By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu: Dec. 2: On the occasion of the Lumbini Kapilvastu Day, journalist Kedar Bashistha released his book Nepalology: Principle and Applications on Tuesday.
The 444-page book published by Vidyarthi Pustak Bhandar was launched by the author’s mother Kedar Kumari Bhattarai and centenarian culture expert and writer Satya Mohan Joshi.
Tradition of marking the Lumbini Kapilvastu Day has begun since 2009 commemorating the rediscovery of the Ashoka pillar on December 1, 1893 by German scholar Dr. Alois Anton Fuhrer of the East India Company and Rana Bada Hakim Khadka Shumsher.
With Lumbini and the Buddhist Philosophy forming the basis of his research and study, author Bashistha penned his 444-pager book exploring range of issues from exploring the India-Nepal relations to the political excavations of Lumbini and Kapilvastu.
The book, which is said to explore an entire new field of study dubbed as Nepalology will be made available for study at all the universities of the country.
To lay the foundation of his book and lend it a distinct ‘Nepali’ identity, Bashistha researched a range of different philosophy from India, Japan, Tibet, Egypt, and Armenia. Likewise, he has also explored Buddhist studies and Kirat history in his book.
Furthermore, the book will also go into detail in answering some of the pertinent questions of Nepal’s history. For instance, since when did people of the geographic land now identified as Nepal began conversing in Nepali? Bashistha, in his laudable work, turns the pages of history to not only illuminate the past but shed light on the present and the possible future.
Author Bashistha is Deputy Executive Editor of Gorkhapatra.