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A copy of a lālamohara from King Gīrvāṇayuddha ordering that Vaijanātha Josī be provided certain items regularly (VS 1862)

ID: K_0029_0044B


Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter
Created: 2017-06-02; Last modified: 2023-02-17
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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 copy of a lālamohara from the king, who according to the date must have been Gīrvāṇayuddha, orders officials involved in the Dasaĩ celebrations at Gorkha to provide certain items to Vaijanātha Josī biannually for him to carry out the Upallokoṭa Dasaĩ rituals properly.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1९५­नं­रु­

1मार्फत­राधावल्लभ­
2आगे­गोर्षाका­दसै­गर्न­जान्या­भारादारप्रती­उपल्लोकोटका­दसैका­श्री­देव
3ता­वैजनाथ­जोसीका­घरमा­राष्याका­छन्‌­तिनको­सद्भाव­गर्नाकन­ठूला­
4दसैमा­चडी­आव़र्त­९­तस्को­दछीणा­रूपैञा­१­आना­ऽ//­वलीके­भेडा­१­
5भेटीके­अधेली­१­धोती­१­पाषी­१­चैत्राष्टमीमा­चंडी­आव़र्त­१­तस्को­दछी
6ना­आना­ऽ//­वलीके­वोका­१­भेटी­अधेली­१­धोती­१­प्रतिप्रति­दसैमा­
7दीन्या­गर­सर्वथा­ईती­सम्वत­१८६२­साल­मिति­आसीन­वदी­१­रोज­शुभ्म्­१

Translation

[1r]

Num[ber] 95,1 ru2

Through (mārphata) Rādhāvallabha

Āge: To those courtiers (bhārādāra) who go to perform the Dasaĩ [rituals] at Gorkhā

The glorious deity [worshipped on occasion] of the Upallokoṭa Dasaĩ [observances] has been placed in the house of Vaijanātha Josī. In order to ensure that his conduct is proper, provide him, under all circumstances, on each of the two Dasaĩs with [the following items]:

On the Great (ṭhūlā) Dasaĩ:

1 rupee, 0 [sukās], 2 ānās3 as the priestly fee (dakṣiṇā) for 9 repetitions of the Caṇḍī, 1 ram for the animal sacrifice, 1 adhelī for bheṭī, 1 dhotī, 1 woolen blanket (pākhī);

on Caitrāṣṭamī:

0 [sukās], 2 ānās as the priestly fee for 1 repetition of the Caṇḍī, one he-goat for the animal sacrifice, 1 adhelī for bheṭī, 1 dhotī.

...day,4 the 1st of the dark fortnight of Āśvina of the [Vikrama] era year 1862 (1805 CE). Auspiciousness.


Commentary

This text, found in an assemblage of lālamoharas (see n. 1), in all likelihood is a copy of an executive order (rukkā) of King Gīrvāṇayuddha. Its text is not only preceded by the abbreviation ru but is also close in its phrasing to an original rukkā (DNA_0010_0019) regulating the annual provision of certain items to another ritual specialist involved in the Dasaĩ rituals at Gorkha.

The document is preceded by a copy (K_0029_0044A) of a related document appointing Vaijanātha Josī as priest for the Upallokoṭa Dasaĩ. The arrangement fixed by these two documents seems to have been a stable one. For more comments and follow-up documents, see Commentary to K_0029_0044A.


Notes

1. This number refers to the position of the document in an assemblage of lālamohara texts copied from the Jaisīkoṭhā. The bound material, microfilmed sequentially from K_0028_0032 (front cover and index) up to K_0031_0014B, covers the main body (i.e. excluding the initial and final formalities) of 303 royal documents from the period VS 1847–1864 concerning different guṭhīs. []

2. The abbreviation ru may either stand for rukkā and denote the type of the original lālamohara it was copied from or for ruju and express that the copy was "attested". []

3. The second numerical sign given here stands for a 2 and is the usual representation for the number of ānās. The first avagraha-shaped sign represents a 0 and refers to the number of sukās, the second of the usual numismatic units, falling between the rupee and ānā in terms of value. This follows the interpretation of numerical signs by Krauskopff and Deuel Meyer 2000: 136, doc. 18. []

4. The number to denote the weekday has been left out. In VS 1862, the said lunar day fell on a Tuesday. []