Documenta Nepalica

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

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A note re the retrieval of utensils belonging to the Luthāma Guṭhī [VS 1860]

ID: E_2253_0015G

Edited and translated by Manik Bajracharya in collaboration with Yogesh Budathoki
Created: 2020-08-24; Last modified: 2021-04-15
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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, 2021. 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 note of a scribe concerns the retrieval of utensils belonging to the Luthāma Guṭhī from Bhājudhana Jaisī. It mentions Bhājudhana Jaisī's reluctance to return the utensils and how he went into hiding without returning them all. The document does not mention Bhājudhana or Rāmānanda by name.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1योरूक्कालैगयापछि•द्वार्‍या•चंद्रमणि•डिट्ठारूद्रनारां•डिट्ठाभागीरामले•माहान्यापठाई•पांथिवाटा[...]
2सि•सुपाईदेउभनि•पठायार•जांदां•धेरैदगावाजगर्‍यापछिकावुभयर•वाटासुप्यो•पाथिफोसि•वि
3ग्र्‍याको•वनाउनुदियाकोछ•चार⟪दिन⟫पछि•शुक्रवारकादिन•पुर्‍याइदिउंलाभनिसत्यनानाकरार
4गर्‍योर•छाडिदिञौ•पछिलुक्‌नपस्यो¯¯¯¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

Once we had taken this rukkā [to them], dvāryā Candramaṇi and diṭṭhās Rudranārāṃ and Bhāgīrāma sent [a number of] respectable (māhānyā) [persons] to have [Bhājudhana Jaisī] hand over a pāthī1 , bāṭā2 and phosi3 [to Rāmānanda Bā̃ḍā]. When they went there, [Bhājudhana] acted resentful. Later on he got [himself] under control and handed the bāṭā over. He pronounced oaths [and] made various commitments, saying: "The pāthī and phosi broke and have been given for repair. I will deliver them after four days, on Friday," and [so] we let him go. Later he went into hiding.

Notes

1. A container for grains having a volume of one pāthī, a unit equivalent to 4.546 litres or 8 mānās. [⇑]

2. A flat, round vessel usually made of copper or brass. [⇑]

3. A large copper vessel used for distilling rice spirits. [⇑]

Word	Notes
ḍiṭṭhā	var. ḍīṭṭhā, ḍiṭhā; a civil servant ranking above a mukhiyā and lower than a subbā (cf. Stiller 1981: 379). According to Edwards 1975: 107, ḍiṭṭhās originally had been the judges who presided over the courts in Kathmandu but later could serve in a number of other offices (such as the kausī, the hāttīsāra or the sadara daphtarakhānā; see also Kumar 1967: 165; M.C. Regmi 1978: 226). The Mulukī Ain distinguishes three categories of the ḍiṭṭhās; the jaṅgī kote ḍiṭṭhā (probably, combatant personnel), the lājimā ḍiṭṭhā and the ḍiṭṭhā in charge of Elephant or horse stable or cowshed (MA-54.31.11).
dvāre	var. dvāryā, duvāryā; n. 1) a local revenue collection official (e.g. M.R. Pant 2002: 132; M.C. Regmi 1970: 149) who can arrest offenders and try petty cases (Stiller 1981: 379). 2) a gatekeeper at the royal palace who collects certain levies (Edwards 1975: 106; M.C. Regmi 1978: 226); 3) a village headman in the Kathmandu Valley (M.C. Regmi 1970: 149).
mānā	n. a volumetric unit equivalent to 0.568 litres, or 1/8 of a pāthi.
rukkā	[fr. A. ruq'a] n. an executive order, short note, missive from the highest authority. The king, the crown prince, but also queens and the Rāṇā prime ministers issued rukkās.