Documenta Nepalica

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

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A copy of a purjī from Bhīma Śamśera to the Jaṅgī Aḍḍā ordering the purchase of cannabis for the ascetics at Kālamocanaghāṭa (VS 1958)

ID: K_0642_0024

Edited and translated by Christof Zotter
Created: 2024-06-17; Last modified: 2024-09-29
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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, 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

In this purjī Commander-in-Chief General Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā instructs the officials of the Jaṅgī Aḍḍā to purchase 100 mohararupaiyā̃s of good quality cannabis for the ascetics of the akhāḍās at the Kālamocanaghāṭa and the Śivarātrī festival of VS 1958.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1श्री\

1श्री३सर्कार•
2\

1⟪22⟫

1[...]नं

1स्वस्तिश्रीमद्राजकुमारकुमारात्मजश्रीकम्यांडरइनचीफ्‌जनरल्‌भीम्सम्सेर•जङ्गराणावाहादुर•कस्यज
2ङ्गीअडाकाहाकीम्कारीन्दाकेपुर्जीउप्रान्तकालमोचन्‌घाट्‌काअषडाकासाधु•सन्तहरूलाइषुव़ाउनानी
3मीत्तर•सीवरात्रीकोकाम्‌लाइस्मेतमोरू१००कोअसल्‌गाजा•पश्चीम्‌गोर्षा•कास्कीलम्‌जुंमाजाहान्‌हुं
4छकीफायत•वक्यौताकाआम्दानी•मध्येषरीदगरीतौल्‌दर•षोलीचलानीलेषी¯ \ ¯ ¯तर्फगुठीवन्दो
5वस्त•अडामापुग्ने गरीपठाइदीनुरसोचलानीवमोजीम्‌कामाल्‌वुझिलीमोल्‌•नीजअडामार्फत•भर्नाहुंन्या
6छ•भन्यावेहोरा•कोइलाकाकोवक्यौता•अडाकानाउमाजोचाहीने•सनद गरी•पठाइ लेषीयावमोजीम्‌
7कोमाल्‌झीकाइ•दीन्याकाम्‌गरइतीसम्वत१९५८साल्‌मी[...]आश्वीन्‌•सुदी९रोज२शुभम्‌¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

[Invocatio:]

Śrī

[In the space above the main text:]

Śrī 3 Sarkāra

[In the left margin:]

221

no. [23]2

Hail! [This is] a purjī of the venerable Commander-in-Chief General Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā (text: Bhīm Samsera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bāhādura), a venerable prince born of a prince, to the chief and clerks of the Jaṅgī Aḍḍā.

Uprānta: In order to supply the ascetics (sādhu santaharū) of the akhāḍās at Kālamocanaghāṭa (text: Kālamocanghāṭ),3 and for the tasks relating to Śivarātrī purchase with [an eye to] frugality, using 100 mo[hara]ru[paiyā̃]s of the Bakyautā [Aḍḍās'] revenue,4 good quality (asal) cannabis (gājā for gā̃jā)—wherever [available]—in the western [regions, such as] Gorkha, Kaski [and] Lamjung, write notes (calānī), disclosing weights and rates, [and] send them to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā under [Śrī 3 Sarkāra]5 . Take charge of the goods in accordance with those calānīs. The cost will be reimbursed through the said Guṭhī Bandobasta?] Aḍḍā.6 If needed, issue [and] send orders (sanada) in the names of the Bakyautā Aḍḍās (for Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍās) in the regions (ilākā) [where] the transactions [may occur] and have the [requested] goods taken out in accordance with what is written.

Monday, the 9th of the bright fortnight of Aśvina in the [Vikrama] era year 1958 (1901 CE).7 Auspiciousness.

Commentary

Two weeks after the present document Bhīma Śamśera ordered another batch of cannabis for the Kālamocanaghāṭa akhāḍās from the Hetauda pauvāguṭhī (K_0642_0025). For documents relating to the akhāḍās' cannabis supply for the following year, see K_0655_0026 and K_0655_0030.

Notes

1. This number was added by a later hand (the NGMPP cataloguer?) using Arabic numerals. It refers to the position of the document in a batch of 46 documents within the bundle (pokā) number 10 of the "3 Sa. Gu. Ban." (Śrī 3 Sarkāra (?) Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā), microfilmed from K_0642_0003 (no. 1) up to K_0642_0025 (no. 23) and K_0642_0035 (no. 24) up to K_0642_0057 (no. 46) (cf. registration number on the catalogue card). [⇑]

2. Up to K_0642_0010 (no. 8), this running number is identical to the Arabic number added later (see previous note). However, the next document in the batch is counted as "no. 10" in the older registration system and from then on the two numbers diverge by one. [⇑]

3. There are four so-called "wrestling grounds" (akhāḍās) at Kālamocanaghāṭa related to four different ascetic traditions, namely the Śaiva Daśanāmīs and Nāthas, the Vaiṣṇava Vairāgīs and the Sikh-affiliated Udāsīs (see also K_0395_0065 esp. n. 5). [⇑]

4. Bakyautā literally means "remainder, remnant" (see Parājuli et al. VS 2067: s.v., and Turner 1931: s.v. bakautā), but the document probably refers here to the tax collection offices mentioned later in the text (see below). [⇑]

5. Inserted from the space above the main text.. [⇑]

6. Other documents (see Commentary to K_0655_0026) suggest that the actual reimbursement was carried out by the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā after it had received instructions to do so from the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā. See also K_0661_0003. [⇑]

7. The date corresponds to 21 October 1901. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
akhāḍā	[fr. S. akṣavāṭa-] var. akhaḍā. n. lit. "wrestling ground", military station of ascetics; organised group of fighting ascetics. akhāḍās are found e.g. in the traditions of the Śaiva Daśanāmī, the Vaiṣṇava Vairāgī and the Sikh affiliated Udāsī (Clark 2012).
Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍā	var. Vakyautā Tahasīla Aḍa, Vakyautā Aḍā; n. offices established to collect revenue on taxable lands. Prior to their establishment in 1860s, collection of such revenue was done traditionally by village headmen and other non-official functionaries (cf. Regmi RRS 11 (2): 18-19).
calānī	var. calāni; n. a note or letter pertaining to an order or consignment (calāna); an invoice, a letter of dispatch; committal.
daśanāmī	[S.] n. an order of Śaiva ascetics said to be founded by Śaṅkarācharya.
gā̃jā	[gañjā-] var. gāṃjā, gājā; dried buds of the female hemp plant (Cannabis sattiva L., Cannabis indica Lam.); Marijuana.
Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā	var. Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍā, Guṭhi Bandobasta Aḍā; n. "Guthi Administration Office", office responsible for the management of guṭhīs; established under Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā in 1852-1853 as replacement of the former Guṭhī Kacaharī. Its foundation marks the change from the guṭhīyāri system of the guṭhī management to the contractor based system; remained the central office to coordinate all offices subsequently established for handling different aspects of guṭhī management, including the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā and others. Separate Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍās managed the śrī 5 sarkāra guṭhīs and the śrī 3 sarkāra guṭhīs (cf. M.C. Regmi 1978: 713-715).
Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā	n. office responsible for managing the expenses of the guṭhīs working under the head of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā; two separate Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍās managed the śrī 5 sarkāra guṭhīs and the śrī 3 sarkāra guṭhīs.
ilākā	[fr. A. 'alāqa] n. an administrative unit smaller than a district (jillā) (Adhikari 1984: 349). According to Kumar a synonym for tahasila or jillā (Kumar 1967: 165).
Jaṅgī Aḍḍā	[jaṅgī + aḍḍā] n. army headquarters. According to Kumar this department—created by Prime Minister Jaṅga Bahādura Kũvara Rāṇā after his return from England—"made recruitments, took roll call, issued parole orders, assigned troops for particular purposes, and sent guards and bodyguards for the officers" (Kumar 1967: 101f.). It was under the control of the senior commanding-general of the Western front (paścima tarphakā kamyāṃḍāra janarala) or jaṅgī lāṭha. Its executive head was usually a subbā (ibid.).
mohararupaiyā̃	var. mohararupaiyām, mohararūpaiyā, moharaṭaṃkā (New.); often abbreviated as moru, morū, moharu, moharū, moharru, mohorru; n. monetary unit based on and equivalent to two eight-anna silver coins (moharas); in calculations usually broken down into four sukās, 16 ānās or 64 paisās (cf. Pant and Pierce 1989: 93) or 256 dāmas; the exchange ratio with paisās was calculated differently at different times and in different parts of the kingdom, depending on the relative values of silver and copper, ranging between 52 and 80 paisās (Regmi 1982: 73). In documents sums are represented in four numerical fractions, with the rupaiyā represented by numbers; the sukās by one to three daṇḍas or the avagraha sign representing zero; the ānās by one to three diagonal dashes, sometimes as a loop with two or three jags; the paisās again by daṇḍas or numbers; the dāmas by numbers or horizontal dashes.
nātha	[S.] n. a follower of the tradition of Gorakhanātha. See also jogī.
pauvāguṭhī	[pauvā + guṭhī] n. a a socio-religious organization (guṭhī) that manages and finances a pauvā and the services related to it.
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.
sādhu santa	[sādhu + santa] n. generic term for holy men, ascetics.
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).
śivarātri	[S.] var. śivarātrī; also mahāśivarātri; n. lit. "Śiva's night", festival in honour of Śiva celebrated in the night of the 14th of the dark fortnight, on a bigger scale (then called mahāśivarātri) in the night of the 14th of the dark fortnight of the month of Phālguna.
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.
śrī 3 sarkāra	lit. "three-times venerable ruler"; title used by the Rāṇā prime ministers (cp. Whelpton 2005: 266).
udāsī	[S. udāsin-, lit. "one who is detached, indifferent"] var. udāsi; n. 1) ascetic affiliated to the Sikh tradition.
uprānta	var. uprāṃta, ūprāṃnta, ūprā̃nta, prāṃta; also yathocita uprānta; conj. after that, besides, in addition to, hereafter. In earlier prose and official documents, this word marked the beginning of a text or paragraph. It has no equivalent in English (Clark 1989: 231). In some (mostly Rāṇā period?) documents, it takes the form of yathocita uprānta.
vairāgī / bairāgī	[S. vairāgin] var. bairagi; a vaiṣṇava ascetic, religious devotee (cf. Turner 1931: s.v. bairagi); specific. a member of the Rāmānandī order

Bibliography

Parājulī, Kṛṣṇaprasāda et al. (ed.). VS 2067 [2010]. Nepālī Bṛhat Śabdakośa. 7th ed. Kathmandu: Nepāla Prajñāpratiṣṭhāna.
Turner, R. L. 1931. A Comparative and Etymological Dictionary of the Nepali Language. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner.