A petition made by Bikulāla Karmācārjye to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā requesting that an emolument relating to the Bisket jātrā and the Tripurasundarī temple of Bhaktapur be transferred to him (VS 1986)
ID: K_0177_0041
Edited and
translated by Ramhari Timalsina
in collaboration with
Yogesh Budathoki
Created: 2021-06-08;
Last modified: 2021-12-15
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Abstract
This is a petition submitted by Bikulāla Karmācārjye to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā of Śrī 5 Sarkāra complaining of Kājīlāla Karmācārjye’s work relating to the Bisket jātrā and the Tripurasundarī temple of Bhaktapur, along with a request that the latter’s work and emolument be transferred to him.Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1श्री\ [Seal of Vīkulāla with legend: श्रीविकुलाल८०] [Unknown seal] 1दर्षास्त2उप्राँन्तभादगाउतुलाछेटोलमा२१गुठिमध्येनौगुठिवाटश्रीत्रीपुरसुंदरिदेवताकास्थानमाविस्केटपर्वपर्व
3चलाउनालाईहामिविद्यापीठ्काकर्माचार्ज्येजोभयाकोलेपालोपालोगरीगंमअगंमपुजागरीआयाकोमा
4३धारावानेश्वरगुठिवाटपुजाषर्चस्मेतसचाव़लमुरी५।मध्येसचाव़लमुरी३।१४षानगिलेश्रीत्रीपुरसुं
5दरीकोपर्वकामचलाउनलाउनुभंनेभयकालेसोषानगीमाकाजीलालकर्माचार्ज्येकोनाउमागरीनीजले
6गुठिषर्चअडावाटश्रीत्रीपुरसुंदरीको८४सालमा•जात्रापर्वचलाउदाधर्मलोपगरेकोरयो८५सालमा
7पनिपर्वपीछेधमलोपगरेकोगुठीजाचवाटकागजगरील्यायाकोतेसअडामावुझायाकैहोलाधर्मलो
8पगर्नेलाईअैंलेदिनुभंनेनभयकोर१०।११वजेदेषिपुजाथालनुपर्नेमासाजसाजमा•मालदिनल्याउने
9गर्नेसाजमाल्यायाकोमालवुझीलीकसोगरीकामचलाउनुनिजधर्मलोप[...]वाटषानगीरहस्तेव़ारीस्मेत
10झीकीमेरानाउमापायाषानगिस्मेतषाईश्रीभैरवनाठकोपुजारत्रीपुरसुंदरीकोपर्वकामस्मेतचलाई
11सर्कारकोजयमनाईषांदाहुं¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
12भादगाउतौमधीतोलकुलीमावस्नेविकुलालकर्माचार्ज्ये:
13लेदर्षास्तलेषिश्री५सर्कारतर्फगुठीवन्दोवस्तअडामाच
14ढाञ्यूँ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
15इतिसम्वत१९८६सालवैसाष९गते२शुभ्म्¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
Translation
[1r]
[Seal of Bīkulāla]
[Unknown seal]
An application
Uprānta: In order to conduct the Bisket jātrā festival in Tripurasundarī’s temple in the Tulāche [quarter] of Bhādagāu with the participation of nine of [the quarter’s] 21 guṭhīs whoever of us Karmācarjyes from the Vidyāpīṭha lives there have been performing, turn by turn, worship [in places in the temple both] where the public is allowed and prohibited to enter. There is a regulation stating: “3 murīs and 14 pāthīs out of the 5 murīs of sa1 rice together with worship expenses provided by the 3 Dhārā Vāneśvaraguṭhī should be utilized as a food allowance for conducting the Tripurasundarī festival.” The food allowance was registered under Kājīlāla Karmācārjye’s name. The document brought from the Guṭhī Jā̃ca [Aḍḍā] [explaining how he] violated the dharma (i.e. traditional and ritual practices) while conducting the festival of the year [VS 19]84 and also in the year [VS 19]85 has doubtless been submitted to your (lit. “this”) office (i.e. the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā). The Ain2 does not allow [a food allowance] to be given [to a person] who violates the dharma. Moreover, the worship has to be started at around 10/11 [at night], but [the person in question] kept bringing worship accessories [only] in the evening; how can one accomplish the task if one receives accessories brought [only] in the evening? I would perform the worship of Śrī Bhairavanātha and accomplish the tasks during the festival of Tripurasundarī, celebrate Sarkāra’s victories and enjoy the emolument if the emolument and [the right of] forwarding [worship materials] were withdrawn from the said person who violated the dharma and were given to me (lit. merā nāumā pāyā, were received in my name).
I, Bikulāla Karmācārjye, a resident of KulimāTaumadhī Ṭola of Bhādagāu, wrote this petition and submitted it to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā of Śrī 5 Sarkāra.
Monday, the 9th solar day (gate) of Vaiśākha in the [Vikrama era] year 1986 (1929 CE). Auspiciousness.
Commentary
The Bisket Jatra, which starts four days before the onset of New Year according to the Vikrama Saṃvat calendar and lasts for five days, is celebrated by the locals of Bhaktapur. The festival starts on Taumādhī Square after Bhairava and Bhadrakālī have been placed into their respective ceremonial chariots, the two chariots having been assembled near the Nyatapola temple approximately one month earlier. The chariot is tugged at both sides by inhabitants of each of the town’s two sections, and whichever side wins gets to take the chariot to their part of town immediately, while the other side has to wait their turn to do so. The chariot is eventually pulled down to Gāhiti, where it is kept for two days, and then pulled further down to Lyasinkhel on the eve of Nepalese New Year. An approximately 25-metre pole (yaḥsĩ) is erected at the ritual ground. The moment the pole stands upright, the movable iconic representations of the city’s eighteen powerful deities, including Tripurasundarī, are made ready to leave their abode on the first floor of their god-houses and to be placed in palanquins. They are directly taken to their aniconic counterparts, the seats (pīṭha) of the deities in the shape of an unworked stone, either in a hypaethral shrine or a temple with an open ground floor which ensures unhindered access. (Gutschow 2017: 122). The Aṣṭamātrikā goddesses are said to be present in the eight ropes of the yaḥsĩ, enjoying intercourse with the ceremonial pole, which represents either Indra or Śiva’s liṅga (Gutschow 2011: 93).