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A bintīpatra from Cinīya to the premier requesting permission to open a money changer shop at the Asana market square (VS 1961)

ID: K_0230_0014


Edited and translated by Simon Cubelic in collaboration with Rajan Khatiwoda
Created: 2015-05-08; Last modified: 2018-06-19
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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, 2017. 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

In this petition, a certain Cinīya requests the prime minister to grant permission to open a money changer shop at the market square of Asana on the basis of a fixed rent rather than a tender process. Cinīya had been conducting his business at the same place before, but following an order of the Sahara Saphāī Aḍḍā his shop was closed. Cinīya buttresses his petition with the example of sellers at Indracoka and Asana who were granted the right to conduct their business there.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

[...]

विंतिपत्र­

1उप्राँत­माहाराज­करुणानीधान्‌­धर्मावतार­प्रभु­अघिदेषी­असन्‌का­डवलिमा­सराफि­पसल्‌­थापि­वेपार­गरी­आ
2याको­पछी­सर्कारवाट­सफाई­अग­रायीवक्स्येपछी­वीना­प्रमान्गीले­सो­डवलिमा­पसल्‌­थाप्न­दिंन­भनी­रो
3कींडा­पसल्‌­थापन­नपाई­तेसै­रहेको­थियो­हाल्‌­काठमाडौ­ईन्द्रचोक्‌का­डवलिमा­रोज­[?]पैरू­३­वाहा
4ल्‌­वुझाई­•पसल्‌­थापन­दीनु­भंन्या­सन्द­भै­पसल्‌­थापीआयाको­•र­•असन्‌­•अंनपुर्णथान्‌­अगाडी­पनी­•चाम
5ल्‌­वेचनेहरूलाइ­•पसल्‌­थापन­दीवक्सेका­हुनाले­असन्‌­टोल्‌को­ठेक्कामा­१२­पसलको­वाहाल­वढावढ­
6नगर्नु­सो­पसल्‌मा­वस्न्याले­मामुलियेट्‌­चलाई­•वर्ष­१­को­•मोहर्रू­२१६­ठेक्‌­वुझाउनु­भंन्या­पट्टा­भयाको­मिला
7पत्रमा­पनि­सो­डवली­•नचढेको­•ठेक्का­गुठीदेषी­पनी­वाहेक्‌को­सडक्‌देषी­पनी­फरक्‌को­असन्‌का­डवलि
8को­वर्ष­१­को­मोहरू­१००­सर्कारमा­येसले­वाल्‌­वुझाउज्याल्­•छतछाता­नराषि­डषीन्‌तर्फ­[?]•राम्रा­डेषने­ग
9री­सराफि­पसल्‌­थापन­दीनु­भंन्या­•सफाई­•अडाका­नाउमा­प्रमानी­गरीवक्स्या­सर्कारको­[...]मनाई­•वाहा
10ल्‌­वुझाई­•सराफी­पसल्‌­थापी­•जाहान्‌वचा­पालि­वस्दा­हूं­प्रभु­जो­मर्जि­हुकुंम्­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
11ईत­तावेडार­सहर­काठमाडौं­ठहीटी­टोल्‌­वस्न्या­•चिनी
12याको­कुर्णैस्‌­कुर्णैस्­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯३­
13ईति­सम्वत्­१९६१­साल्‌­आश्वीण­गते­[?]रोज­[?]शुभं­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

Śrī

Bintīpatra

Uprānta: O great king! O treasure store of compassion! O incarnation of the dharma! O lord!

In earlier times I established a money changer (sarāphi) shop at the market square (ḍabali) of Asana and conducted business [there]. Later, after the [Sahara] Saphāī Aḍḍā was set up by Sarkāra, [my business] was halted [following an order stating:] "I do not allow shops at this market square without permission (pramāṅgī)". [I] was not allowed to [re-]establish [my shop], and it has been like this [ever since]. Currently shops have been established on the basis of the [following] sanada: "Let them establish shops at the market square of Indracoka, Kathmandu, upon paying 3 pairū", and you have allowed rice sellers to establish shops in front of the Annapūrṇāthāna of Asana, so that if, in the name of the [Sahara] Saphāī Aḍḍā, you grant the [following] order: "As long as this person pays to the government a rent of 100 mohara rupaiyā per year [for a shop] at the market square of Asana [1] not mentioned in the compromise document (milāpatra) containing the deed of lease to the effect that no tender process shall be conducted for the 12 shops of Asana Ṭol, the owners of which shops shall engage in their usual [business] and shall pay a lease sum of 216 mohara rupaiyā, [2] not recorded [among the shops belonging to] the market square, [3] excluded from guṭhī [overseership] for the contract, [and] [4] which is off the road, let him open a money changer shop, erected without a roof and facing south so as to look nice", I shall celebrate Sarkāra’s victory, pay my rent, establish the money changer shop, and go on taking care of my family and children.

O Lord, whatever order [you give, I shall obey]. Thrice salutations from [your] servant Cinīya, residing at Ṭhahīṭī Ṭol of Kathmandu City.

...,1 Āśvina, [Vikrama] era year 1961 (1904 CE). Auspiciousness.


Commentary

This document is part of a series of documents on the reallocation of licenses for the operation of shop stalls belonging to the Annapūrṇā Guṭhī at Asana (e.g. K_0230_0014, K_0230_0015, K_0242_0031, K_0499_0041) at the beginning of the twentieth century. These shops were located at a crossroads around Annapūrṇā Temple and embedded in the larger market area of Asana Ṭol, where people of the Urāy caste have been playing a prominent role in trade and business (cf. Lewis 1995). Originally, the Annapūrṇā Guṭhī administered 43 shops in that area, as recorded on a stone slab (see K_0242_0030 which is a copy of the inscription). However, due to a road widening project only a few years before the events recorded in this document took place, the number of shops had been decreased to twelve (cf. K_0242_0031). As a consequence, the petitioner of this document, Cinīya, lost his business. It seems that after the road widening the establishment of shops on the basis of a fixed annual rent to be paid to the government was no longer granted at the market square of Asana except for those twelve shops. Opening a new shop depended on a license acquired through a tender process, which was regulated according to the ijāra-system. Due to the limited contract period and the unpredictable costs for such a license, this system represented a considerable risk for local businessmen. Cinīya's request for an exemption from the ijāra-system is therefore comprehensible. In the end, Cinīya's petition was not successful. A report of the Guṭhībandobasta Aḍḍā from 1904 (VS 1961, K_0242_0031) reveals the official response to Cinīya's petition from the Mulukī Aḍḍā (K_0230_0016). There the order is given that, if possible, the license for gambling should be put up for competitive bidding together with the license for the establishment of the money changer shop.


Notes

1. There is a lacuna in the original. []