Event Date: 18 March 2016
Royal Asiatic Society
14 Stephenson Way
London NW1 2HD
The Royal Asiatic Society presents:
Royal Asiatic Society ‘Britain Nepal 200’ Lecture Series
Dr John Whelpton (CU Hong Kong) – Jang Bahadur in Europe
John Whelpton’s talk looks at the 1850 visit to London and Paris by Jang Bahadur Rana, founder of the Rana family regime which ruled Nepal from 1846 to 1951. As the first Hindu head of government to cross the `black water’ and travel to Europe, Jang was a media sensation, while his first-hand observation of British power led him to side with the East India Company against the revolt of 1857 in northern India. the speaker will draw on material from his book Jang Bahadur in Europe: The First Nepalese Mission to the West, shortly to be published in a revised edition by Mandala in Kathmandu. This combines a translation and commentary on an account of the embassy written by one of Jang’s travelling companions with extensive extracts from contemporary British and French press coverage, providing a detailed portrait of how two cultures appeared to one another.
Introduction by Dr Alison Otha (Director, RAS):
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