German Research In Nepal

Author(s): A Wezler
Publisher: A Wezler

Page 2

172 ALBRECHT WEZLER GERMAN RESEARCH IN NEPAL 171 NGMPP has been used. Indeed, such publications began to appear already in the course of the first five years, and their number has been sleadily growing since 1975. For many years now the main focus of the work of the project in Nepal have been Tibetan texts, and in fact approximately one third of those already microfilmed are lexts which were not known or not previously accessible elsewhere; but in order to reach the generally for- off villages or Gompas in the higher regions of the Nepalese Himalaya where they happen to have been preserved it is necessary to carry out veritable expeditions. Regarding some of the particularly important results of this part of the activities of the NGMPP, I should like to refer the reader to the reports given by E.-K. Ehrhard in European Bulletin of Himalayan Research 2 (1991), 20-24 as well as Abhilekh 7 (1989), 51--58, 8 (1990), 78-82, 9 (1991), 33-38 and 10 (1992), 82-86, as also to Ch. Clipper's article in Forschung'. Mitteilungen der DEG, 4/91 (1991), 4-7. Inquiries, especially about individual titles and manuscripts, should be directed either to in 1970 and since then extended five times (1975, 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1993). In accordance with it, the negative film, the "master copy", and one of the two positive copies made from it remain with the Nepalese -- and are now stored in the Microsilin House behind the main building of the National Archives in Kathmandu - while the second positive copy which is the property of the German Oriental Society is passed on by it as perinanenoan to the State Library in Berlin ("Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Preussischer Kullurbesitz., Orientableilung"). Some years ago (1987) another section of the NGMPP was established at the Institute for llistory and Culture of India and Tibel ("Instiliit liir Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets") at the University of llamburg, where a "Preliminary List of Manuscripts and Xylographs Microfilmed by the NGMPP" is being compiled with the help of computers and special software, kindly developed by my colleague Ronald E. Emmerick; this list is, however, mainly based on the so-called index cards for each and every item microfilmed, and not on the MSS or the microfilms themselves. (The preparation or descriptive catalogues of the whole material will be the purpose of a follow-up project which can lor obvious reasons only be undertaken when the NGMPP has completed its work). It is planned to publish the "Preliminary List ..." within a year after the microfilming work has been completed in Nepal to make this vast amount of information, the first of its kind, available to scholars as soon as possible. A report on the first 15 years of the NGMPP's activities, wrillen in German, was published in ZDMG 136 (1986), *2*_*14*; in addition, each issue of this journal from 1986 onwards contains a brief report about the NGMPP as well as the NRC. An updated, though also not very detailed report will form part of a book which the Commillee ("Vorstand") of the German Oriental Society will publish later this year, on the occasion of the Society's 150th anniversary, under the title "Die Deutsche Morgenlandische Gesellsliaft. Seit 1845 der Erforschung der Sprachen und Kulturen Asiens und Afrikas und dem Verstehen des Fremden verpNichtet". It is true that a detailed report on the NGMPP in English is overdue, and in fact I have been working on one for quite some time now; but I decided to ignore even the occasion of the project completing 25 years of activity in 1995, because the idea is to continue the work, if at all possible, for five more years. To wait until 2001 would allow me to give a report which is not only comprehensive, but also complete at least as regards the duration - and to try lo corupile a more comprehensive bibliography of the publications in which material provided by the Bibliothcksdirektor Dr. II.-0). Feistel Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - PR Orientabteilung Postdamer Str. 33 D-10785 Berlin Tel. 030-266 2489 Fax 030-264 5955 or to the undersigned, Institut fiir Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets Neue Rabenstrasse 3 D-20354 llamburg Tel. 040-4123 3385 Fax 040-4123-6267 But inquiries can, of course, also be made on the spot, so lo say, i.e. in Kathmandu itself in the National Archives, Ramshahpath, or in the Nepal Research Centre, New Baneshwar (behind Hotel Everest), or, last but by no means least, in the State Library, Berlin.