Documenta Nepalica

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

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A copy of a petition submitted by Subedāra Kulamāna Siṃha Pradhāna to Prime Minister Raṇa Uddīpa Siṃha requesting exemption from customary taxes and levies for performing ritual worship of Tripurasundarī in Sindhupalcok (VS 1941)

ID: K_0076_0003A

Edited and translated by Ramhari Timalsina in collaboration with Rabi Acharya
Created: 2021-05-06; Last modified: 2021-07-26
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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 is a copy of a petition submitted by Subedāra Kulamāna Siṃha Pradhāna requesting Prime Minister Raṇa Uddīpa Siṃha to issue a sanada exempting his household from customary taxes and levies for performing ritual worship of Tripurasundarī in Sindhupalcok and to provide justice for wrong done by amālīs.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

श्री\

1श्रीत्रीपुरसुंदरि
2१

1गुठी

[Unknown seal]

[Seal of Raṇoddīpa Siṃha with legend: श्रीरणउ
दीपसींह]

1तौथलिकोट्‌मौलावस्न्यासुवेदारकुलमांसिंप्रधांन
2लेचढायाकोरिपोट्‌¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
3मेरोवेहोरामाहाराजकरुणानिधान∙अघिहाम्राजूजू
4बाज्याकापालादेषिसोहितौथलिकोटमौलाकोरोजी
5घडेरिलिजेठोप्रधानिपगरिवाधिवडादसैमा¯ ¯१¯
6कोजोगर्नुपर्न्याकामकाजपनीगरिगराई∙आधीवी
7सर्जन्‌कोपूजास्मेत्‌गरिषर्चलगाईकामचलाईआ
8याकोहो∙अघिदेषिपुजावीसर्जन्‌स्मेत्‌हामिलेनगरि
9नहुन्याहुनालेरकम्‌कलम्‌माफको सनद्‌स्मेत्‌भयाको
10हुनालेरकम्‌कलम्‌ माफभै¯ ¯१¯पुजावीसर्जन्‌टहल
11मारुजुरह्याकाथीञ्यूँ∙सोसनदआगलगीहुदारभै
12चालालेघरभत्कदावेपत्ताहुदारसालवसालकाअ
13मालिलेपक्रीटंटागर्दार∙हामिले¯ ¯१¯कोपुजावीस
14र्जन्‌माअड्काउगर्ननहुन्यादेषदाजाचीआकराठह
15राईसालवसालकाअमालिहरुलेमाफीकोपुर्जीसा
16लवसालगरिलीयाकोछ∙गरिदीयाकाछं∙प्रभूयेसै
17रपोट्‌मागाभीचढायाकोछु∙अघिपरापुर्वदेषि¯¯¯ ¯¯
18¯ ¯१¯कोपुजाविसर्जन्‌टहलमासदारुजुरहनये
19सकाघरमारकम्‌कलम्‌लागदैन∙जेठोपगरिवाधी
20रोजीघड्यारि१पाउछ∙भंन्यासनद१गरिवक्स्यास
21र्कारकोजयेमनाई¯ ¯ ¯कोवडादसैकापुजावीसर्जन्‌
22टहल्‌मारुजुरहीकामगर्दासर्कारकोस्मेत्‌जयेज
23येहुन्याछ∙करुनानिधान्‌जोनीगाहा¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
24अंन्यायेगर्न्यासालसालमाभैआयाकाअमालीहरुहुन्‌
25अन्यायेगर्याकोपत्यारपर्न्यासालसालकोपुर्जीहरुछं¯¯¯
26इतीसम्वत्‌१९४१सालमितिभाद्रसुदी१५रोज६शुभ्म्‌

1सहि

1श्रीत्रीपुरसुंदरि

1सहि

Translation

[1r]

Śrī

Śrī Tripurasundarī (text: Trīpurasuṃdari)

Guṭhī

[Seal of Raṇa Uddīpa Siṃha with legend: Raṇa Udīpa Siṃha]

A petition submitted by SubedāraKulamāna Siṃha Pradhāna, a resident of Tauthali Koṭ Maulā

[Here is] my report: O Māhārāja! Ocean of mercy! Earlier, since our great-grandfather’s time, we have been taking responsibility for performing ritual worship of -1- (i.e. glorious Tripurasundarī1 ) during Baḍā Dasaĩ at [our own] expense, doing whatever task needs to be accomplished including the opening until the closing ceremonies, wearing the turban [worn by] a jeṭho pradhāna. For this, [as an emolument], we have been enjoying a select ghaḍerī in Tauthali Koṭa Maulā. Since some time in the past we have been obliged to perform also the concluding parts of [regular] worship, so that a sanada was issued exempting [us] from customary taxes and levies (rakamakalama), and having been so exempted from customary taxes and levies, we were dutifully conducting the worship of -1- (i.e. glorious Tripurasundarī) and also taking care [of the temple]. The sanada was lost when our house caught fire and was damaged by the earthquake.2 The amālīs who used to come every year detained and hindered us. Still, we realized that the worship and the concluding ceremonies of -1- (i.e. glorious Tripurasundarī) must not be discontinued. An investigation was made and an estimated figure was [also] determined. [Afterwards], the amālīs who come every year made [one version of] the purjīs, which they took [for themselves], and [one version] which they gave [to us], which [purjīs] we have attached and submitted together with this petition.

If you issue 1 sanada stating that the customary taxes and levies will not be exacted upon my (lit. ‘this person’s’) household—[we] who have been dutifully performing the ritual worship of - 1 - (i.e. glorious Tripurasundarī) and taking care [of the temple] since the distant past—[and] that [we] shall wear the turban of the village head and enjoy a select ghaḍerī, then [we] will celebrate Sarkāra’s victories. If we dutifully perform the closing worship of - 1 - (i.e. glorious Tripurasundarī) during Baḍā Dasaĩ and take care of the temple, Sarkāra’s glory will also increase. O Ocean of mercy! Whatever [you do will be an act of] kindness.

The amālīs who come every year are persons who do injustice. Herewith [attached] is evidence of injustice done: the annual purjīs.

Friday, the 15th day of Bhādra in the [Vikrama] era year 1941 (1884 CE). Auspiciousness.

Signature

Śrī Tripurasundarī (text: Trīpurasuṃdari)

Signature

Commentary

The temple of Tripurasundarī referred to in the document is located in Tauthali village in Sindhupalchok District.

Notes

1. Taken from the space above. [⇑]

2. Probably the petitioner is referring to the earthquake of 1833. This earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.6–7.9 and struck with an epicentre somewhere in or near the Kathmandu Valley. The earthquake caused major damage and deaths in numerous towns and villages in Nepal, northern India and Tibet (Wikipedia: Free encyclopaedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1833_Bihar%E2%80%93Nepal_earthquake, online accessed May 31, 2021). [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
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).
baḍā dasaĩ	var. baḍā dasai; also mahā dasaĩ; n. festival to worship the goddess Durgā as slayer of the buffalo demon, held over the bright half of the autumn month of Āśvina. Cf. dasaĩ / daśaĩ.
ghaḍerī	var. ghaḍyāri, gharyāḍī; n. a plot of land for erecting a building, category of land suitable for bulding houses.
guṭha / guṭhi / guṭhī	[fr. S. goṣṭhī] var. guṭh, guthi; n. 1) a socio-religious organization that manages and finances religious and charitable functions, a trust. 2) “endowed lands or other sources of revenue for financing religious and charitable functions“ (M.R. Pant 2002: 132; cf. M.C. Regmi 1988: 267).
jeṭho pradhāna	n. a village headman responsible for local affairs such as the maintenance of law and order.
purjī	[fr. P. purja] var. purji, pūrjī; n. 1) slip of paper, note. 2) formal letter written by a government institution or an official to another institution or to a person.
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).
sanada	var. sanad; n. a regulation, order, decree or certificate of appointment, esp. from the prime minister (prāimaminisṭara yaṇḍa kamyāṇḍara ina cipha) or the commander-in-chief general (kamyāṇḍara ina cipha janarala); "government orders" (Karmacharya 2001: 327).
śrī 3 mahārājā	var. māhārāja, mahārāja. lit. "thrice venerable great king"; title referring to the Rāṇā prime minister. On August 6 1856, King Surendra, through a lālamohara, conferred upon Jaṅga Bahādura the title of mahārāja of Kaski and Lamjung (cf. Agrawal 1976: 10). The title was subsequently passed on to all Rāṇā prime ministers.
subedāra	n. commander of a military company (cf. M.C. Regmi 1999: 137) consisting of 100 soldiers (N.R. Pant et al. 1969: 383), often placed in charge of a district (M.R. Pant 2002: 136; M.C. Regmi 1978: 229). According to Stiller (1981: 382), he is [below the subbā] the second highest commissioned officer, and, according to Whelpton (1991: 286), he is immediately senior to the jamadāra.