Catalogue of Tibetan Manuscripts in The Collection of The Asiatic Society Old And Rare Book (Vol-1)

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The Analysis of the Kanjur appeared for the first time in 1836-39 from the Asiatic Society, Calcutta. It was a major contribution of Alexan- der Csoma de Koros to Tibetan studies in particular, and to Indology and Buddhology in general. In this first over attempt to survey the vast Tibetan Buddhist Canon, he opened up a vast vista of the treasures of art and thought, literature and philosophy, grammar and lexicography, medi- cine and metallurgy, astronomy and alchemy and other branches of learn- ing of India hidden in the Tibetan language. The dark recesses of India's literary heritage shone afresh by his dedicated and pioneering efforts. He analysed over a thousand works in the Kanjur which had been trans- lated from Sanskrit into Tibetan. This Analysis' became a foundation for the interpretation of another discipline in Indic studies: the Chinese translations of Sanskrit texts could now be correlated to their original Sanskrit titles as preserved in the Tibetan Kanjur.

In 1967 The Asiatic Society commissioned Lama Jumpa Ngawang to prepare a catalogue of the Tibetan collection in the Society. He worked from 1967-74, with an Indian scholar. Nothing definite can be found about the identity of the Indian who helped him in the project. This incomplete catalogue is based on the Narthang edition of the Tanjur preserved in the Asiatic Society. Inspite of its shortcomings and misprints it heralds a new era of cataloguing Tibetan holdings at Calcutta, the first seat of the lore of the Land of Snows. We welcome the efforts of the Administrator of the Society, Mr. Ashin Das Gupta, to publish these sheets in the form of a book. It will facilitate Indian scholarship to locate texts of the Tanjur and to obtain their microfilm copies from The Asiatic Society. Further more it can inspire a young and adventurous mind to take up the challenge to correct and complete the catalogue.