THE TULADHARS OF KATHMANDU: A STUDY OF BUDDHIST TRADITION IN A NEWAR MERCHANT COMMUNITY (NEPAL, HIMALAYA

This is an ethnographic study of the Tuladhars, Newar merchants of Asan Tol, Kathmandu, and an analysis of Buddhist tradition in their community. Its basic endeavor is to describe the complex configuration of Buddhist observance in Kathmandu, analyze Newar religious tradition in historical perspective, and explore the impact of modern change in this cultural context. This dissertation follows in the scholarly lineages of historical anthropology as defined by Evans-Pritchard, the study of tradition by Edward Shils, and the anthropology of Buddhist societies as articulated by S. J. Tambiah.;In the ethnographic treatment constituting Part I, the religious geography of the Kathmandu Valley is described, from the furthest limits of pilgrimage down to the topograpy of town, neighborhood, and house. A portrait of the social setting in Asan Tol and the social organization of the Tuladhar caste is then drawn to define the bazaar community in which the research was conducted. Special attention is then devoted to Buddhist ritual traditions: daily ritual cycles, rites performed by Vajracarya priests, meditations and initiation, bratas, and the life-cycle rites. A description of the yearly festivals completes the enthnographic documentation.;In Part II are described the distinctive characteristics of "Baha Buddhism," a term used to denote the unique organization of Newar Buddhism that culminated in the later Malla Dynasty (1500-1769). Baha Buddhism survives to the present day in fractured form, although its traditions still provide the central framework for contemporary Tuladhar observance. In this analysis, close attention is paid to the organization of Newar viharas, patterns of exchange and hierarchy between Vajracaryas and the lay community, and the specific content of this distinctive Mahayana-Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. In this section, the nature of Hindu-Buddhist relations in Newar society is also delineated.;The dissertation ends in Part III with a treatment of socio-cultural change in the modern period. To define the full religious context of Kathmandu Valley Buddhism, the role of Tibetan and Theravada traditions and their impact on Tuladhar practice and belief are examined. Finally, there is a discussion of the effects of modern change in political rule, economics, media, and competing ideologies as they have affected the organization of Baha Buddhism and the religious orientation of individual Tuladhars.