An arjī on the British procurement of grain supplies from Indian rulers (VS 1895)
ID: DNA_0003_0049
Edited and
translated by Simon Cubelic
in collaboration with
Rajan Khatiwoda
Created: 2019-06-27;
Last modified: 2020-04-15
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Abstract
In this letter to the king of Nepal, the unnamed sender confirms that he received the king's written order to leave Delhi and has acted accordingly. Additionally, he reports that the British are procuring food supplies in Ludhiana, Karnal and Meerut, and have borrowed grain from several Indian rulers.
Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1श्री५हजूर2१⟪1नं
2२८२⟫[unknown seal]1अर्जी ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
2उप्रांन्त•मित्तीभाद्रशुदि३रोज५मा¯ ¯ १¯ ¯बाटदि
3ल्लीमाबालाशंकरमिश्रमार्फत्पठाईबक्स्नुभयाको•
4कृपापत्रआईपुग्यो•कृतार्थभैसिरचह्राञाँ•दिल्
5मानिहायत्षुशीहासल्भयो¯ ¯ १¯ ¯काहुकुम्•
6सिरचह्राईमित्तीआश्विनबदि३०रोज३कादिन•
7हामिहरूडिल्लीबाटकूँच्गर्याँवाकीआजकाल्ञ
8हाँअंग्रेजहरूले•लूध्याना•कर्नाल्•मीरठ्मा•
9रसद्हरूजंमागर्नलागीरहेछ•पटियालेवा़लारा
10जासंगअनाज्५लाषमन्•नाभेवा़लाराजासं
11गअनाज२।।लाष्मन्कोटलावा़लाराजासं
12ग•१।।लाष्मन्अनाज्•सापट्लीसक्या•फेरी
13अरू•राजा•रजवाडाहरूसंग•रूपैयार•अनाजहरू•
14सापट्माँगदैछन्•ज्यादाञहाँकोअहेवा़ल्वा
15लाशंकरकाअर्जीलेजाहेरहोला•वाकीसेव़क्ह
16रूले•जान्यासुन्याकोहाल्सूरत्¯ ¯ १¯ ¯च
17रणारबिन्दमा•दाषील्भयापछिबिंन्तीगरूंला•
18ज्यादेलेषीयाकोबेअद्बीकसूर•सरअप्सर्माफ्
19बक्स्याजाव़स्•इतिसम्बत्१८९५सालमित्ती•
20आश्विनवदि३०रोज३मुकाम्दिल्लीचलीचलाव़शु
21 ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
Translation
[1r]
Your Fivefold Venerable Majesty – 1
No. 2821
[seal]
Uprānta: On Thursday, the 3rd of the bright fortnight of Bhādra, a letter [full] of grace (kṛpāpatra) sent by -1- (i.e., Your Fivefold Venerable Majesty) through Bālaśaṃkara Miśra arrived in Delhi. We were gratified and bowed our heads. We felt enormous joy in our hearts. We respected -1-’s (i.e., Your Fivefold Venerable Majesty’s) order and departed from Delhi on Tuesday, the 30th of the dark fortnight of Āśvina. Remaining [news]: Nowadays the English here are collecting rations in Ludhiana, Karnal and Meerut. They have already borrowed 5 lākha maunds of grain from the king of Patiala, 2½ lākha maunds of grain from the king of Nabha and 1½ lākha maunds of grain from the king of Kotal. They are again asking to borrow money and grain from other kings and kingdoms (rajavāḍā)2 . You may have [already] been informed through Bālāśaṃkara’s letter about more news from here. Remaining [news]: Your servants will report to you (bintī garnu) the tidings we have come to know and hear about after we have been received at the lotus-feet of -1- (i.e., of Your Fivefold Venerable Majesty). Pardon us for the fault of disrespect for having written too much or for any discrepancies.
On Tuesday, the 30th of the dark fortnight of Āśvina in the [Vikrama era] year 1895 (1838 CE). Residence: Delhi, in preparation for departure. Auspiciousness.
Commentary
The document contains the name of neither its sender nor its intended recipient. A few months before the present letter was composed, a certain Bhikṣu Lakṣmaṇa Śarmā provided RājaguruRaṅganātha Pauḍyāla with another report from Delhi (see DNA_0003_0046). However, that report was written by a different hand; in particular, the differences among ब्, व् and व़्, which are striking in the present document, are absent there. We cannot rule the possibility completely out, though, that both documents were composed by the same person, but were written down by different scribes. The use of the first person plural in the present document may signal two or more Nepalese diplomatic personnel in Delhi, one of whom could have been Lakṣmaṇa Śarmā and the other the Bālaśaṅkara Miśra mentioned here, several of whose reports from Delhi are extant (see, e.g., DNA_0001_0053). In contrast to DNA_0003_0046, the present document is not addressed to Raṅganātha Pauḍyāla, who as rājaguru would have been accorded a sixfold śrī. The honorific of the fivefold śrī used here for the addressee rather suggests that the recipient of this letter was King Rājendra. The events reported in this document refer very probably to the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–1842). Maybe the loans in grain the British received from their allies were meant as supplies for the Company government's troops. Other documents from the NGMPP DNA-series concerning the Anglo-Afghan war are DNA_0001_0097 and DNA_0004_0031.