Classical Newar
Early form of Newar language
title: "Classical Newar" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["newar", "newar-language", "languages-attested-from-the-12th-century"] description: "Early form of Newar language" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Newar" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Early form of Newar language ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Classical Nepal Bhasa |
| altname | Old Newar |
| nativename | पुलाङु नेपाल भास |
| states | Nepal, India, Tibet, Bhutan |
| era | Developed into Modern Nepal Bhasa in the 19th century |
| script | *Bhujimol script |
| familycolor | Sino-Tibetan |
| fam2 | Tibeto-Burman |
| fam3 | Himalayish |
| notice | Indic |
| iso2 | nwc |
| iso3 | nwc |
| glotto | none |
| image | 1374 CE, The Haramekhala medical manual, Newar language, Bhujimol script.jpg |
| imagecaption | A 14th century palm-leaf manuscript of the Haramekhala, a medical manual written in Classical Newar and the Bhujimola script. |
| ancestor | Proto-Sino-Tibetan |
| ancestor2 | Proto-Tibeto-Burman |
| :: |
| name = Classical Nepal Bhasa | altname = Old Newar | nativename = पुलाङु नेपाल भास | states = Nepal, India, Tibet, Bhutan | region = | era = Developed into Modern Nepal Bhasa in the 19th century | script = *Bhujimol script
- Prachalit script
- Kutila script
- Ranjana script
- various Nepalese scripts | familycolor = Sino-Tibetan | fam2 = Tibeto-Burman | fam3 = Himalayish | notice = Indic | iso2 = nwc | iso3 = nwc | glotto = none | image = 1374 CE, The Haramekhala medical manual, Newar language, Bhujimol script.jpg | imagecaption =A 14th century palm-leaf manuscript of the Haramekhala, a medical manual written in Classical Newar and the Bhujimola script. | ancestor = Proto-Sino-Tibetan | ancestor2 = Proto-Tibeto-Burman
Classical Newar or Classical Nepal Bhasa (, ) also known as Old Newar, is the vernacular and literary form of Nepal Bhasa used prior to the 19th century. The term is most generally used to describe the form of Nepal Bhasa used in manuscripts and other sources from the Malla dynasty.
The antiquity of the Newar language is not known. The Sanskrit stone inscriptions from the Licchavi Dynasty contains frequent use of Tibeto-Burman words, especially for proper nouns like names of person, settlements and rivers, suggesting the existence of a vernacular Tibeto-Burman language, which is believed to be an early form of the Newar language.**
Ancient era
The earliest known (dated) document in Nepal Bhasa is called "The Palmleaf from Uku Bahal" which dates back to 1114 AD (235 NS).
::quote
छीन ढाको तृसंघष परिभोग। छु पुलेंग कीत्य बिपार वस्त्र बिवु मिखा तिवु मदुगुन छु सात दुगुनव ल्है
nwc ::
Medieval era
The language continued growing in the Medieval period, and enjoyed royal patronage. Noted royal writers include Mahindra Malla, Siddhinarsingh Malla, Jagatprakash Malla etc. An example of the language used in that period is provided by lines of Mooldevshashidev written by Jagatprakash Malla which verse describes Shiva and the use of a tiger skin as his seat.
::quote
:धु छेगुकि पाछाव वाहान :dhu chēguki pāchāva vāhāna :तिलहित बिया हिङ लाहाति थाय थायस :tilahita biyā hiŋa lāhāti thāya thāyasa ::
History
This language was the official language of Nepal from Licchavi era to Malla era of Nepal. Newar words appeared in Sanskrit inscriptions in the Kathmandu Valley for the first time in the fifth century. The words are names of places, taxes and merchandise indicating that it already existed as a spoken language during the Licchavi period (approximately 400–750 AD). The inscriptions from the Licchavi period includes Newari words.
The earliest dated stone inscription in Thakuri dynasty is in Newar, dated Nepal Sambat 293 (1173 CE).The earliest important books of Classical Newar from the 14th century are Haramekhalā (1374), Mānava Nyāyaśāstra (1380), Amarkośa (1381), and Gopālarāja Vaṃśāvalī (1389).
ISO
Classical Nepal Bhasa was introduced in ISO 639-2 code list in 2004.
Grammar
References
References
- Malla, Kamal Prakash. (2000). "A Dictionary of Classical Newari". Cwasa Pasa.
- (1952). "Nepal, Newar and Newari language". Nepal-Sanskritik Parisad.
- Alan Hopkinson (2008) ''UNIMARC Manual: Bibliographic Format''. Walter de Gruyter.
- Shrestha, Purushottam Lochan. (2001). "Tripura ra Yuthunimama Durbara". Bhaktapur Offset Prints.
- (1990). "Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal". University of California Press.
- Malla, Kamal P. "The Earliest Dated Document in Newari: The Palmleaf from Uku Bahah NS 234/AD 1114". Kailash.
- Mooldevshashidev by Jagatprakash Malla, edited by Saraswati Tuladhar
- Tuladhar, Prem Shanti (2000). ''Nepal Bhasa Sahityaya Itihas: The History of Nepalbhasa Literature.'' Kathmandu: Nepal Bhasa Academy. {{ISBN. 99933-56-00-X. Pages 19–20.
- Malla, KP. (1981). "Classical Newari Literature".
- Tuladhar, Prem Shanti (2000). ''Nepal Bhasa Sahityaya Itihas: History of Nepalbhasa Literature.'' Kathmandu: Nepal Bhasa Academy. {{ISBN. 99933-56-00-X. Pages 20, 25.
- Lienhard, Siegfried (1992). ''Songs of Nepal: An Anthology of Nevar Folksongs and Hymns.'' New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas. {{ISBN. 81-208-0963-7. Page 1.
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