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kosh

In Nepal, 20ᵗʰ century, a unit of length, = 2 miles, approximately 3.22 kilometers.

United Nations, 1966.

sources

There are 106 boxes of Hodgon's Collection at British Library in London, among which box no 44 contains an interesting folio no 12 mentioning all names and points where each milestone stands and distance from Kathmandu Hanumandhoka is mentioned and these stones extend well up to western end of the country near Jhulagahat in Mahakali river. The author copied the same and presented here in the hope of sharing the information among the academic circles and interested groups.¹

The record starts from Hanumandhoka (0 Kosh-Mile) and ends at Ghoryagodo in Mahakali river bank. Where the last point lies is not exactly known. But it seems some distance south from present Jhulaghat. If we make a small reconnaince, it could be pointed out.

It is mentioned in the manuscript that eight thousand hat makes one Kosh.² If we take one Hat equal to 18 inches it becomes 12000 ft to a kosh (i.e. 3650 m to a Kosh). Then the total length will be 712 kms. It is generally taken at present 3.2 km to a kosh. From this account, the total distance from Kathmandu to Mahakali would be to 624 kms only. But the manuscript records the total distance between Hanumandhoka and Mahakali river to 195 kosh.

1. The author of this chapter was one among other members in cataloguing the Hodgson's collection of British Library in London. He did catalogue the Newari portion of the collection during the months of June and July 2005. The whole work on documentation is still underway on the leadership of Dr. Ramesh Dhungel under whom Mr. Chandra Prasad Tripathi and Bairagi Kainla also did work in the same nature. but their field was different. Bairagi Kainla documented all Rai and Limbu manuscripts and Chandra Prasad Tripathi did work on Kaithi and Maithili collections.

I should thank Prof. Dr. Michael Hutt and Dr. Ramesh Dhungel for their kind cooperation and consideration, and also for ever smiling and very cooperative staff members of the British Library in London.

Getting facmile copies of the manuscript from London proved to be very expensive for the writer. Therefore, despite the time pressure on him he copied with hand in utmost care and presented herewith. Any short comigs is therefore regreted.

2. [A list in Nepali.]

Sukra Sagar Shrestha.
The points of milestones to the west of Kathmandu.
Ancient Nepal, #160, May 2006.