Documenta Nepalica

Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal

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A copy of a patra from General Bhīmsena Thāpā to Mukunda Siṃ Rāī confirming his land and house in Phedāp (VS 1881)

ID: E_3420_0003

Edited and translated by Julia Shrestha
Created: 2024-08-05; Last modified: 2024-10-31
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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, 2024. 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

Abstract

This document, issued by General Bhīmasena Thāpā, confirms Mukunda Siṃ Rāī's right to enjoy the land and house granted to him through an earlier lālamohara.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1१
2विश्वेश्वर
3(छाप)

1श्रीनाथ

1स्वस्तिश्रीजनरलभीमसेनथापाकस्यपत्रम्
2आगेमुकुन्दसिंराईको.....कंम्पुकाजागिर
3मादरियाकोफेदापगाउँमापल्टनकाअम्वलमावस्न्यापन्‌
4चसिंभन्याकालिम्वुलेगाउँतलाईहुदैननियावाटमैले
5जित्याकोहोभनिगाउँपनिहटायोभनिहाम्राजाँचकिछेउ
6तैलेकराउंदाहामीछेउषवरआयोतसअर्थ७७सालका
7जाँचमाकोत्यासरूपविष्टलेजाचिघरषेतजिमिनतलाईदराई
8दियाकोरहेछठेककोलालमोहोरवमोजिमकोजगाजिमिन
9तलाईथामियाकैछकंम्पुकाठेक्कारूपियातारिलालमोहोर
10वमोजिमकोजगाचलंगरसम्वत्१८८१सालमीतिमार्गसुदि२
11रोग२सुभम्

Translation

[1r]

Viśveśvara2

(Seal)

Glorious Lord (text: Śrīnātha)

Hail! [This is] a letter (patra) from the venerable General Bhimasena Thāpā.

Āge: To Mukunda Siṃ Rāī.

It has come to our notice that a Limbu called Panca Siṃ, residing on palṭana territory (ambala) in the village of Phedāp, [that is, on territory] registered as a kampu jāgira,3 said [to you], "This village is not yours; I have won it through a judgment," while you in turn complained to our inspector [that he] took the village [from you]. Therefore, Kotiyā Sarupa Biṣṭa inspected [the matter] in an inspection of the year 77, and it turned out that the house, field and land were registered in your name. The land (jagājimina) is confirmed [as belonging] to you according to the lālamohara [formalizing] the contract. Pay the money [specified in] the contract (ṭhekkā) with the kampu and use the land in accordance with the lālamohara.

Monday, the 2nd of the bright fortnight of Mārga in the [Vikrama era] year 1881 (1824 CE). Auspiciousness.

Commentary

The present document refers to a dispute over land and other property in Phedāp. According to the text, the land was illegitimately claimed by a Limbu person named Panca Siṃ, identified as a resident on territory serving as a revenue source of an army regiment (palṭana). The complainant, Mukunda Siṃ Rāī, is mentioned in several documents within the E-series of the present catalogue (E_3420_0004–E_3420_0007, E_3420_0024), some of which imply that he inherited the position of subbā of Phedāp from his father, Manajīta Rāī. The text reaffirms Mukunda Siṃ Rāī's right to the concerned property, but does not provide precise details about the dispute or Mukunda Siṃ Rāī’s relation to Panca Siṃ.

While the particulars of this dispute remain unclear, the document can be situated within the broader context of Limbuvān following the Gorkha conquest, when traditional social structures gradually eroded, and rivalries among the Limbus—often within the same clan segment—intensified as individuals competed for rights and resources before state officials. This competition was exacerbated by the government-supported immigration of settlers into Limbuvān and the increasing concentration of power over land, taxation and jurisdiction in the hands of the subbās (Sagant 2008: 125–126; 128–132).

Notes

1. This number was likely added for archival purposes and is not used in the main body of the text. [⇑]

2. Skt. "lord of the universe", an epithet of Śiva (Monier-Williams 1899: s.v. viśveśvara). [⇑]

3. The terms palṭana and kampu have multiple meanings. In the early 19th century, military companies stationed within the Kathmandu Valley were called kampu, while those outside the valley were referred to as palṭana (Hamal 1995: 32). However, both terms were often used interchangeably (ibid.). In this pre-Rāṇā document, kampu and palṭana may refer to the same unit and could be translated as regiment, battalion, or company, though none perfectly correspond to modern military sizes. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
āge	[fr. S. agre] adv. lit. "henceforeward" (Riccardi 1976: 150 n. 6), especially used in administrative and legal documents to mark the beginning of a text or paragraph. In its function it is similar to uprānta.
ambala	var. aṃbala, amavala, amala, ammala; n. 1) territory, administrative unit, district. 2) office, position, term of office, honour, respect (Turner 1931: s.v. amal); "territory in Gorkhali official discourse; land occupied by force, land from which the state has acquired right to collect revenue; generally conveys the same meaning as the term amal" (Michael 2012: 129).
jaggā	var. jagā. n., Turner 1931 s.v. jagā: s. Place; land, field, estate.
jāgira	var. jāgīra; n. "lands, homesteads, villages and other sources of revenue assigned to government employees as remuneration for their services" (M.C. Regmi 1999: 136).
kampu	[from E.] var. kaṃpu; n. 1) “regular army“ (Adhikari 1984: 351); the Kampu Daphadarakhānā was responsible for dealing with land assignments for the kampu (Whelpton 1991: 283). However, the exact structure of the kampu still remains obscure. 2) one of three categories of army units in the early 19th century, the other two being palṭana and kampanī or company (Hamal 1995: 33). A kampu comprised different palṭanas (M.C. Regmi 1979). According to Hamal (1995: 32), however, in the early 19th century those companies stationed in the Kathmandu Valley and under the command of the general were called kampu, while those outside palṭana.
kote	var. kotyā, koṭe; n. officer in charge of arms and ammunition, headman of porters in the army (Adhikari 1984: 352).
lālamohara	var. lālmohara, lālamohar, lālmohora; abbreviated mohara; n. royal document bearing the red seal.
palṭana	[fr. Eng. platoon] var. palṭan; n. regiment, battalion (Turner 1931: s.v. palṭan); army unit, according to Adhikari (1984: 158) smaller than a kampu. According to Hamal (1995: 32), in the early 19th century those companies stationed in the Kathmandu Valley and under the command of the general were called kampu, while those outside palṭana. Commonly, however, both were known as palṭanas.
patra	[S.] n. letter; document, deed; accounts.
subbā	var. subā; n. 1) governor or chief administrative officer of a province or district (cf. Kumar 1967: 168; Krauskopff and Meyer 2000: 185; M.R. Pant 2002: 135; M.C. Regmi 1999: 137; M.C. Regmi 2002: 303). 2) civil officer ranking higher than a mukhiyā, but lower than a sardāra (Stiller 1981: 382). According to Edwards subbās were stationed at Gorkha (cf. also Michael 2012: 134) and Chitwan, “with five others being administrators in the Terai” (Edwards 1975: 106). Edwards further mentions that “men of subba rank were also assigned in the capital to the Kumari Chowk, and Kat Bhandar offices, where they were the deputies of the kaji and kapardar in charge” (ibid.). 3) headmen of the Limbu community in the far-eastern hill regions (M.C. Regmi 1978: 229; cf. also 1978: 865).
ṭhekkā	n. 1) contract, lease; 2) service done for a fixed period of time; 3) things that are to be given to an office under fixed conditions; cp. ṭheka.

Bibliography

Hamal, Lakshman B. 1995. Military History of Nepal. Kathmandu: Sharda Pustak Mandir.
Monier-Williams, Monier. 1899. A Sanskrit-English dictionary: Etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to Cognate indo-european languages. Oxford: The Clarendon Press.
Sagant, Philippe. 2008 [1996]. The Dozing Shaman: the Limbus of eastern Nepal. 2, Indian edition ed. New Delhi : Oxford University Press.