page_title: Newari literature
section_title: Renaissance Period
hierarchical_section_title: Newari literature / Renaissance Period
caption_attribution_description: Portrait of Nepalese Buddhist monk Amritananda Mahasthavir (1918-1990).
context_page_description: Nepal Bhasa literature refers to literature in the Nepal Bhasa language. The language has the fourth oldest literature among the Sino-Tibetan languages.
  The earliest known document in Newar is called "The Palmleaf from Uku Bahal" which dates from 1114 during the Thakuri period. The earliest dated stone inscription in Nepal Bhasa is dated Nepal Sambat 293. From the 14th century onwards, an overwhelming number of stone inscriptions in the Kathmandu Valley, where they are an ubiquitous element at heritage sites, are in Nepal Bhasa.
  The first books appeared in the 14th century.
  Haramekhalā
context_section_description: During this period, a new generation of writers emerged who asserted themselves by producing literary works defying government restrictions. The renaissance aimed to restore the Newar language's lost glory and stimulate creative literature. The activities of this period laid the foundation for the future course of the language. The Nepal Bhasa movement dates from this period.
  The renaissance also marked the advent of private printing presses and the end of handwritten books. In 1909, Nisthananda Bajracharya published the first printed book in Newari, Ek Bishanti Prajnaparamita, a Buddhist text. Another major change was the adoption of Devanagari script to write the language instead of Nepal alphabets because of the availability of Devanagari printing type. In 1913, Siddhidas Mahaju composed Siddhi Ramayana, a Newar version of the Hindu epic.
  Jagat Sundar Malla worked to promote education. In 1925, Dharmaditya Dharmacharya published Buddha Dharma wa Nepal Bhasa, the first ever magazine in Newari, from Kolkata, India. Authors also worked to standardize the grammar and spelling, and new literary styles and genres were embraced. A grammar of the language, the first in modern times, was published in 1928.
  The most important figures of this era were: 
  Nisthananda Bajracharya
  Siddhidas Mahaju
  Jagat Sundar Malla
  Yogbir Singh Kansakar
  Shukraraj Shastri
  Dharmaditya Dharmacharya
  These writers spearheaded the revival of the language. Among the leaders of the renaissance, Bajracharya, Mahaju, Malla and Kansakar are honored as the Four Pillars of Nepal Bhasa.
caption: Amritananda Mahasthavir
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