The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies at the Department for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto presents:
THE TORONTO NEWAR SUMMER SCHOOL
June 15–27, 2026, online
The Summer School offers the opportunity to learn to speak the idiom of the Kathmandu Valley, to delve into the texts of a thriving contemporary literary world, and to access the vast Buddhist and Hindu literature in classical Newar.
Learners may enroll in any one or in all three modules: (1) modern conversational Newar, (2) modern literary Newar, (3) classical Newar. Beginners receive a first exposure to the language. Intermediate level students will strengthen their skills. Advanced readers will conduct supervised translations from editions or manuscripts.
Five Instructors will teach modules of two hours each, five days a week: Srilaxmi Shrestha, M.A., an acclaimed private teacher of Newar and Nepali in Leiden, the Netherlands, and Geeta Manandhar, M.A., a well-known teacher of Newar and Nepali who has taught many generations of Nepal scholars, will be teaching the modern conversational Newar classes. A tutorial supplementing the conversational Newar courses will be offered by Ian Turner, M.A., doctoral student in Buddhist Studies at UofT. The modern literary Newar class will be taught by Dr. Bal Gopal Shrestha, one of the leading Nepalese anthropologists of Newar Buddhism, author of The Sacred Town of Sankhu (2012). UofT professor Dr. Christoph Emmrich, who teaches courses in Newar religion and literature, will be offering the classical Newar classes.
Lectures by guest scholars on Newar language, literature, and religion will round off the program.
To Join, please mail Christoph Emmrich at christoph.emmrich@utoronto.ca, specifying your interests, your educational, professional, and language background, and the kind of module(s) you would like to attend. The deadline is March 31, 2026.
Participation is free.
Note: Participants of last year’s Classical Newars beginners’ level course are invited to reach out to Christoph Emmrich to register for the catch-up reading group starting January 2026 that will take them to the Classical Newar advanced level module offered by the 2026 Toronto Newar Summer School.
