A list of four susāres who are to receive wheat from Rājabala Ḍoṭyāla and Ramānātha Pādhya (VS 1878)
ID: E_2778_0010
Edited and
translated by Surabhi Pudasaini
in collaboration with
Yogesh Budathoki
Created: 2022-07-19;
Last modified: 2022-12-31
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Abstract
This document lists four susāres assigned to the Pujā Koṭhā of the royal palace who are to receive wheat from the aḍais Rājabala Ḍoṭyāla and Ramānātha Pādhya.
Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1श्री\1पुजाकोठाकोसुसार्याजना४के[?]सालमहिना।४कोसीधागहुं¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯2¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
[table1]
| 1 | xधंन्देवी | १ | के | १|१०|• |
| 2 | xअजोध्या | १ | के | १|१०|• |
| 3 | xसुभलक्ष्मी | १ | के | १|१०|• |
| 4 | ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ | |||
| 5 | ४|१०|• |
3लुभुसेराको७८सालकोगहुवालीमध्येअडैराजवलडोट्यालरमानाथपाध्या
4[...]¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
Translation
[1r]
To four susāres of the worship room (pujā koṭhā), wheat [sufficient] for four months of the year [... is to be supplied]
[table1]
| 1 | x Dhaṃndevī | For | 1 | 1 [muri] 10 [pāthīs] |
| 2 | x Ajodhyā | For | 1 | 1 [muri] 10 [pāthīs] |
| 3 | x Subhalakṣmī | For | 1 | 1 [muri] 10 [pāthīs] |
| 4 | ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯--- | |||
| 5 | 4 [muri] 10 [pāthīs] |
From the wheat crop of the year [VS 18]78 from the [lands comprising the] Lubhuserā, the aḍais Rājabala Ḍoṭyāla [and] Ramānātha Pādhyā [….]
Commentary
This document lists three susāres—though it says four susāres are listed—attached to the worship room, presumably of the royal palace, who are to receive wheat grains from two aḍais. The word susāre denotes a person providing any type of service (susāra). Manifold kinds of work were assigned to such persons, of whom there were hundreds in the royal household. Many were attached to royal women. Others served in storerooms, prayer rooms and kitchens. The labour terms under which susāres worked are unclear. The present susāres are all listed without their full names, which otherwise serves to identify their caste or ethnic identity—a fact which might, but does not necessarily, indicate that they were not free labour. Though the term can be used for both genders, all the individuals listed here are women.
The document notes that the 1 muri 10 pāthīs of wheat per person is intended to cover four months of food consumption. In VS 1864 (see DNA_0012_0055), from the annual yields of the Lubhu serā, palace servants were already being given that amount of wheat annually for the same period of four months. The food allowance of palace servants thus remained stable at least from the VS 1860s till the late 1870s.
This is one of ten documents (E_2778_0001 to E_2778_0010) recording the distribution of wheat to various people working within the Hanumānḍhokā palace complex. All the orders date to VS 1878 and relate to the wheat crop of the Lubhu serā land in that year.
This document stands out from the majority of others in the series of 10 in some regards. It does not identify the person issuing the directive. Previous directives came from the kaparadāraGaruḍaḍhvaja Pā̃ḍe or from the aḍais (the persons otherwise responsible for distributing the wheat, usually the pair Rājabala Ḍoṭyāla and Ramānātha Pādhyā). Aḍais were employed at the Koṭa Bhaṇḍāra, which managed the stores of foodstuffs within the royal palace complex. Each serā was also put under the management of one or a pair of aḍais.1 In most previous documents, the two aḍais were ordered to disburse the wheat. Here the listed susāres are told to approach the aḍais for the wheat.