Scholars have often described Nepal as "India in the making" or as a kind of time machine, where Hinduism and Buddhism appear much as they did in medieval India, and in some traditions even reach back to pre-Christian religious forms, sacred kingship and early urban settlements. This talk asks whether that picture holds up.
The evidence includes ancient manuscripts written on palm leaves and birch bark, which are important sources for the religious history of South Asia, and secret Buddhist and Hindu traditions preserved in the Kathmandu Valley, often to researchers' surprise. The speaker will also look at Nepal's own distinctive blend of Hinduism, Buddhism and tantra, and at its complex caste system, to explore whether Nepal is more than an early version of India.
