Documenta Nepalica

Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal
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A report on different incidents in Delhi, Jaipur, Lahore and Kabul (VS 1896)

ID: DNA_0003_0083


Edited and translated by Simon Cubelic in collaboration with Rajan Khatiwoda
Created: 2019-07-24; Last modified: 2023-06-05
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Published by Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities: Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal, Heidelberg, Germany, 2020. Published by the courtesy of the National Archives, Kathmandu. The copyright of the facsimile remains with the Nepal Rashtriya Abhilekhalaya (National Archives, Government of Nepal). All use of the digital facsimiles requires prior written permission by the copyright holder. See Terms of Use.
The accompanying edition, translation/synopsis and/or commentary are available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License CCby-SA.

Abstract

This letter from Delhi from an unknown sender to an unknown addressee reports on the Phulwalon ki sair festival in Delhi, a letter from the governor general received in Jaipur, the death of a nobleman's son in Lahore and the defeat of Emir Dost Mohammad Khan in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–1842).



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1⟪नं ३१६⟫

1श्रावन­सुदि­१३­रोजका­दिन­•फूलको­पंषा­वडो­ठाँटसंग­कुतुव­
2साहेवका दर्गाहमा­चढाया­़पंषा­चढायाका­वषतमा­•लाष­ज
3ना­जती­मानिस­जमा­भयाका­थिया­शुभम्‌­ ¯ ¯ ¯
4त्रीस्‌वीन्­‌ साहेव­•सावन­सुदि­३का­दिन­•जैपूरमा­दाषिल्‌­भै­•रानी
5जि­र­•महाराजाका­षिदमत्‌मा­•लाटसाहेवको­षरीता­गुजराई­
6हाजिर­•रहन्या­काम­गर्दा­•राजावाट­•साहेवलाइ­अत्तर­पान­दिला
7इ­विदा­दिनुभयो­शुभम्‌­ ¯ ¯ ¯
8लाहोरमा­षुसहाल­सिंको­छोरा­मर्‍यो­ ¯ ¯ ¯
9हिजो­वडासाहेववाट­•मुन्ना­ज्मादारको­जवानी­वादशाहका­हजू
10रमा­क्या­कुरा­विंति­गरी­पठाया­भन्या­•जरूरी­मुद्दाको­•अंगरेजी­
11चिठी­३­मेरा­नाउमा­पनी­•कल्‌कत्ता­•लण्डन्‌का­निमित्त­पनी­
12आइपुगदा­•कस्तो­•वुझियो­भन्या­अंगरेजी­सन­१८३९­अगस्त­
13महिनाको­५­तारीषमा­•कावुल­फत्ये­भयो­•दोस्त­•महंमद­
14षाँ­भागी­गयो­उस्का­छोराहरू­पक्रीया­सर्कारको­दषल्­
15भै­•शाहशुजाउल्‌­•मुलुक­गादिमा­वस्या­•यस्­कुराको­वाद
16शाहवाट­•वडासाहेवलाइ­•मुवारकवाद­•भनी­पठाउनुभयो­शुभम्‌­
17९६­साल­श्रावन­सुदि­१४­रोज­६का­दिन­डिल्लीवाट­लेष्या­शुभम्‌­

Translation

[1r]

Number 3261

On the 13th day of the bright fortnight of Śrāvana a fan of flowers was offered at the shrine of Qutb2 Sāheba with great splendour. At the time when the fan was being offered around one hundred thousand of people were gathered.3 Auspiciousness.

On the 3rd of the bright fortnight of Śrāvana, Thoresby (?) (text: trīsvīn)4 Sāheba made his appearance in Jaipur, handed over a kharitā of the Lord Sāheba (lāṭha sāheba) 5 to the office (khidamat) of the Queen6 and Mahārāja7 , and while he was in attendance the king ordered that perfume (attara) and betel (pāna)8 be handed over to the sāheba and [then] gave him permission to leave. Auspiciousness.

In Lahore, the son of Khushal Singh9 died.

What is the matter the governor general (baḍā sāheba) informed the young emperor about through JamadāraMunnā? What was learned upon the arrival of 3 English letters concerning an important matter sent to me, to Calcutta and London? [The following:] On the 5th of the month of August in the English year 1839, the English conquered Kabul. Dost Mohammad Khan10 fled and his sons were arrested. The government was taken over and Shah Shujah ascended the throne of the realm. The emperor sent his congratulations to the governor general. Auspiciousness.

[This letter] was written on Friday, the 14th of the dark fortnight of Śrāvana in the [Vikrama era] year [18]96 (1839 CE) from Delhi. Auspiciousness.

Notes

1. This number, added by a second hand, refers to the ms. no. given by the National Archives, Kathmandu. [⇑]

2. A disciple of Khvaja Mu'in al-Din Chishti of Ajmer. Khvaja Qutb al-Din Bakhtyar Kaki from Ush died in 1236 and was buried in a simple grave at Mehrauli. [⇑]

3. The events narrated here refer to the Phulwalon ki sair, the festival of the flower traders in Delhi, which marks the end of the rainy season and is jointly celebrated by Hindus and Muslims. The festival and its history is described in Pernau 2008: 50–55. According to M. Pernau, the earliest references to it are from the 1830s. It goes back to a vow taken by the mother of Prince Mirza Jahangir. She promised to dedicate a precious flower fan to the grave of Qutb al-Din if her son was allowed to return to Delhi from his banishment in Allahabad. The festival spans two days: On the first day huge fan-shaped standards decorated with flowers are brought to the temple of the goddess Yogmaya. On the second day, the procession leads to the shrine of Qutb al-Din which is also adorned with flower fans. [⇑]

4. It is not entirely clear to whom the English name trīsvīn attaches here. It sounds like the Nepali rendering of a name like Treswen or Treswell. However, it was not possible to trace a British official of such a name who was linked to Jaipur. Since the concerned person transmitted the official correspondence of the governor general and was granted an audience with the Mahārāja, it must have been a rather high-ranking official, probably the political agent of the Company government at the Jaipur court. Until July 1839 Major R. Ross served in that function. After he got a leave of absence for two years to recover his health at the Cape of Good Hope, Major C. Thoresby officiated as political agent (see The Oriental Herald, and Colonial Intelligencer, vol. IV, July–December 1839, p. 282). It might be possible that trīsvīn refers to the latter person. [⇑]

5. At that time, the governor general of India was George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland (r. 1836–1842). [⇑]

6. Probably Maji Chandrawatji, who was the mother of Mahārāja Sawai Ram Singh II and acted as his regent. [⇑]

7. At this time Sawai Ram Singh II (1833–1880, r. 1835–1880) was Mahārāja of Jaipur, and when this document was written was only four years old. [⇑]

8. A customary offering for guests. [⇑]

9. Probably Jamadāra Khushal Singh, who began his career as a member of the personal guard of King Ranjit Singh and rose to the post of chief chamberlain at the court of Lahore (see Chopra 1969: 4). [⇑]

10. Dost Mohammad Khan (1793–1863) was emir of Afghanistan during the period 1826–1839. He was dethroned on 2 August 1839 and Shah Shujah Durrani (1785–1842) enthroned on 7 August 1839. [⇑]