A Model of the Universe in Kathmandu's Old Royal Palace

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18732/hssa.v8i0.59

Keywords:

maps, globe, geography, history of science, Indology, Sanskrit, Nepal, South Asia

Abstract

This paper discusses a model of the universe found in Mohan courtyard of the old royal palace of Kathmandu, the Hanūmānḍhokā. It was commissioned and installed by King Pratāpa Malla in 1656 CE.  The artifact is referred to as “earth-ball” or terrestrial globe (bhūgola) in an inscription and is based on Purāṇic concepts of the universe. An eighteenth-century ritual text indicates that it was an object of worship in the courtyard.

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Author Biography

Gudrun Bühnemann, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Professor,
Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
The University of Wisconsin-Madison
http://buhnemann.ls.wisc.edu/

Bhugola, Kathmandu

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Published

2020-04-12

How to Cite

Bühnemann, Gudrun. 2020. “A Model of the Universe in Kathmandu’s Old Royal Palace”. History of Science in South Asia 8 (April). Edmonton, Canada:1-12. https://doi.org/10.18732/hssa.v8i0.59.

Issue

Vol. 8 (2020)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2020 Gudrun Bühnemann

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