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A letter from Deva Śamśera ordering to enforce customary fees on mogalāniyā traders before conducting business in Pācapārvā (VS 1946)

ID: Tsum_0001_0002


Edited and translated by Nadine Plachta and Rajendra Shakya
Created: 2017-05-16; Last modified: 2020-02-12
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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 Nile Labrang, Tsum. The copyright of the facsimile remains with Nadine Plachta. 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 response to the petition of Dāvā Ḍāṃḍu Bhoṭe, the jimmāvāla of Chiluṃ Gāũ, Deva Śamśera orders Captain Candramāna Kārkī to ensure that foreign traders pay the customary fees to local population before trading in Pācapārvā of Syāra.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

[Seal of Deva Śamśera]

1स्वस्तिश्रीमद्राजकुमारकुमारात्मजश्रीकम्याँडरइनचि
2फजनरलदेवसम्सेरजङ्गराणावहादुरकस्य­पत्रम्­
3आगे­मेजर­कपतान्‌­चन्द्रमान­काकि­क्षत्रीके­यथो
4चित्त­उप्रान्त­∙अघि­परापुर्वदेषि­मोगलाना­चंग्या[...]­
5गाउ­१­स्यालमे­गाउ­१­यो­दुई­गाउवाट­सालवसाल्‌­[...]
6उन्या­­अरू­गाऊगाउका­वेपारिहरू­भन्या­कैलेकैले­
7मात्र­वेपार­गर्न­हाम्रा­स्यारपट्टि­पाचपार्वामा­वेपार­गर्न­आऊदा­भेडा­गोटा­६­को­नुन्‌­धो
8क­१­चौरि­⟪१­⟫को­नुन­धोक्‌­१­का­दर्ले­दस्तुर­भाव­निजहरूले­हामिहरूलाई­वुझाऊन्या­गरि­आ
9उन्यामा­सो­वुझायाको­गौराई­आम्दानि­सालवसाल्‌­हाम्रा­गाऊमा­आउन्या­राजका
10जका­सरसिपाहिहरुलाई­षुवाउने­गर्न्या­यस्तो­रित­पुर्षादेषि­षाईपाई­आयाको­हो­
11हाम्रा­स्यारपट्टि­पाचपार्वाका­गाउगाऊका­मानिसहरूले­पनि­सो­मोगलान­गाउगा
12उमा­वेपार­गर्न­जादा­माथि­लेषिया­वमोजिम्‌­हामिहरूसंग­भन्या­अद्यापि­वरावर­लिंछ
13न्‌­हामिलाई­∙दिन्या­दस्तुर­भन्या­४५­साल्का­वालिदेषी­हामिलाई­नदि­हिमायत­गरी­र
14हेछ­प्रभु­∙सो­आम्दानि­भन्या­हामिले­∙लोकाभारमा­वुझाउन्या­गरि­आयाको­छउ­सो­
15दस्तुर­आजकाल­निज­मोगलानिञाहाहरूले­नवुझाई­षालि­वेपार­मात्र­गरि­१­दाम्‌­१­
16मुठि­नुं­दस्तुर­हामिलाई­नवुझाई­तेसै­हिमायत्‌­गर्छन्‌­नलाग्न्या­हो­∙भन्या­अघि­वुझाउ
17नु­पर्दैन­सावीक्‌‌देषि­लाग्याकै­दस्तुर­हो­भन्या­आज­हाम्रा­लोकाभारमा­सो­आम्दा
18नि­∙दरियापछि­षालि­वेपार­मात्र­गरि­दस्तुर­गौराई­नवुझाई­हाम्रा­लोकाभार­ठेग
19मा­टुटा­पर्न­पाउन्या­होईन­साविक्‌‌देषि­वुझाइ­आयाको­दस्तुर­वुझाउछन्‌­भन्या­नि
20ज­मोगलानीञाहरुलाई­हाम्रा­स्यारपट्टि­पाचपार्वामा­वेपार­गर्न­आउन्या­वेपारिलाई­
21वेपार­गर्न­दिनु­अघिदेषि­वुझाई­आयाको­चौरि­१­को­नुं­धोक­१­भेडा­गोटा­६­को­नु
22न्‌­घोक­१­का­दर्ले­वुझाउदैनं­भन्या­निजहरुलाई­वेपार­गर्न­नदिनु­भन्या­वेहोराको­सन
23द­गरि­पाउ­भन्न्या­छिलुंगाऊ­वस्न्या­जिम्मावाल्‌­दाव़ा­डांडुल्‌­भोटेले­४६­साल्‌­फागु
24ण­सुदि­९­रोज­६­मा­हाम्रा­हजुर्मा­विन्ती­पार्दा­जाहेर­भयो­तसर्थ­सो­मोगलानीञा­वेपा
25रिहरुले­हाम्रा­सरहदमा­वेपार­गर्न­आउदा­चौरि­१­को­नुन्‌­घोक­१­भेडा­गोटा­६­को­
26नुन्‌­घोक­१­साविकदेषि­दस्तुर­दिआयाका­रह्याछन्‌­र­हाल­४५­सालदेषी­नीज­वे
27पारीहरुले­दस्तुर­नदी­अडियाका­रहेछन्‌­भन्या­येसवाट­नीज­मोगलानिञा­वेपारीह
28रूका­नाउमा­वादि­मुचुल्का­ली­दोसाधि­कचहरी­गरी­साविकदेषी­तीरी­आयाको­द
29स्तुर­तिर्न्या­वन्दोवस्त­वाधी­छिनीदीनु­वेहोरा­आर्कै­रहेछ­र­अड्‌‌वड्‌­पर्‍यो­भन्या­जा
30हेर­गरी­पठाउनु­र­जवाफ­वक्स्या­वमोजिम्‌­गर्नु­इति­सम्वत्‌­१९४६­साल­मिती­
31चैत्र­सुदी­२­रोज­७­शुभ्म्­¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

Hail! A letter from Commander-in-Chief General Deva Samsera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura, the venerable prince born of a prince.

Āge: to Major Captain Candramāna Kārkī Chetrī.

Uprānta: "Since the distant past, [traders] from two mugalāna villages of Caṃgyā[...] Gāũ - 1 and Syālme Gāũ - 1, who come every year to conduct business, and the traders from other villages who only come occasionally to conduct business in our Pācapārvā1 [region of] Syāra2 , have been paying us customary fees at the rate of one dhok3 of salt for six sheep and one dhok of salt for one yak. The gaurāī income [thereby] received was [used] for feeding the military personnel coming to our village every year on royal duty. Such has been the tradition in practice for many generations. [Similarly,] when the people from the villages of Pācapārvā [on] our side [of] Syāra go to the villages of mugalāna to trade, [they] have regularly been taking [the same customary fees] mentioned above from us to this day. Regarding the customary fees that [the mugalāniyā4 traders] are supposed to pay to us, it turns out that [they] have persistently been failing to pay [them] since the harvest of the year [VS 19]45 (1888 CE).

My lord, the amount [received] we have been depositing under the lokābhāra system. These days the mugalāniyās do not pay, but merely trade; they persistently do not pay [even] one dāma [or] one handful of salt [as] customary fees. If [fees] are not applicable, [they] do not need to pay any in advance [of doing business] the past. [However] if fees have been imposed customarily and they [can] trade only after that income has been registered under our system of lokābhāra [in effect] today, then there will no [longer] be any loss to find in the ṭheka allocated under our lokābhāra [as a result of their] not paying the gaurāī fee. Permit the mugalāniyā traders to trade in our Pācapārvā [region of] Syāra only if they pay the customary fees, but do not allow them to trade if they do not pay one dhok of salt for one yak and one dhok of sald for six sheep, as was paid customarily [in the past]."

This came to light when JimmāvālaDāvā Ḍāṃḍul Bhoṭe5 , who lives in Chiluṃ Gāũ, submitted [such] a petition to us on Friday, the 9th of the bright fortnight of Phālguṇa in [VS 19]46 (1890 CE), praying that a sanada be issued with the details: "Permit the mugalāniyā traders to trade in our Pācapārvā [of] Syāra only if they pay the customary fees, but not allow them to trade if they do not pay one dhok of salt for one yak and one dhok of salt for six sheep as it was paid customarily."

Therefore, if it is true that those mugalāniyā traders, while coming to trade within our boundaries, [are required to] pay one dhok of salt for one yak and one dhok of salt for six sheep as customary fees, and that they have stopped paying the fees since [VS 19]45 (1888 CE) and are adamant about not paying, then settle [this case] by holding a Dosādhi Kacahari6 after taking a muculkā from the plaintiff, and enforcing the system of paying the customary fees. [However,] if it turns out that the facts are different [from what has been said] and complications arise, bring it to our notice and do [as instructed] in [our] reply.

Saturday, the 2nd of bright fortnight of Caitra in the [Vikrama] era year 1946 (1890 CE). Auspiciousness.


Commentary

This document confirms that the Syāra region, locally known as Tsum tsho bcu gsum, was a destination for foreign traders from Tibet, while the Tsumpās, the residents of Tsum, also went to Tibet and traded by paying customary fees. The term mugalāna usually refers to India, but in the above context it is a general term for "foreign land". The two mugalāna villages mentioned in the document are probably situated in Tibet. Another document from the upper Gorkha region called L_1200_0009G mentions 'Bhoṭes from mugalāna'. Bhoṭe is a generic term for people of Tibetan origin. This makes it clear that the term mugalāna can also refer to Tibet.

The document shows that the customary fees imposed on foreign traders were not a local tradition but a state-governed practice, and some of the income was used for serving the government officials who come to the region on state business.


Notes

1. The term Pācapārvā (or 'Tsho nga' as the locals call it) translates as the "Five Districts" that constitute Upper Tsum. These five districts are Chokhāṅga/Pāro, Ṅgāka, Phurbe, Cule and Nile. []

2. In the Nepali language, Syāra/Śāra refers to the 13 districts of Lower and Upper Tsum. It is the name once given to the region by the government, but it is not used in the local vernacular. It may be related to the Tibetan word shar, which means "east". Tibetan sources frequently mention the neighboring western valley of Nubri (Nub ri, "Western Mountains") as the native term for the area at the upper reaches of the Budhī Gaṇḍakī River. []

3. Locally, the term used for this particular measure of weight is sgro bo, which means one bag/sack of goods weighing around 25 kilos strapped to one side of a yak. The local term used for two similar bags/sacks of goods placed one on either side of the yak is brgya pa'. []

4. People from Mugalāna []

5. The Tibetan form of the name may have been Zla ba dgra 'dul ("Moon Conquerer-of-Enemies"). Bhoṭe is a generalized term for the people of the Tibetan origin. []

6. A local court that decides on the guilt of the accused. []