Documenta Nepalica

Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal
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A rukkā from the king granting Prime Minister Jaṅga Bahādura Kũvara allowances previously enjoyed by Bhimasena Thāpā (VS 1903)

ID: DNA_0015_0091


Edited and translated by Rajan Khatiwoda in collaboration with Rabi Acharya and Astrid Zotter
Created: 2016-10-04; Last modified: 2018-03-28
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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, 2018. 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 CCby-SA.

Abstract

This rukkā from the king grants allowances previously enjoyed by General Bhīmasena Thāpā to Prime Minister Jaṅga Bahādura Kũvara. These allowances include non-monetary items—channelled through the Tosākhānā, the Koṭa Bhaṇḍāra and other offices—that are required of subjects on the occasion of the Dasaĩ and Phāgu festivals.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1श्रीदुर्गाज्यूः\­

[royal seal]

1स्वस्ति­श्रीमन्महाराजाधिराजकस्य­रुक्का­¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
2आगे­•प्राइम्‌­मिनिष्टर­यान­कम्यांडर­इन­चिफ्‌­जनरल­जङ्ग­वहादुर­कुँव़रके­
3अघि­जनरल­भीमसेन­थापाले­दर्वारवाट­पायावमोजिम्‌­•तोसाषाना­कोट­भ
4डार­अरु­जगाजगावाट­जान्या­षान्यापिन्या­सराजाम्‌­कपडालत्ता­दसै­फा
5गुका­मामुली­दैदस्तुर­गैर्‍ह­सवै­वहाल­गरिवक्स्यौं­आफ्ना­षातिरजामा
6सित­•हाम्रा­निमक्‌को­सोझो­चिताइ­जनरल­भीमसेन­थापाले­षाइ­पाइ­
7आय़ावमोजिम्‌­•तोसाषाना­कोटभडार­जगाजगावाट­षान्यापिन्या­सराजा
8म­कपडालत्ता­दसै­फागुका­मामुली­दैदस्तुर­गैर्‍ह­सवै­वेलावेलामा­ली­भो
9ग्य­गर­इति­सम्वत्­१९०३­साल­मिति­मार्ग­वदि­५­रोज­१­शुभम्­¯ ¯ ¯

Translation

Venerable Durgā

[royal seal]

Hail! [This is] an executive order (rukkā) of the supreme king of great kings.1

Āge: To the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief General Jaṅga Bahādura Kũvara.

We have assigned [to you] everything that was previously received from [our] court (darabāra) by General Bhīmasena Thāpā and went through the [Kausī] Tosākhānā, Koṭa Bhaṇḍāra and other places, [including] food and drink, dress, usual obligations (māmulī) and customary fees (daidastura) [delivered by the subjects] during the Dasaĩ and Phāgu festivals. Being loyal to our salt and mindful of your duty, enjoy everything, [including] food and drink, dress, usual obligations and customary fees [delivered by subjects] on Dasaĩ and Phāgu that were enjoyed (lit. "eaten and received") by General Bhīmasena Thāpā, collecting them from time to time from theTosākhānā, Koṭa Bhaṇḍāra and other such places.

Sunday, the 5th day of the dark fortnight of Mārga in the [Vikrama] era year 1903 (8 November 1846 CE). Auspiciousness.


Commentary

By this executive order Jaṅga Bahādura is granted privileges previously enjoyed by Bhīmasena Thāpā, and that, strangely enough, more than seven years after the latter's death in 1839 (on Bhīmasena’s end, see Acharya 1971: 15; Adhikari 1984: 22). This series of entitlements were steps along the way to Jaṅga Bahādura's empowerment after the Koṭa Massacre on 14 September 1846 (see n. 1). In a multi-step process, rights and titles were transferred to Jaṅga Bahādura Kũvara, while the reigning Śāha king Rājendra and his heir Surendra were deprived of their power to govern the country. Another lālamohara issued on the same day, appointed Surendra prince regent (Pandey 1973: 50; cf. n. 1). Strangely, Acharya (1971: 25) has translated a document issued by King Rājendra appointing Jaṅga Bahādura as Prime Minister in VS 1903 on the 10th of the dark fortnight of Mārga, while in the present document, issued five lunar days before that, he is already addressed as the prime minister.

Notes

1. The title mahārājadhirāja could here refer to either the technically still reigning King Rājendra or to his son and technically still crown prince Surendra. Already in August 1842, Rājendra had ordered that his son Surendra be addressed with the title mahārājadhirāja (Pandey 1973: 51, Whelpton 1991: 110). In November 1844 (1st of the bright fortnight of Mārga VS 1901) Rājendra issued a document officially conferring the title on his son and empowering him to "conduct the affairs of the administration" (tr. by Acharya 1971: 21). Did this empowerment include the right to issue rukkās as mahārājādhirāja? In 1846 (VS 1903) after the Koṭa Massacre on 14 September, King Rājendra officially announced his intention to go on a pilgrimage (Pandey 1973: 50 n. 1), and in a lālamohara issued on the 10th of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārttika, he authorized Surendra to ascend the throne "in case, while on pilgrimage, he would be made captive by the British government or in case he would not come back even at his fortieth year of age" (ibid.: 50). On the same day the present document was issued, Surendra was appointed prince regent in the absence of the king (ibid.: 51 n. 5). Whelpton (1991: 170 n. 96) refers to a lālamohara that was issued on the 12th of the dark fortnight of the month of Mārga (13 November 1846) still in Rājendra's name. Rājendra left Kathmandu for Benares on 23 November 1846 (Whelpton 1991: 166). Only on 12 May 1847 was Surendra officially crowned king of Nepal (ibid.: 173). [⇑]