Reports from Across the Borders
Although Nepal has been portrayed as being a secluded country during the 19th century, the large amount of reports written by Nepalese envoys stationed at various posts in Southern Asia opens a new perspective on Nepal’s engagement with the outside world. These reports not only reflect the Nepalese durbar's attempt to forge an alliance with the independent kingdoms in the region, especially after Nepal's defeat in the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–1816), but also prove its wide-ranging interest in all kinds of political, military, technical, and cultural information, particularly with regard to the European colonial powers. Therefore, this body of documents provides insights into the perception of Nepal’s political elites on foreign affairs and into the crucial role envoys played as cultural brokers and mediators between the Nepalese government and the colonial state.
Reports from foreign lands
DNA_0001_0021: An arjī from Jasapāu Thāpā regarding Raṇajita Siṃ's failure to gain victory (undated)
DNA_0002_0044: An arjī from Sāligrāma providing a political report from Patna (VS 1891)
DNA_0004_0034: An arjī from Lokaramaṇa Upādhyāya providing a report from Calcutta (VS 1894)
DNA_0001_0032: An arjī by Lokaramaṇa Upādhyāya providing a political report from Calcutta (VS 1895)
DNA_0001_0075: An arjī from Lokaramaṇa Upādhyāya on a conversation with James Prinsep (VS 1895)
DNA_0003_0049: An arjī on the British procurement of grain supplies from Indian rulers (VS 1895)
DNA_0003_0083: A report on various incidents in Delhi, Jaipur, Lahore, and Kabul (VS 1896)
