Pongsit Pangsrivongse
Pongsit Pangsrivongse
Contact:
E-Mail: pongsit.pangsrivongse@univie.ac.at
Dr Pangsrivongse completed his M.A. at the University of Cambridge and D.Phil. at Oxford (2023) in Sanskrit studies. At Oxford, he produced the first edition of the most influential liturgy of Guhyakālī worship, the Kālīkulakramārcana by Vimalaprabodha. A principal contribution was also an edition of a previously unknown work by this important Krama writer, the Parvatrayavidhāna. His past research has engaged with manuscripts related to Tantric goddess worship in the Kathmandu Valley, often pairing this with an examination of material culture. Recent projects include a study of the literary output of a medieval Nepali king stemming from his discovery of seven manuscripts copied by this monarch (2024) and the use of manuscript and art historical evidence to argue, against earlier scholarly literature, that there are indeed extant sculptures of the Tantric goddess Kubjikā (2025).
Before pursuing his D.Phil. and joining the University of Vienna, he served as a diplomat under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand for 7 years largely focusing on South Asian countries.
Current Research Focus
Dr Pangsrivongse is undertaking an edition of the 107 panels of unpublished Sanskrit inscriptions and a study of accompanying sculptural reliefs from an enclosed arcade (the Kumārī Pāṭī) inside Bhaktapur Palace, Nepal. The inscriptions and artworks were a major commission by King Jitāmitramalla of Bhaktapur (r. 1673 – 1696) and reflect the relationship between goddess worship, kingship and ritual culture of the period. He is also working on other unpublished Śākta royal inscriptions and manuscripts of the Malla period.
Publications
Pangsrivongse, P. (2025). Divinised Protection: A Set of Unique, Inscribed Shields from Malla Nepal. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. (Accepted May 2025, forthcoming 2025).
Pangsrivongse, P. (2025). The Identification of a Rare Ṣaḍāmnāya Illuminated Manuscript in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and its Implications for the Study of the Depiction of the Goddess Kubjikā. Artibus Asiae, 85(1), June 2025.
Pangsrivongse, P. (2024). A Preliminary Investigation into the Religious Profile of King Jitāmitramalla of Bhaktapur Through his Compositional and Scribal Work. Journal of Hindu Studies, 17(2), 200–227. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhs/hiae003
Pangsrivongse, P. (2023). Discerning Philosophy in the Uttarāmnāya Liturgies of the Newars. Journal of Indian Philosophy, 52, 21–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-023-09555-3
Pangsrivongse, P. (2023). Unlocking the Depiction of the Goddess Guhyakālī’s Throne in Malla Era Works of Art. Orientations, March–April 2023.
Talks
The Art of Sukhothai’s Golden Age at the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum
Pangsrivongse, P. (Speaker)
20 Oct 2025
The Art of Ancient Peninsular Thailand at the Nakhon Si Thammarat Museum
Pangsrivongse, P. (Speaker)
21 Oct 2024
Sources for the Study of Nepalese Art
Pangsrivongse, P. (Speaker)
15 Sep 2024
An Examination of a Group of Unique Shields from Malla Nepal in the Context of Ugracaṇḍā Worship
Pangsrivongse, P. (Speaker)
30 Jan 2024
The Identification of an Illustrated Manuscript in the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a Very Rare Depiction of the Newari Ṣaḍāmnāya
Pangsrivongse, P. (Speaker)
11 Jan 2023
The Iconography of the Pantheon of the Krama according to the Unpublished Kālīkulakramārcana
Pangsrivongse, P. (Speaker)
9 Jan 2023
An Illustrated Manuscript in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and its Implications for Kubjikā Worship
Pangsrivongse, P. (Speaker)
1 Nov 2022
A Study of the Religious Profile of King Jitāmitramalla through his Scribal and Compositional Work
Pangsrivongse, P. (Speaker)
7 Sep 2022
A Study of the Cult of Guhyakālī amongst the Newars through the Parātantra and Kālīkulakramārcana
Pangsrivongse, P. (Speaker)
9 Nov 2021