Boundless history: 1835: Academy member Sándor Kőrösi Csoma sends fifty copies of his Tibetan–English dictionary to the Academy

Sándor Kőrösi Csoma (1784?‒1842) was born into a Székely family of minor nobility in Kőrös (today Chiuruș, Romania), in the former Three Seats region (Háromszék) of Transylvania, and completed his studies at the Reformed College of Nagyenyed. There he not only laid the foundations of his extensive linguistic knowledge, but also developed an interest in the study of early Hungarian history under the influence of his teachers. Between 1816 and 1818, he studied Oriental studies in Göttingen, one of the most prestigious universities in Europe at the time, where he became acquainted with the theory of Hungarian–Uyghur kinship. Inspired by this idea, he decided to travel east in search of the ancient homeland of the Hungarians. Before setting out, he first planned to examine the Arabic chronicles necessary for his research in Constantinople.

In 1819, Kőrösi Csoma set out on his journey, but due to an outbreak of plague, he was unable to study either the Constantinople or Cairo collections of Arabic chronicles. He therefore continued eastwards and, travelling through the Middle East, reached Lahore, in present-day Pakistan, in 1821. There he met the British traveller William Moorcroft, who advised him to learn the Tibetan language, as he would likely find documents containing information about the Hungarians in the monasteries of the region bordering the Uyghur territories. Taking this advice, he made three journeys to Tibet between 1823 and 1830 (1823–1824, 1825–1827, 1827–1830).

Thanks to Moorcroft’s letter of recommendation, with the help of Lama Sangye Phuntsog ‒ who later became his Buddhist teacher ‒ he was able to delve into the archives of Tibetan monasteries and compile his Tibetan–English dictionary and grammar, as well as an English translation of his dictionary of Buddhist terminology. In 1830, he went to Calcutta (now Kolkata), where he was elected a member of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. There he devoted himself to preparing for publication the material gathered during his Tibetan expeditions, while also summarising and publishing his knowledge of Tibet and Buddhism in a series of scholarly studies. With the publication of his dictionary in 1834, Kőrösi Csoma effectively laid the foundations of modern Tibetology, despite having originally travelled east in search of the ancient homeland of the Hungarians.

In a letter dated 18 July 1835, Kőrösi Csoma informed Gábor Döbrentei, Secretary of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, that in exchange for support of his travels, he would send the institution fifty copies of his Tibetan‒English dictionary and grammar, which were the result of his work in Asia. During his travels in Bengal between 1835 and 1837, he studied Sanskrit and Indian languages. In 1842, he set out for the Uyghur regions, but while still in India, in the marshlands of the Mahananda River, he contracted malaria and died of the disease. He was laid to rest in the Christian cemetery of Darjeeling.

Kőrösi Csoma was elected a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1833. The cult surrounding the Hungarian Orientalist was largely established by Tivadar Duka, a physician living in exile in England and later a corresponding and honorary member of the Academy. In 1883, while in London, Duka persuaded one of Kőrösi Csoma’s former pupils to donate the manuscripts in his possession to the Academy. In 1885, thanks to this donation, the learned society acquired thirty-six Tibetan volumes and five so-called Alexander Books, compilations on Tibetan literature and scholarship prepared by Tibetan lamas at Kőrösi Csoma’s request.

One of Kőrösi Csoma’s greatest admirers was Count István Széchenyi, who praised the Hungarian Orientalist’s unparalleled achievements with the following words: “A poor Hungarian orphan, without money or applause, yet inspired by steadfast patriotism ‒ Sándor Kőrösi Csoma ‒ sought the cradle of the Hungarian people and finally collapsed beneath the weight of his labours. Far from his homeland, he sleeps his eternal sleep, yet he lives on in the soul of every true Hungarian. […] It is not high rank nor treasure that safeguards nations, but unbreakable love of country, pilgrim-like self-denial, and an iron will. Take example, you great and wealthy men of our homeland, from this orphaned son, and be true Hungarians in deeds rather than mere words, through readiness for sacrifice rather than empty boasting!”