A lālamohara from King Rājendra granting a birtā to Indu Bhānsyā (VS 1893)
ID: DNA_0013_0086
Edited by
Astrid Zotter
in collaboration with
Ramhari Timalsina
Created: 2017-10-09;
Last modified: 2019-07-05
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Abstract
This lālamohara of King Rājendra grants land as a birtā in partial fulfilment of a ritual commitment (saṃkalpa) made when a grandmother of the king, the youngest bhitrenī-wife of King Raṇabahādura, followed her husband into death and became a satī in VS 1863 (1806 CE).
Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1श्रीदुर्गाः\1श्रीकान्छाभित्र्यानिवज्या2ज्यूः१[royal seal]1स्वस्तिश्रीगिरिराजचक्रचूडामणिनरनारायणेत्यादिविविधविरूदावलीविराजमानमानोन्नतश्रीमन्महाराजाधिराजश्रीश्री
2श्रीमहाराजराजेन्द्रविक्रमसाहवहादूरसम्सेरजङ्गदेव़ानांसदासमरविजयि़नाम्¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
3आगेइन्दुभान्स्याकेसम्वत्१८६३सालमितिवैसाषशुदि१५रोज६कादिन¯¯१¯सतिहुदासंकल्पभयाकोषेतमध्येषेत
4१।तस्कोसरहवमोजीमघड्यारिसमेत्विर्तागरिवक्स्याकोमोहरताम्वापत्रगरिवक्स्यौंचागुकारभादगाउकाअम्वलम
5ध्येमहादेवषोलाकोवगरवाझोपानिषेतकोसाटोपाषोदिदाअठाईसकादरले१।६तस्कोसाधपूर्वरैकरषेतररैकरपा
6षोसाधलुहकिलदक्षिणरैकरपाषोसाधलुहकिलपश्चिमरैकरषेतकोआलिसाधलुहकिलउत्तरआफ्नाविर्ताको
7आलिरवाटोसाधलुहकिलनुव़ाकोटकाअम्वलमध्येअठाईसकादरलेमुरि।५।९।४घड्यारिमुरि।२८ज्मामुरि।३३।९।४
8पाषाकोपानिषेतदिदाडेव़ढोघटाईषसन्यापानिषेतमुरी।२२।६।३तस्कोसाधपूर्वजफतिरैकरकोआलिसाधलुह
9किलदक्षिणरैकरषेतकोआलिसाधलुहकिलपश्चिमकोईरालाकोविर्तासाधलुहकिलउत्तरकोईरालाकोविर्तारःरै
10करषेतकोआलिसाधलुहकिलयेतिसाधभीत्रषेतघड्यारि१।२८।६।३विर्ताजानिसंतानदरसन्तानपर्य्यंतपर
11मशुषभोगेगरयोविर्तासंकल्पहुदासंकल्पवाक्येपर्हन्याप्रोहितयदुनाथपंडितअर्ज्यालपानिहालन्याश्रीजनरलः
12कम्यान्डरइनचिफभीमसेनथापासाधलाउन्यासधिय़ारथरघरगणपतिपंथगोकुलषनालजयदेवपंथडगोलना
13ईक्यामद्यांअमितसिंडगोलधमदेउडगोलकृष्नधंजुचांगुकाकासिनन्दनाईक्यावाकसींप्रधानमस्तरामप्रधान्
14जयनारायनप्रधान्भाजुदेवप्रधान्जोगधरप्रधान्जसिवन्तप्रधान्धमनारांप्रधान्गंगाधरषनालहरिलाल
15ढुंगानातुलसिरामषनाल्लषेश्वरमाहान्याभादगाउकाढलपाभाछेउप्रधान्ढलपारत्नप्रधानमोहिनाईक्या
16महन्तनन्दुपाध्यासापकोटाश्रीनीवासपाध्याअचार्जवटैकृष्नगेलालसर्वानन्दअधिकारिजयेनारायनगै
17लालचिन्तामणिपाध्याढुंगानाजगुपाध्याढुंगानारघुपाध्याढुंगानासहदेवपाध्याषनाल्देउरिषिपाध्याषनाल
18धर्मानन्दषनालधंजुजैसीषनाल्पुण्यसिलजैसिषनाल्हरिजैसिषनाल्रामनरसिंमाहान्याभिमनारान्मा
19हान्याअनिरुद्रभडेल्नुव़ाकोटकाद्वार्याकोमानिस्हरदलथापाथरीकान्तुपाध्याविश्वनाथपाध्याषनालः
20पिताम्वरपाडेधामिकोछोराजितमानचौधरिवाकानेव़ारभन्सारिविष्नुनारान्नेव़ारधनपतिपाध्यारिमालपि
21र्थिधरपाध्याकोईरालासुरमर्दनसिंनेपाल्विर्तवारलेकिलाभन्दाअर्घ्यालोनचापनुविनातकसिरजवद
22नगर्नुजोयसवन्देजमारहोईनसोयसश्लोकमाभन्याकोपातकिहोलास्वदत्तांपरदत्ताम्वायोहरेद्वैवसुन्धरा
23म्षष्टिवर्षसहश्राणिवीष्टायांजायतेकृमिईतिसम्वत्१८९३सालमितिज्येष्टशुदि५रोज६शुभम्¯¯¯¯¯¯
Synopsis
[1r]
This lālamohara, issued by King Rājendra, is adressed to Indu Bhānsyā. It relates to a grant of land measuring 1 kheta a ritual commitment (saṃkalpa) to donate which was made on Saturday, the 15th of the bright fortnight of the month of Vaiśākha in VS 1863 (3 May 1806) when one of the king's grandmothers, the youngest bhitrenī-wife [of King Raṇabahādura] became a satī. It sanctions the issue of a copperplate (moharatāmrapatra) for the grant of this birtā land and an equivalent plot for building houses on (ghaḍerī).
A specification of the endowed plots follows including a description of their boundaries. Land for dry crops (pākho) is granted instead of wet-rice fields (kheta) along the bank of the Mahādeva Kholā in the Cangu (text: Cāgu) administrative district (ambala) and in Bhaktapur (text: Bhādagāu). A wet-rice field and ghadyāri are granted in the ambala of Nuvākoṭa.
The birtā land thus endowed is to be enjoyed by the beneficiary and the beneficiary’s descendants.
When the ritual commitment was read out, the reciter of the saṃkalpa formula was the [royal] purohitaYadunātha Paṇḍita Arjyāla, and the pourer of water Śrī General Commander-in-Chief Bhīmasena Thāpā. Those present to mark the borders were, as representatives of the tharaghara: Gaṇapati Paṃtha, Gokula Khanāla and Jayadeva Paṃtha; the head (nāike) of the land measurers (ḍaṅgola) [and] a madyāṃ [thari]1 Amita Siṃ, [along with] the ḍaṅgolaDhamdeu and the ḍaṅgolaKṛṣna Dhaṃju; from Cangu: Kāsinanda Nāikyā, Bāka Siṃ Pradhāna, Mastarāma Pradhān, Jayanarayana Pradhān, Bhājudeva Pradhān, Jogadhara Pradhān, Jasivanta Pradhān, Dhamanārāṃ Pradhān, Gaṃgādhara Khanāl, Harilāla Ḍhuṃgānā, Tulasirāma Khanāl, Lakheśvara Māhānyā; from Bhaktapur: the ḍhalapāBhācheu Pradhān, the ḍhalapāRatna Pradhāna, the head of tenants (mohināīkyā) MahantaNandu Pādhyā Sāpakoṭā, Śrīnīvāsa Pādhyā Acārja, Vaṭaikṛṣna Gelāla, Sarvānanda Adhikāri, Jayenārāyana Gailāla, Cintāmaṇi Pādhyā Ḍhuṃgānā, Jagu Pādhyā Ḍhuṃgānā, Raghu Pādhyā Ḍhuṃgānā, Sahadeva Pādhyā Khanāl, Deuriṣi Pādhyā Khanāla, Dharmānanda Khanāla, Dhaṃju Jaisī Khanāl, Puṇyasila Jaisi Khanāl, Hari Jaisi Khanāl, Rāmanarasiṃ Māhānyā, Bhimanārān Māhānyā and Anirudra Bhaḍel; from Nuvakot: the dvāre's representative Haradala Thāpā, the tharīKāntu Pādhyā, Viśvanātha Pādhyā Khanālaḥ and Pitāmbara Pāḍe, the dhāmī's2 son Jitamāna3 , the caudhariBākā Nevāra, the bhansārīViṣnunārān Nevāra, Dhanapati Pādhyā Rimāla, Pirthidhara Pādhyā Koīrālā, Suramardana Siṃ Nepāl.
The charter ends with the usual phrases admonishing both sides to heed the normal stipulations: the holder of the birtā is not to extend the boundaries of the plot, and in the absence of an offence no plot is to be seized. Anyone who does not abide by this will be considered to have committed a grave offence, as expressed in the standard verse svadattāṃ paradattām vā... ("Whoever seizes land given by himself or somebody else will be reborn as a worm in feces for sixty thousand years").
Dated Saturday, the 5th of the bright fortnight of Jyeṣṭha of VS 1893 (1836 CE).
Commentary
There are many similar documents having to do with land grants pledged to Brahmins during rituals at the cremation of King Raṇabahādura on the 7th of the bright fortnight of Vaiśākha in VS 1863, after he had died at the hands of his half-brother Śerabahādura the night before.4 The granting of birtā land pledged during the śuddhaśānti ritual performed at the end of the initial mourning period, in this case on Tuesday, the 4th of the dark fortnight of Jyeṣṭha VS 1863, is referred to in e.g. DNA_0013_0063, DNA_0013_0074, DNA_0013_0091 and K_0097_0007; and of such land promised during the vārṣikaśrāddha performed on the first death anniversary, in this case on the 7th of the bright fortnight of Vaiśākha in VS 1864, in DNA_0013_0072. The fulfilment of a similar pledge through the present document relates to a saṃkalpa made when one of the wives of the deceased king followed her husband into death and became a satī eight days after the king's death, a fact learned from the date given in the text (corresponding to 3 May 1806). The queen is only referred to by her status as being the youngest bhitrenī, that is, a wife brought in (lyāitā) without having been accorded the full marriage rites. Her name is mentioned in another document, relating to another land grant pledged on the same occasion, as Kasi Jāla (see K_0096_0059). As can be learnt from similar documents, the eldest mahārānī of King Raṇabahādura, Rājarājeśvarī, became a satī on the same day and the same place. On this occasion, in addition to pledging land grants (see E_0914_0006, K_0045_0011C, K_0045_0011D, K_0045_0011E, K_0125_0051), Rājarājeśvarī, who had been regent for her stepson Gīrvāṇayuddha twice, also donated ornaments to Vajrayoginī of Sankhu (K_0156_0028, K_0227_0010) and to Mahānkāla of Tuṇḍikhela (K_0390_0084).