Documenta Nepalica

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

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A copy of a rukkā of King Rājendra providing remuneration to the priest Viśṇupada Pādhyā for performing rituals at a Tripurasundarī temple (VS 1895)

ID: K_0093_0002E

Edited and translated by Ramhari Timalsina
Created: 2021-02-17; Last modified: 2021-05-03
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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. All use of the digital facsimiles requires prior written permission by the copyright holder. See Terms of Use.
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Abstract

This rukkā from the king, who according to the date must have been Rājendra, provides an extra 20 rupees to the priest Viśṇupatī Pādhyā for performing ritual worship in the Tripurasundarī temple in Tīprīkoṭ.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1श्रीत्रीपुरासुन्दरीदेवि

1स्वस्तिश्रीमन्माहाँराजाधिराजकस्यरुक्का ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
2आगेजुमलामासालवसालजांन्याअमालीप्रतीसा
3ल९४काजाचवाटदरीय़ाकोठेकरकंमकलमवाहेक
4छिनासीम्‌पल्‌टंकाकचहरीमाछिन्याकाझक
5डारदरादरावाटआय़ाकापंचषतकाआम्दानीम
6ध्येतीप्रीकोट्‌काथानिवीश्नुपदपाध्याके¯ ¯१¯का
7पुजालाईठुलोषर्चछपुजाकोषर्चपुग्दैनभंदा
8थपरुपैञास्मेत्‌लीपुजागरीहाम्रोजयमनाउनुभ
9नीसाल९५देषिरुपैञा२०तनुषाहगरीवक्स्यौंसा
10लवसालभरीदीन्यागरवहिवुझाऊदाअसुलीकार
11सीदवमोजीममोजराप्रलाईतीसम्वत्१८९५
12सालमीतीवैसाषसुदी१०रोज६शुभं ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯

1सक्कलवमोजिंनक्कलदुरुस्तछभनीस्हीगर्ने ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯

1पु.रुद्रानंदउपाध्या

1पवीश्नुपद ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ १

1स्हीवी
2श्नुपद

[Unknown seal]

Translation

[1r]

Śrī Tripurasundarī Devī (text: Trīpurāsundarī Devi)

Hail! A rukkā of the venerable supreme king of great kings

Āge: To the amālī who goes annually to Jumlā

It was reported [to us] that the expenses for the rituals of -1- (i.e., glorious goddess Tripurasundarī 1 ) [performed] by Vīśnupada Pādhyā, a local man of standing in Tīprīkoṭ, are great and that [what he drew] from the revenue collected in the village council court (kacaharī) of ChināsīmPalṭana 2 for resolving disputes and that collected from various sub-divisions (darā) obtained from [persons who have committed one of] the five heinous crimes (pañcakhata)3 , but excluding tax revenue from contract assignments (ṭheka) and customary taxes and levies (rakamakalama) registered under accounting for the year [VS 18]94, is not enough for the rituals. [Viṣṇupada] should take additional money, worship [the deity] and celebrate our victories. We have granted [an extra] 20 rupees as remuneration from the year [VS 18]95 onwards.

Provide [him that amount] every year. When you submit accounts [this year], you will be reimbursed according to [what is stated in] the receipt of payment.

Friday, the 10th of the bright fortnight of Vaiśākha in the [Vikrama era] year 1895. Auspiciousness.

Attesting that the copy is true to the original.4

The priest5 Rudrānaṃda Upādhyā

Paṇḍita6 Vīśnupada7

Signature: Viśnupada8

[Unknown seal]

Commentary

For more information about the Tripurasundarī temple, see the Commentary in K_0093_0002C.

Notes

1. Taken from the space above. [⇑]

2. This is probably a battalion from a locality named Chināsīm. [⇑]

3. A person involved in such a crime was severely punished, often by death, branding or confiscation of property (see Adhikari 1984: 354). [⇑]

4. Text in the left margin. [⇑]

5. pu., an abbreviation for pujārī. [⇑]

6. pa., an abbreviation for paṇḍita. [⇑]

7. Text in the left margin. [⇑]

8. In the left margin. [⇑]

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.
amāli / amālī	[fr. A.] var. amāli, ambāli, amvalī, aṃvalī; also amālidāra; n. a revenue official or functionary of a regional administrative unit (Pant and Pierce 1989: 93, M.R. Pant 2002: 131). According to Krauskopff and Meyer he had only "minor judicial powers" (Krauskopff and Meyer 2000: 183). Kumar further notes that he was a "subordinate civil functionary in the tehsil" (Kumar 1967: 164). His office was called amala (cf. Adhikari 1984: 344, M.C. Regmi 1978: 853).
kacaharī	[fr. Pr. kaccahariā] n. 1) an office that looks after legal issues. 2) court. 3) assembly, meeting
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.
rakamakalama/kalamarakama	[fr. A.] n. 1) official matters. 2) an account containing different sections of revenue. 3) knowledge of official matters, officialdom (Turner 1931: s.v. rakam-kalam). 4) customary taxes and levies (Regmi 1976: 77).
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.
ṭheka	var. thega; n. "generic term used to denote various categories of contractual systems for the collection of taxes" (Michael 2012: 135; cf. M.C. Regmi 1988: 270).