2] as prevalent in the Indian sub-continent, these writings have mostly been referred to, where there is an absence of other historical sources. As a distinct historical narrative, they have a lot to reflect about the past in a broader sense. In Nepal, such chronicles are abundant and historically important, but yet least researched. This sector is yet to be explored fully [3] and is probable to mirror interesting and near-to-credible (or sometimes highly credible) information about the past.
The vaṃśāvalīs, etymologically, refer only to the list of people of certain vaṃśas (gotra or clan, ancestry in general).[2]
Name of Chronicle | Date of last compilation | Place of compilation | Paper Size | Folios | Script | Language |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gopālarājavaṃśāvalī[4] | c. 1349 AD | Kathmandu valley (Bhaktapur) | 28 cm x 5 cm | 48 | Bhujimola | Sanskrit and Nepal Bhasa |
Bhāṣā Vaṃśāvalī [5][6] | after 1768 AD | Kathmandu valley | - | - | Devanagari | Sanskrit and Nepali |
Nepālavaṃśāvalī [7] | after 1790 AD | Kathmandu valley | 22.5 cm x 9 cm | 13 | Devanagari | Sanskrit |
Wright's Chronicle [8] | after 1847 AD | Kathmandu valley | - | - | Devanagari | Sanskrit and Nepal Bhasa |
Kirkpatrick's Chronicle [9] | c. 1800 AD | Kathmandu valley | - | - | - | - |
Gorkhā Vaṃśāvalī [10] | after 1774 AD | Gorkha | - | - | Devanagari | Nepali |
Śrīpālī Vaṃśāvalī [11] | 1831 AD | Dailekh | - | - | Devanagari | Nepali |
Kāṭhmāṇḍu Upatyakākā Ek | c. 1885 AD | Kathmandu valley | - | - | Devanagari | Sanskrit and Nepal Bhasa |
The Vaṃśāvalī of the Malla
Rājās of Jājarkoṭ [15] |
NA | Jajarkot | - | 4 | Devanagari | Nepali |
Devatāharuko vaṃśāvalī [16] | 1988 AD | Kathmandu | 33 cm x 22.5 cm | 145 | Devanagari | Sanskrit and Nepali |
Alongside the list in the table, in the collection of Hodgson are following vaṃśāvalīs as specified by Hasrat:[17][18] [The no./vol. refers to the codes in Hodgson collection.]
Shreṣṭha (2012) [19] mentions of 101 different vaṃśāvalī manuscripts preserved at National Archives, some of which are named after kings, gods, particular caste groups or places. Following is the list he provides:
He also gives the main text of another vamsavali, viz. Harsiddhivaṃśāvalī. In the microfilm collections at Nepāl Archives under Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project, are also the vamsavalis collection, as published in a catalog (Part 2) under the subjects Itihāsa 1-5 Lagat (pp. 1–41) and Itihas Tādapatra (pp. 42–46), collected with the code, name of the vamsavali, film number, condition, script, number of folios, size, language and others.