Did Nepal fire destroy Charyapada?

Speculation has recently surfaced on social media in Bangladesh claiming that Charyapada manuscripts, regarded as the earliest surviving evidence of Bangla language, were destroyed in a fire at Nepal’s Singha Durbar amid recent anti-government protests.

However, the claim is yet to be confirmed by reliable sources and there is no verifiable evidence that ancient Bengali manuscripts—including Charyapada—were destroyed in Nepal during the protests.

The Charyapada, a collection of mystical Buddhist verses believed to date back over a thousand years, was rediscovered in 1907 by scholar Haraprasad Shastri at the Nepal Royal Court Library. Scholars have long regarded the discovery as a milestone in tracing the early history of Bangla literature.

Posts circulating on Facebook allege that demonstrators, who recently set fire to sections of the Singha Durbar complex, also destroyed the rare manuscripts along with other medieval Bengali literary works.

Ancient writers such as Alaol, Shah Muhammad Sagir, Daulat Kazi, Qureshi Magan Thakur and others were among those whose works had been preserved there.

However, the reality suggests that the original palm-leaf manuscript of the Charyapada is currently preserved at the National Archives of Nepal.

Nepal has long witnessed public anger over corruption, unemployment, inequality, and nepotism among politicians. Recently, the government decided to block 26 social media platforms, further intensifying public frustration.

On Monday, September 8, anti-government protests over allegations of corruption and mismanagement turned violent. Demonstrators set fire to the Parliament building, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday.

Eyewitnesses said thousands of protesters entered the Parliament premises chanting slogans. The building was engulfed in gray and black smoke as demonstrators carried out acts of vandalism.

Protesters also broke through the western gate of Singha Durbar and entered the premises, setting the gate itself on fire.

Singha Durbar is the central administrative complex housing Nepal’s key ministries and government offices. The complex had been repaired and reopened after being damaged in the 2015 earthquake.

While the speculation about the destruction of the Charyapada has caused concern among netizens in Bangladesh, authorities in Nepal have not issued any statement confirming damage to the manuscripts or other archival holdings.