Documenta Nepalica

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

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A copy of a lālamohara from King Rājendra providing land to musicians for their services at the Tripureśvara temple in Kathmandu (VS 1888)

ID: K_0119_0011

Edited and translated by Marija Grujovska
Created: 2023-02-07; Last modified: 2024-06-18
For the metadata of the document, click here

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 copy of a lālamohara of King Rājendra designates one kheta of land in remuneration for the services of musicians at the Tripureśvara temple in Kathmandu. They are required to be present at the temple mornings and evenings.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1सहि ललित्‌मान्‌मषन्‌नक्कलवमोजींनक्कलदुरुस्तछ

1श्री३त्रीपुरेश्वर•महादेव•
2१

1स्वस्तिश्री•गीरिराजचक्रचुडामणिनरनाराये़णे•त्यादी•विविधवीरुदावली•वीराजमानमानोनत
2श्री•मन्माहाराज•धिराजश्रीश्रीश्री•महाराजराजेन्द्र•वीक्रमसाहावाहादुर•संसेरजंङ्देवा
3नां•सदा•समर•वीजयी़नाम्•¯¯¯¯¯¯¯---
4आगे---कास्थानमा•साझ्•वेहान्•भजनगर्न्या•भजनीञाहरुका•षान्गीकेषेत१।र[...]
5षी•वक्स्यौं•साझ्वेहान्भजनकाकाममाहाजीररुजुरहीतपसीलमाफीक्‌काषेतली•भोगेग
5र•¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
7तपसील•

[table1]

1	काठमाडौजवरकांछापकट्टीमध्येषेतमुरी		\|३६
2	नांगींचोंमुरी	\|१५
3	रामचोमुरि	।६
4	वाटमनीषंन्टकोमुरि	।६
5	पंडेऊकोमुरि	।४
6	मारुषंट्ट४मध्येमुरि	।४
7	जोगादोललाटकोवीर्तावाहेक्मुरि	।१
8	——---	——---	——---
9	वैठक्यालक्षमन्काचापकट्टीमध्येवानेश्वरतार•		।४४
10	सुवेदारधर्मसींलेषायाकोटेषु•दोभान्परिमुरि		।२०

11इतीसंम्वत१८८८सालमीतीपौषवदी११रोज५शुभ्म्

Translation

[1r]

[In the left margin:]

Signature: Lalitmān, [residing in] Makhan [Ṭol]: The copy is true to the copy.

[Space above the main text:]

Śrī 3 Tripureśvara Mahādeva – 1

[Main text:]

Hail! [A decree] of him who is shining with manifold rows of eulogy [such as] 'The venerable crest-jewel of the multitude of mountain kings' and Naranārāyaṇa (an epithet of Kṛṣṇa) etc., high in honour, the venerable supreme king of great kings, the thrice venerable great king, Rājendra Vikrama Śāha, the brave swordsman, the divine king always triumphant in war.

Āge: We assign one kheta for the emolument (khāngī) of the musicians who perform devotional songs (bhajana) at - [1] (i.e., the thrice venerable Tripureśvara) temple in the mornings and evenings. Be present in attendance for the work of [performing] bhajana mornings and evenings, take the kheta listed in the particulars [below] and enjoy [it].

Particulars:

[table]

1	[In] Kathmandu, within the carved out chāpa [land] of Javara(text: Javarkāṃ)1 , khetamurī		\|36
2	[In] Naṃgīco 2 , muris	\|15
3	[In] Rāmaco, muris	\|6
4	[In the chāpa land] of Vāṭamanī Khaḍkā (text: Vāṭamanī Khaṃnṭa)3 , muris	\|6
5	[In the chāpa land] of Paṃdeū 4 , muris	\|4
6	Within Mārukhaṃṭṭa 5 4 6 , muris	\|4
7	[In] Jogādola, except the birtā of Lāṭa, muris	\|1
8	---	---	---
9	[In] Baneśvaratāra within the carved out chāpa land of baiṭhakyā ( text: vaiṭhakyā) Lakṣman		\|44
10	[In the land at] the Ṭekhu confluence (dobhāna) enjoyed by subedāra Dharma Siṃ		\|20

Thursday, the 11th of the dark fortnight of Pauṣa [in the Vikrama] era year 1888 (1831 CE). Auspiciousness.

Commentary

Other copies of this document can be found in K_0003_0008A, K_0352_0027, and K_0094_0023. The present document does not specify the number of musicians, their caste or group background, or the instruments they played. The employment of Kusle musicians to play instruments at the Tripureśvara temple during the morning and evening pūjā is documented in K_0119_0010 and K_0119_0007, suggesting that the musicians in question here may have been Kusles as well.

Notes

1. K_0003_0008A, K_0352_0027, K_0094_0023: जवर्का [⇑]

2. K_0003_0008A, K_0352_0027, K_0094_0023: नागीचो (Nāgīco) [⇑]

3. K_0003_0008A, K_0094_0023, K_0352_0027: वाटमनी षड्का (Vāṭamanī Khaḍkā). [⇑]

4. K_0003_0008A, K_0352_0027: पुंदेऊ (Puṃdeū) [⇑]

5. K_0003_0008A: मारुषंट (Mārukhaṃṭa); K_0352_0027: मारुषंन्द (Mārukhaṃnda); K_0094_0023: मारुषन्द (Mārukhanda) [⇑]

6. All three additional copies of the same document clearly read 4. It is unclear what this number refers to. Could it be a kind of administrative division? [⇑]

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.
baiṭhake	n. a servant who decorates or cleans the meeting/drawing room (cf. NBŚ)
bhajana	[S.] n. lit. "the act of sharing, partaking." 1) praising a revered being, such as a deity or a guru, by singing devotional hymns or songs. 2) devotional hymn or song for praising a revered being, such as a deity or a guru.
birtā	[fr. S. vṛtti] var. birttā, bīrttā, vṛtā, vṛttā; n. a royal land grant. For discussion, see M.C. Regmi 1976: 22-37.
chāpa	n. 1) seal, stamp. 2) stamped item. 3) land granted by the state to individuals on a life-time basis in return for service (Adhikari 1984: 347; M.C. Regmi 1978: 855; M.C. Regmi 1995: 76; M.C. Regmi 2002: 298) . 4.) emolument in the form of land, specifically to Thāpās, i.e. Magars? (Parājuli et al. 1995: s.v. "5. ... thāpāko khāngī").
dobhāna	n. the confluence of two rivers.
khānagī / khānkī / khāngī	n. 1) salary, wages, or an annual emolument. 2) emoluments of government employees and functionaries, generally in the form of land assignments (M.C. Regmi 1978: 227; cf. M.C. Regmi 1978: 860; Adhikari 1984: 351). 3) rents accruing from the lands assigned to jāgiradāras (cf. M.C. Regmi 1965: 18-19).
kheta	[fr. S. kṣetra] var. khet, kheṭ; n. 1) irrigated land in the hill region suitable for the cultivation of rice and wheat. 2) a measure of land in the hill region equal to 25 ropanīs or 100 murīs (ca. 1.25 hectares) (M.C. Regmi 1999: 136-137 ; cf. M.C. Regmi 1999: 234 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 162 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 227 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 860 ; M.C. Regmi 1995: 77; Adhikari 1984: 351; M.R. Pant 2002: 133; Whelpton 1991: 284 ).
khetamuri	var. ṣetamuri, ṣetamurī; n. unit of land measurement in the hill region, comprising 1/4 ropanī with 100 khetamuris in 1 kheta. The area varied according to the grade: 1190 sq. ft. for lands of the best grade, and 1339 sq. ft., 1487 sq. ft., and 1785 sq. ft. for lands of inferior grades. see muri / murī 1).
kusle	var. kusalyā; n. untouchable caste fellows who have the profession of cleaning royal houses or courtyards and temples as well as playing musical instruments in the temples.The Mulukī Ain classifies the caste of Kusles as the 10th lowest (superior to Cyāmes, Poḍhes, Vādīs, Gāinyās, Damāī̃s, Kadārās, Kāmī, Sārkī, Kulu and Hindu Dhobī) among the Untouchable castes (MA-54.160.10). In the former social setting, Kusles used to reside in a sataḥ, a two-story building made for the Jogīs to reside but not owned by them. Kusles use the surnames like Darśandhārī or Kapālī and live in such sataḥ (sataḥchẽ) built in almost every twāḥ or ṭola. They keep the records of the new births and deaths in the families of the neighborhood. The social responsibilities of the Jogī community include receiving the offerings from the families that are observing the purificatory rites after any new birth or death in the family. The Jogī community is offered nhaenumābva (a set of all the dishes prepared for the feast during the purificatory rite of the 7th day of the death in the family), sībva (similar set of dishes especially dedicated to the deceased), etc (Mali NS 1130: 223)..
muri / murī	n. 1) also khetamuri; unit of land measurement in the hill region, comprising 1/4 ropanī with 100 muris in 1 kheta. The area varied according to the grade: 1190 sq. ft. for lands of the best grade, and 1339 sq. ft., 1487 sq. ft., and 1785 sq. ft. for lands of inferior grades. 2) volumetric unit comprising 20 pāthis (with 8 mānas to a pāthi), equivalent to 90.919 (M.R. Pant 2002: 134 ) or 87.23 (Pant and Pierce 1989: 93) liters. (M.C. Regmi 1978: 163; M.C. Regmi 1999: 235 ; M.C. Regmi 1978a: 228 ; M.C. Regmi 1978b: 862 ; Adhikari 1984: 354; M.C. Regmi 1988: 269).
śrī	[S.] n. word of blessing, can be used as apprecatio, in which case it means 'good fortune' (Pant and Pierce 1989: 12), can be used as a prefix to names of persons and gods, in which case it means 'venerable' or 'glorious' respectively. The number of śrīs used varies, depending on context.
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.