Government of Nepal
Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation
Ramshah Path, Kathmandu , Nepal
The Archival Section is responsible for the receiving, storing, managing, and publishing of archival documents. In this Section, there are four sub-sections: Archive, Manuscript, Library and Conservation. Under the Archive sub section, there is one Tibetan Unit also.
In this section we have approximately fifty thousand documents including loose leaves. Out of them, thirty thousand manuscripts are written on traditional Nepalese hand made paper, Palm leaf, Birch-bark, blue paper with golden ink, and different kinds of color-coated Nepali paper. A number of manuscripts are written in gold or silver ink. The texts in the collection are in different languages and scripts, particularly Nepali, Sanskrit, Newari, Tibetan, Maithili, Hindi and Avadhi. Some of the texts take the form of legends and myths; moral stories; dramas; and some hymns; while others are astrology, medicine, philosophy, religion and the like.
The manuscript collection cover periods ranging from 5th century. Some of them are Daśabhūmῑśvara(5th century), Mahāyānasūtraratnaketuparivarta (6th century), Saddharmapuṇḍarῑkasūtra(8thcentury), Laṅkāvatāra(Ayurveda text of 907 AD), the Niśvāsatattvasaṃhitā (9th century), the Praśnavyākaraṇa, Vishnu Dharma (N.S 340, a Buddhist Sanskrit manuscript written in Ranjana Script) etc. More than one hundred manuscripts are furnished with miniature paintings, whether on inside folios or on manuscript covers.
Here is the collection of various historical documents, such as Royal decree, orders issued by the government and authorized officials, treaties, and sundry types of historical letters (Shyaha Mohars, Lal Mohars, Khadga Nisan, Sanad Sawals, Chitthipatras, Sandhipatras, Ekchappes, Duichhapes, Rukhas and Eshitihars). In addition, there are a number of copper-plate inscription and approximately 3,000 rubbings as well as 8,000 rare Tibetan manuscripts and block-print documents dating from 11th at Tibetan Section.