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A set of handwritten copies of Sanskrit inscriptions and some English translations. These include:

• 'Translation of an inscription found in one of the Palitana Temples of Kattywar (Kathiawar) by Capt. Geo. LeGrand Jacob 1937'. This is the title on a handwritten small blue label. Under the title is written 'Not worth printing, HHW' (Horace Hayman Wilson). The document itself consists of 8 sides - 4 of these are of the translation of the inscription on stone, signed by Jacob and dated 6 February 1837. Under the translation is a further note in a different hand about the lack of historical value of this inscription. The following 3 pages give notes regarding the inscription, again signed by Jacob and dated 24 February 1837. The final page is headed 'Private note' which suggests if published the writer rather than the Society takes responsibility for the content. This is signed J.W.
• 'Inscription on the most ancient of the Jain Temples at Palitana in Kattywar bearing dates of [Samoat] 1582 for the foundation and 1587 for the completion'. This is signed by George LeGrand Jacob, Government Political Agent, Kattywar. This is a lengthy handwritten inscription in Sanskrit, possible the Sanskrit version of the translation above.
• 'Sanskrit rendering of Copperplate Inscription found near Palitana in Kattywar (Kathiawar) deciphered by J. Prinsep' with further note 'NB. The plate is incomplete only one leaf of the tablet having been found'. A handwritten copy in Sanskrit of the inscription.
• 'Translation by Mr J. Prinsep, Sec. of Calcutta As. Soc., of Copper tablet inscription found near the Hill of Palitane in Kattywar' A single sheet of English translation. Further writing on the reverse of the translation indicate it was received by the Royal Asiatic Society in November 1839 and read at their General Meeting on 7 November 1839.
• Four short Sanskrit inscriptions numbered 1-4 in English numerals and titled '[Biluspoor] (Bilaspur?) near Kutah and indicating they are family documents.
• A single sheet of a Sanskrit inscription labelled '[Chundrabhagu]'.
• A large sheet of Sanskrit writing with illegible title in English but probably bearing the number 1216.
• A large sheet with what appears to be a genealogical table in Sanskrit with accompanying. English translation. The sheet also bears Sanskrit phrases with English translation.

The Royal Asiatic Society Medal was instigated in 2000 to replace the Society's Triennial Gold Medal and to be awarded in recognition of an outstanding contribution to scholarship in the field of Asian Studies. A new design for the Medal was sought and this was commissioned from Danuta Solowiej-Wedderburn. The medal took longstanding symbols of the Society and gave them a modern twist. She suggested:

'The starting point for the design of the medal was an article by John Hansman in the Society's Journal of 1984: ‘The Emblems, Medals and Medallists of The Royal Asiatic Society’. I was very inspired by the Daniells’ design of a caparisoned elephant for a signet, first produced in 1824, which was used to seal letters and documents. A simplified version of this design by Professor Perceval Yetts has become the ‘logo’ of the society, stamped on its letter head and on all its publications, and so it was a particularly appropriate image to use. I depicted the signet impressed into the brass as if it were wax, to act as a metaphor for the medal as a ‘seal of approval’. Unlike most Victorian award medals the lettering is incised, this is so that it will blend in with the name of the recipient, which obviously has to be engraved at a later date. In 1823 the Banyan tree was chosen for the society’s official seal by the Council and it has been depicted on previous medals commissioned by the society. It is a magnificent tree and an apt symbol of the society, growing strong and branching out. The medal was cast (rather than struck) which allows for more depth in modelling and I tried to take advantage of that by depicting the tree as a mature and vigorous plant, still growing strongly.' (Email, see details in the catalogue).

The medal was first awarded to John Gullick in 2001 with subsequent awards being made:
2003 – Professor Edmund Bosworth
2006 – Professor Christopher Shackle
2009 – Professor Sir Christopher Bayly
2014 – Dr Bridget Allchin and Professor David Bivar
2019 - Professors Carole and Robert Hillenbrand
2023 – Robert Irwin

The material covered by this catalogue consists of correspondence and administrative documents concerning the setting up of the award and the commissioning of the medal, and the individual awards. There are also photographs of some of the award events and a sample of the medal.

The George Staunton Prize was initiated in 2007 for an article by a young scholar working on topics related to the history, archaeology, literature, language, religion, anthropology and art of Asia. A 'young scholar' was defined as someone in the process of completing their PhD or someone who has been awarded their doctorate within the previous five years. Award winning submissions were published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society and the winners received a prize of £250. Since its initiation the Prize has been awarded irregularly. Winners include:

• 2007- Nile Green for the article, ‘Jack Sepoy and the Dervishes: Islam and the Indian Soldier in Princely India’.
• 2008 - S.P. Ong for the article, 'Jurisdictional Politics in Canton and the First English Translation of the Qing Penal Code (1810)'.
• 2010 - joint winners: Felicia Yap for 'Eurasians in British Asia during the Second World War' and Martin Worthington for 'On Names and Artistic Unity in the Standard Version of the Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic'.
• 2014 - Dr Fozia Bora for her article, 'Did Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Destroy the Fatimids' Books? Historiographical Enquiry'.
• 2023 - Dr Kelsey Granger for her article, 'From Tomb-Keeper to Tomb-Occupant: The Changing Conceptualisation of Dogs in Early China'.

There is limited archival material at this stage but it contains:

2007

• One letter to enter an article for the prize, dated 26 May 2007.
• Official letter from Charlotte de Blois, Executive Editor, Royal Asiatic Society, to Nile Green to inform that he has been awarded the prize. Digital document, dated 30 May 2008.
• Copies of emails between Nile Green, Charlotte de Blois and Sarah Ansari, Honorary Editor, concerning receiving the prize, Typed, 1 piece, dated 2 May 2008.

2008

• One letter to enter an article for the prize, dated 28 May 2008.
• Copies of emails between Charlotte de Blois and Sujit Sivasundaram concerning assessment of entered essays. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 1 July - 14 November 2008.

2010

• Two letters to enter an article for the prize, dated 15 and 27 October 2010.

2011

• Two letters to enter an article for the prize, undated.
• Advertisement for submissions for both the Professor Mary Boyce Prize and the Sir George Staunton Prize.

2014

• 'Staunton Submissions' - list of candidates and their referees. Digital document, undated.
• 'Staunton Opinions' - summary of opinions of the judges for the articles submitted. Digital document, undated.

2015

• Advertisement for the Sir George Staunton Prize, articles to be submitted before 31 December 2015.

The Royal Asiatic Society initiated the Professor Mary Boyce Prize for articles relating to the study of religion in Asia. Award winning submissions receive £250 and are published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. The focus of the prize is any religion, anywhere in Asia and at any time, and the Society’s main aim is to encourage the submission of pieces of original, unpublished research that make innovative contributions to understanding, learning and scholarship.

Since its initiation the Prize has been awarded irregularly. Winners include:
2007 - Julius N, Tsai for the article, Reading the ‘Inner Biography of the Perfected Person of Purple Solarity’: Religion and Society in an Early Daoist Hagiography.
2009 - Alexander Wynne for the article, The Buddha's ‘skill in means’ and the genesis of the five aggregate teaching.

There is limited archival material at this stage but it contains:

2007

• Judge's comment upon submissions for the Prize, electronic document.

2008

• Draft publicity poster for the Professor Mary Boyce Prize and the George Staunton Prize, electronic document.

2009

• Copies of emails between Charlotte de Blois, Executive Editor, Royal Asiatic Society, and Alexander Wynne, winner, Professor Mary Boyce Prize concerning his entry and award. Two pieces, dated 9 June -14 July 2009.

2010

• Submission letter for entry to the prize. Handwritten, 1 piece.

2011

• Draft publicity poster for the Professor Mary Boyce Prize and the George Staunton Prize. Computer printed, 1 piece.

The Bayly Prize was established by friends and colleagues to mark the outstanding contribution of Professor Sir Christopher Bayly FBA to the study of world history and that of Asia in particular. It is an £2500 award for a distinguished thesis in an Asian subject falling within the scope of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society or of Modern Asian Studies. The thesis must have been examined and approved for the PhD degree at a British University in the year preceding entry to the competition. It was first awarded in 2018 and has been awarded annually since.

The winners have been:

• 2018 - Johannes Lotze (University of Manchester) for the thesis, Translation of Empire: Mongol Legacy, Language Policy, and the Early Ming World Order, 1368-1453.
• 2019 - Lexi (Alexandra) Stadlen (London School of Economics) for the thesis, Weaving lives from Violence: Possibility and Change for Muslim Women in West Bengal.
• 2020 - Liana Chase (School of Oriental and African Studies) for the thesis, Healing ‘Heart-Minds’: Disaster, Care, and Global Mental Health in Nepal’s Himalayan Foothills.
• 2021 - Mallika Leuzinger (University College, London) for the thesis, Dwelling in Photography: Intimacy, Amateurism and the Camera in South Asia.
• 2022 - Sonia Wigh (University of Exeter) for the thesis, The Body of Words: A social history of sex and the body in early modern South Asia.
• 2023 - Thomas Barrett (University of Oxford) for the thesis, Foreigners and the Making of the Chinese Diplomat.

There are administrative documents, invitations, publicity and photographs from the award events.

The Royal Asiatic Society has irregularly sponsored research fellows. This material contains correspondence and administrative papers connected to this. At present there is only archival material for Professor Om Prakesh Kejariwal.

Minutes for the General Meetings held by the Society for its Members to attend. At these meetings, new members would be admitted, donations presented, and Papers or letters read on Asiatic topics. The Minutes have been accumulated into bound volumes covering the time span from 1823-2011.

The signed Minutes and associated correspondence of the Meetings of the Royal Asiatic Society's Events and House Committee.

Correspondence concerned with the first Congress of the Federation of Learned Societies of North Africa, held at Algiers University from 10-11 June 1935. These are:

• Letter from Société Historique Algérienne to the President of the Royal Asiatic Society to inform of the first Congress of the Federation of Learned Societies of North Africa and to invite the Royal Asiatic Society to send a representative. The letter informs of the subjects to be discussed. Typed in French, dated 6 February 1935.
• Letter from Col. Hoysted, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to The Secretary, Société Historique Algérienne, to apologise for the delay in replying to their letter but he was still waiting to hear of a suitable representative. Typed, dated 13 March 1935.
• Letter from Professor Henri Pérès to the Royal Asiatic Society to write that is would be an honour to represent the Royal Asiatic Society at the Congress. Handwritten in French, date 15 April 1935.
• Letter from D.S. Margoliouth, President, Royal Asiatic Society, to Col. Hoysted, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to enclose the letter from Professor Pérès accepting the invitation to represent the Society at the Congress. Handwritten, dated 22 April 1935.
• Letter from Col. Hoysted, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to Professor Pérès to send the official form from the Society for the Congress. Typed, dated 7 May 1935.
• Letter from Col. Hoysted, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to the Secretary General, Société Historique Algérienne, concerning the Royal Asiatic Society's representation at the Congress, and to inform that Professor Henri Pérès would represent the Society. Typed, dated 10 May 1935.

The Fifth International Congress of Linguists took place in Brussels from 28 August to 2 September 1939. This material contains correspondence and printed material connected to this Congress. These are:

• First Circular for the Fifth International Congress of Linguists giving details of the Conference and the topics to be addressed. Written in French, dated 20 October 1938.
• Postcard from H.W. Bailey to Col. Hoysted, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to inform him that Bailey was intending to attend the Congress. Handwritten, dated 12 January 1939.
• Letter from Col. Hoysted, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to the Secretary, International Congress of Linguists, to inform him that Professor H.W. Bailey will represent the Society at the Congress. Typed, dated 26 January 1939.