Documenta Nepalica

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

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A purjī from the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā to the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā ordering the disbursement of funds for installing a new Kumārī (VS 1980)

ID: K_0214_0046

Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter in collaboration with Raju Rimal
Created: 2018-10-20; Last modified: 2019-06-04
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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, 2019. 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, the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā lays out the procedure to be followed to satisfy the claim of the pūjārī Vimalāramaṇa Rājopādhyā to material provisions for installing a new Kumārī in time to worship during Baḍādasaĩ at the Patan Taleju temple and orders the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā to disburse Rs. 20 for what is needed in the attendant feast.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1⟪12a⟫

1श्री५सर्कारतर्फगुठीवंडोवस्तवाट ऐंगुठीषर्चअडाके

2पुर्जी•

3ऊप्रांत•पाटंश्रीतलेज्युमावडाडसैकोपुजामारअरुपर्वपर्वमास्मेट्‌पुजागर्नुपर्नेश्रीकुमारी७६साल्माषु
4न्‌भैफेर्डागुल्वन्डकोलहंगा१वापत्तातीन्‌षाप्‌कोचोलो१लालकपडाकोपछ्यौरा१स्मेट्‌को
5कौसीतोसाषानावाटमोरु९।२५भोजकोचाहीनेठेकडारवाटमोरु२०।स्मेट्‌ज्मामोरु२९।२५ष
6र्चगरीस्थापनाभयेको⟪श्रीकुमारीको⟫माहालडाट्‌झरीषुन्‌भयाकोलेयो८०साल्कोवडाडसैलाईअर्कोनञाकुमा
7रीस्थापनागर्नुपर्नभयेकोलेजाहेरगरेकोछु•सावीक्‌वमोजींपाऊभंनेस्मेट्‌वेहोराकोपुजारीविमला
8रमणराजोपाध्याकोजाहेरीडर्षाष्‌यस्‌अडामाडीयेकोलेवुझडाडर्षाष्‌कावेहोरावाटमोरु२०।भो
9जलाईठेकडारवाटपाऊनेभंनेलेषीयाकोठानेर७७साल्‌वैसाष१गतेदेषीनेपाल४भंज्यां
10भीत्रकागुठीज्मैअमानट्‌गर्नुभंनेसवाल्वमोजीं⟪सोगुठीस्मेट्‌को⟫तेस्‌अडावाटअमानट्‌षर्चगरीचलाईआयेकोसोच
11लाऊनालाईठेक्‌डारवाटषर्चलगट्‌लीसोलगट्‌मायेस्‌अडाकोरगुठीलगट्‌स्मेट्‌कोछापलगाईसोष
12र्चकोलगट्‌तेस्‌अडामासावीकैपालाचलांभयेकोवुझीनालेषर्चकोकांहुदातेस्‌अडालाईकौ
13सीवाटपाऊनेमोरु९।२५कोहकमासोहीकौसीतोसाषानालाईलेषीठेकडारवाटपाऊनेभनी
14लेषीयाकोमोरु२०।कोहकमातेस्‌अडालाईलेषनेकांभयेकोछतसर्थमाठीलेषीयाकोवे
15होरा⟪वुझी⟫वुपीमाथीसोकुमारीफेर्दाभोजकेमोरु२०।वीसरुपैञाडीनुपर्नेलगट्‌काभयेकोरहेछरऐंस
16वाल्कोल्लेडीनहुनेभयेतेस्‌अडालाईभयेकासव़ालवमोजींकोरीट्‌पुर्याईजोगर्नुपर्छगरी⟪नीजपुजारीषर्चहस्तेषर्चडीनेलेषी⟫दीनेकां
17गर•सं८०साल्‌आश्वींगते रोज्‌शुभ्म्¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

12a1

From the Guṭhī Bandobasta [Aḍḍā] under Śrī 5 Sarkāra to the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā under the same

Purjī

Uprānta: "When the Śrī Kumārī to be worshipped during the pūjā [on the occasion] of Baḍādasaĩ at the Pāṭaṃ Śrī Talejyū [temple] and during other festivals was replaced in the year [VS 19]76 after blood had appeared, the installation ritual was [performed] at a total cost of 29.25 mohararūpaiyā̃s—9.25 morus from the Kausī Tosākhānā for 1 lower garment (lahãgā) of gulbanda2 fabric, 1 three-layered blouse (colo) [made of] bāpatā fabric, 1 headscarf (pachyaurā) of red fabric; together with 20 morus from contractors (ṭhekadāra), which [sum was] needed for the feast. Blood appeared when recently Śrī Kumārī's tooth fell out, [and so] another new Kumārī has to be installed for the Baḍādasaĩ of this year, [VS 19]80, wherefore I [now] inform [you of this]. [I request that I] may receive [the necessary funds] in accordance to what is usual." — The pujārī Vimalāramaṇa Rājopādhyā has submitted an application (ḍarṣāṣ for darkhāsta) for approval at our (lit. "this") office (i.e. the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍa) with the details quoted; [and] when [the application] was being gone over (lit. "understood"), it was determined from the details of the application that 20 morus for the feast are to be received from contractors (ṭhekadāra), [but] according to the administrative regulation (savāla) stating that from the 1st solar day (gate) of the year [VS 19]77 all guṭhīs within the four mountain passes of Nepāla are to follow the amānata-system, covering amānata[-related] expenses through your (lit. "that") office (i.e. the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā) has come to be the procedure now in place including for that guṭhī. In order to carry out the procedure, a list has been received from the [former] contractors and been certified by our office and the Guṭhī Lagata [Jā̃ca Aḍḍā], [and] as that list of expenses has been acknowledged as being the usual practice (pālā-calāṃ) in your office, the task [of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā] is to write to the Kausī Tosākhānā in the case of the claim (haka) to 9.25 morus to be received from the treasury, and to your office in the case of the claim to the 20 morus that have been recorded as having [formerly] been received from contractors.

Since, therefore, in cognizance of the details written above, the 20—[in words], twenty—morus that need to be spent for the feast when this Kumārī is replaced are [properly] registered and to be provided under the law and administrative regulations (ain-savāla), perform the task of writing [down] the expense and putting [the money] into the hands of the said pujārī, [thus] doing what needs to be done to advance a custom that accords with the savālas [valid] for your office.

... day3 , the ...4 solar day (gate) of Āśvina of the [Vikrama] era year [19]80 (1923 CE). Auspiciousness.

Commentary

The scribe of this document, who also seems to have written the related document K_0214_0045, uses the same akṣara (most closely resembling a ḍa) to represent the unanspirated soft stop of both the dentals and retroflexes. For dental -ta, too, at times the -ṭa is used (e.g. in smeṭ, amānaṭ, lagaṭ or rīṭ).

This document is part of a batch of four documents, including the application (darkhāsta) to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā submitted by Vimalāramaṇa Rājopādhyā (K_0214_0044), the documents sent from that office to the Kausī Tosākhānā (K_0214_0045, K_0214_0047) and the present one to the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā. In supporting the claim of the priest for funds to be disbursed for the feast held on the occasion of the installation of a new Kumārī at Patan, the present document explains that since the last occasion for this installation ritual in VS 1976 there had been a change in administrative practice. While back then contractors (ṭhekadāra)—probably persons who held ṭheka contracts for taxes collected from the guṭhī lands in question—were responsible for providing the sum of 20 morus, from the beginning of the year VS 1977 all guṭhīs within the Kathmandu Valley started operating the amānata-system, under which funds were directly provided by state offices. Thus the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā had taken over the responsibility in question and was now ordered to disburse the funds.

For further thoughts on the case at hand, see the Commentaries to K_0214_0044 and K_0214_0045.

Notes

1. This Arabic numeral by a second hand was probably added when documents were either sorted or, more likely, when they were microfilmed. The count starts with 1 in the document microfilmed as NGMPP K 214/34 and continues up to 140 in K 215/85. The documents in this series stem from the period between VS 1977 and 1981, and are all either issued by the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā or are addressed to this office; all bear the same shelf mark (Po. 2 Ka. Ko. Gu.). This shelf mark is, however, not exclusive to the batch, but extends from K 214/9 up to K 216/88. The documents counted are neither bound together nor do they have to do with some common topic. [⇑]

2. Like the following bapatā, gulbanda seems to refer to the fabric the garment is made of. In Hindi, gulabadana denotes a type of silken cloth that is described as being striped (Varmā VS 2054: s.v. : "eka prakāra kā dhārīdāra reśamī kapaṛā") or rose-coloured (Sharma and Vermeer 1987: s.v.: "rosenfarbiges Seidentuch"). [⇑]

3. The place in which to insert the number indicating the weekday has been left blank. [⇑]

4. The place in which to insert the day of the month according to the solar calendar has been left blank. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
amānata	[fr. A.] n. 1) managment or revenue collection by a government office, or by an agency empowered by the government (M.C. Regmi 1978: 853; cf.: M.C. Regmi 1978: 225 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 161 ; Adhikari 1984: 344; Michael 2012: 129). 2) a system under which revenue was collected, or sources of revenue exploited, on government account by salaried employees (M.C. Regmi 1988: 265).
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.
bāpatā	n. a kind of thick silk-like cloth.
colo	n. upper part of a woman's dress, wrap-around blouse tightened with four strabs.
darakhāsta / darkhāsta	[fr. P.] n. petition, application by an individual to an governmental office.
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).
Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā	var. Guṭhī 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.
Guṭhī Lagata Jā̃ca Aḍḍā	n. office responsible for managing the records of the guṭhīs working under the head of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā; created before August 1908 under PM Candra Śamśera Rāṇā as part of his administrative reforms (Regmi 1984: 12).
haka	[A.] var. hak; n. 1) “Prescriptive right or claim“ (Adhikari 1984: 349). 2) material or property on which one holds a right or claim.
kausī tosākhānā	n. central state treasury which served several additional functions like the expenses and storage of goods for the royal palace and the appointment of subbās in the Tarai (cf. Edwards 1975: 111). DNA_0011_0035 suggests that even though the Kausī and the Tosākhānā formed one administrative unit headed by the khajāñcī, to a certain extent both were treated as distinct entities.
lahãgā	n. women's lower garment, long skirt worn by women or as part of traditional dance outfits.
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.
pachyaurā	var. pachaurā; n. kerchief for covering the head.
pūjā	[S.] var. pujā; n. 1) worship, honour. 2) formal worship ritual of a revered being with offerings.
pūjārī / pūjāhārī	var. pujārī, pujāhārī; n. person formally appointed to conduct the worship (pūjā) of a deity and therewith earning one's livelyhood, temple priest.
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.
savāla	n. 1) an enquiry. 2) a set of directives issued especially for the administrative purposes. Contrary to a sanada which is applicable to general public, a savāla refers to rules within a particular organization or an administrative unit (see Siṃha 1981 sv svāla. 3) rules and regulations enacted based on an existing law; administrative regulations (Adhikari 1984: 356; Karmacharya 2001: 328).
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 5 sarkāra	lit. "five-times venerable ruler"; commonly used to refer to the Śāha king (cp. Whelpton 2005: 266) and often indistinctively to his government (Lecomte-Tilouine 2015).
ṭheka	var. thega; n. "generic term used to denote various categories of contractual systems for the collection of taxes" (Michael 2012: 135; cf. M.C. Regmi 1988: 270).
ṭhekadāra	var. ṭhekaḍāra, ṭhekādār, ṭhikidār, ṭhekdār; n. contractor. 1) person who holds a ṭheka for the collection of taxes (M.C. Regmi 1988: 270). 2) farmer who rents his land.
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.

Bibliography

Sharma, Aryendra and Hans J. Vermeer. 1987. Hindi-Deutsches Wörterbuch. Vol 1: a - jhauvā. 2nd ed. Heidelberg: J. Groos Verlag.
Varmā, Rāmacandra. VS 2054. Saṃkṣipta Hiṃdī Śabdasāgara. Varanasi: Nāgarīpracāriṇī Sabhā.