Mr Upendra Bhakta Subedi's Collection of Texts on Hindu Rites and Rituals

The material is the collection of Mr Upendra Bhakta Subedi, alias Govinda Baje, 81, a descendant of an illustrious family of Rajopadhyaya Brahmins from the heart of Kathmandu Valley. The collections represent medieval texts on Shaiva Tantric rites and rituals that are distinctly pre‐modern and pre‐industrial. The languages are Sanskrit, Newari and Nepali. The materials are handwritten, mostly Thyāsaphūs, Patrasaphus and notebooks. Keys to description: “=“ represents line breaks in the ms; “x” denotes the deletions in the ms; ^()^ means crowfeet addition in the ms; fol/s denotes folio; (here fol represents the sequence number of the digital image, and not the number that may be mentioned in the original ms); the folios and images cited are instances and not an exhaustive list. Custodial history: The collection was handed down to Mr Upendra Bhakta Subedi since 6-7 generations. Additional date information: The dates, including the use of calendars, in the Listing are as given in the original documents, except where the exact date is not given. The calendars used in the documents are Vikram Samvat (VS), Nepal Samvat (NS) and Śaka Samvat. The use of the terms Sudi and Vadi (waxing and waning halves of the lunar month) have been replaced with Śukla and Kṛṣṇa respectively. To convert (Vikram Samvat) to CE, subtract 57 (Caitra-Pauṣ) and subtract 56 (Pauṣ-Phāgun) from the (Vikram Samvat). Similarly, to convert (Nepal Samvat) to CE add 880 to (Nepal Samvat). Additional script information: Kuṭākṣara is a vertical syllabogram based on Newari scripts, mostly used to write cryptic formulae for esoteric practice. Kuṭākṣara is unique to Nepal, although as Vījamantra they were familiar to Śaiva and Śākta scholars in India. The project team are not aware of the existence of such script outside, except disseminated from Nepal to east Asia, China and Japan.