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A copy of a rukkā from King Raṇabahādura listing material provided for Navarātra worship (VS 1838)

ID: K_0582_0045


Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter in collaboration with Pabitra Bajracharya
Created: 2021-08-13; Last modified: 2022-06-20
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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, 2022. 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

The executive order (rukkā) from King Raṇabahādura of which this is a copy lists items to be provided for performing the Navarātra worship of Śrī Bhagavatī of Kaḍelcoka.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1स्वस्ति­श्रीमन्महाराजाधिराजकस्य­रुक्का­¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
2आगे­∙¯ ¯ ¯ ¯काथान­नवरात्र­पूजा­गर्नाकन­∙सामग्री­दिना
3को­फर्द­∙वमोजिम्‌­तपसील­

[table1]

1पतृका­पूजाके­धोति­९­
2वेस­पगरि­थान­६­
3घटस्थापनाके­भेटि­रुपैया­१­छोहरा­तोला­१०­
4कालरातृके­भेटि­रुपैया­१­कलम्‌­पताका­∙पंच­प
 ताकाके­कपरा­हात­
६­
5घराके­∙रुपैया­दक्षिणा­समते­२॥­
6पाठ­सांग्यमा­पुस्तक्के­भेट­रुपैया­.॥.­हात­१३­को­पगरी­१­
7देवताके­भेट­रुपैया­१­अधर्साको­रुमाल­५­
8घडा­पाचके­धोति­६­चिनि­तोला­१५­
9गणेसके­धोति­१­ध्वजाके­अतलस­हात­६­
10व्राह्मणके­धोति­१­ध्वजाके­धुवा­हात­६­
11नवग्रहके­धोति­१­जाइफल­गोटा­७­
12वेस्‌­सिंदुर­तोला­९­दाष­तोला­११­
13साज्याको­धूप­तोला­६­कपूर­तोला­४­
14वातिके­कपरा­हात­१२­भटमास­कुरुव़ा­२­
15कस्तुरी­मासा­२­यज्ञवलिके­चाँव़ल­पाथि­८­
16गोलोचन­मासा­२­सालिधान­पाथि­⟪लावा­माना­⟫१०­⟪४­⟫
17केसर­मासा­२­दाल­माना­५­
18लवाँग­तोला­२­नव़­दिनसम्म­पंचामृत­
19नरियल­गरि­१­नुन­माना­१­४­
20वदाम­तोला­९­भोट्या­धुप­मुठा­१­
21सुपारि­गोटा­८०­चोषो­वोक्या­१०­
22चिहुरा­पाथि­१०­चोषो­रागा­४­
23भुट्याको­चिहुरा­पाथि­५­हासको­भाल्या­५­
24होमके­घिउ­माना­४­हासको­फुल­२०­
25जउ­पाथि­१­
26दिया­वालनाके­तेल­माना­१०­कालो­तिल­माना­१­
27सालको­पात­भारि­२­केरा­घरि­१­
28केराको­पात­गल्‌था­२­माछा­माना­९­
29दक्षिनाके­रूपैया­चीज्‌­समेत्‌­२॥­दहि­कहत्तरा­९­
30अदुवा­सेर­१­जो­भयाको­फलफुल­
31सुक्‌मेल­तोला­६­माटाको­भुडका­६­
32श्रीषंड­तोला­१५­माटाको­गाग्रा­८­
33रक्तचंदन­तोला­१०­सलि­पाला­१००­
34पतृका­पुजाके­भेट­रुपै­२.­पौव़ाल­अधर्सा­थान­२­
35फुलपातिके­धुव़ा­हात­१०­रागाका­कंढाके­पिटा­हात­८­
36धागो­तोला­४०­सुनाको­दृष्टि­जोर­२­
37गोकुलधूप­तोला­५­सुनाको­फुल­२­
38माटाको­ढाला­२­रुपाको­दृष्टि­जोर­८­
39माटाको­टापो­२­रुपाको­फुल­गोटा­८­
40माटाको­वलिने­वढ­१२­
41दात्या­ओषर­गोटा­१०­

4संवत्‌­१८३८­आश्विन­वदि­

[table2]

1पतकाके­अघर्सा­हात­१­
2पंचसूत्र­तोला­१५­अदुव़हा­जोर­२०­
3नरिवल­१­
4लाल­पगरी­५­
5पतकाके­हात­षरुव़ा­६­

Translation

[1r]

Hail! [This is] an executive order (rukkā) of the supreme king of great kings.1

Āge: The particulars (tapasila) according to the list of what is to be provided as material for performing Navarātra worship (pūjā) [at the] temple of [Śrī Bhagavatī]2 .

[table1-part1]

1dhotīs for the worship of the [bundle of nine] leaves (patrikā) 9
2best-quality (besa) turbans 6
3bheṭī for ghaṭasthāpanā, Rs. 1 dried dates (chohorā), tolās 10
4bheṭī for kālarātri, Rs.1 cloth for the flags [in the] kalaśas?3 [and the] five-colour flags (pañcapatākā), hātas6
5money for the jar (ghaḍā), together with the sacrificial fee (dakṣiṇā) 2 [Rs.], 2 [sukās]
6bheṭa for the book in the concluding rite (sānge) of the recitation (pāṭha)4 0 [Rs.], 2 [sukās] turban 13 hātas [in length]1
7bheṭa for the deity1 Rs. handkerchiefs of adharsā5 fabric 5
8dhotīs for five jars (ghaḍā)6sugar, tolās 15
9dhotī for Gaṇeśa1satin (atalasa) for banners (dhvaja), hātas6
10dhotī for a Brahmin1dhuvā-linen for banners (dhvaja), hātas6
11dhotī for the navagraha1nutmeg7
12 best-quality sindūra, tolās 9 grapes, tolās11
13sājyā (?)6 incense, tolās6camphor, tolās4
14cloth for lamps, hātas12 soya beans, kuruvās2
15musk, māsās2husked rice for fire sacrifices (yajña) and blood sacrifices (bali), pāthīs8
16golocana, māsās2unhusked rice,7 pāthīs; [added below the line:] popped rice, mānās10, [added below the line:] 48
17kesara powder, māsās2 lentils, mānās5
18cloves, tolās2 pañcāmṛta for nine days
19a deshelled coconut (garī)1salt, mānās4
20almonds, tolās9 Tibetan incense, bundle1
21areca nuts80 pure he-goats109
22beaten rice (ciurā), pāthīs10pure buffaloes4
23roasted ciurā, pāthīs5male ducks5
24ghee for fire sacrifices (homa), mānās4duck eggs20
25barley, pāthī1
26oil for lighting lamps, mānās10black sesamum, mānā1
27leaves of the sāla tree, loads2bananas, bunch (gharī)1
28banana leaves, bundles (galtho)2fish, mānās 9
29money together with articles for dakṣiṇā2 Rs., 2 [sukās]yoghurt, kahatāros9
30ginger, sera1fruits and flowers, as available
31green cardamom, tolās6 small earthen jars (bhũḍko)6
32sandalwood (candana),tolās15large earthen jars (gāgro)8
33raktacandana, tolās10saucers (New. sali, Nep. pālā)10 100
34bheṭa for patrikā worship2 Rs.pauvāla adharsā11 2
35dhuvā-linen for the phūlapātī, hātas10ribbon for the necks of the he-buffaloes, hātas8
36thread, tolās40golden miniature eyes (dṛṣṭi), pairs2
37gokuladhūpa, tolās5golden flowers2
38earthen ḍhālā12 2silver miniature eyes, pairs8
39earthen ṭā̃po vessels2silver flowers8
40earthen vaḍh13 for lighting12
41dātyā14 walnuts10

The dark fortnight of Āśvina in the [Vikrama] era year 1838 (1781 CE).15

[Added in the left margin:]

[table1-part2]

1adharsā for flags (patakā for patākā?), hāta1
2five-colour thread (pañcasūtra), tolās15aduvahā,16 in pairs20
3coconut1
4red turbans5
5kharuvā cloth for flags (patakā for patākā?), hātas6


Commentary

The document is part of a larger batch, microfilmed from K_0582_0043 to K_0582_0051. Together with similar ones, these documents were first microfilmed between K_0048_0001 and K_0048_0052; the present document was microfilmed as K_0048_0051, but with images hardly readable due to being underexposed.

The documents in these batches concern the goddess called Śrī Bhagavatī whose temple is situated in the Kaḍelcoka of Hanumānḍhokā palace.17 In documents, she is referred to as either "Śrī Bhagavatī of Kaḍelcoka" (kaḍelacokakā śrī bhagavatī, K_0582_0051) or as the Bhagavatī who was brought from Nuwakot to Kathmandu.18

Legends connect her with King Pṛthvīnārāyaṇa's conquest of Nepal. According to a story recorded by G. Unbescheid from a vajrācārya priest at the Manakāmanā temple, a goddess was given to the conquering king by Gorakhnāth at Gorkha foretelling that he would reign undisturbed as long as he kept the goddess with him (Unbescheid 1985: 106–107). The king stopped at Nuwakot and then proceeded to Kathmandu without her. Later he remembered that he was supposed to take her with him and so returned. In the meantime, however, the goddess had already settled down and revealed herself at Nuwakot, so that she could not be moved from there any further. Therefore two goldsmiths, ancestors of the vajrācārya who related the story to Unbescheid, fashioned a replica of the goddess, which the king took to Kathmandu and enshrined at Kaḍelacoka. In another version of the story, Pṛthvīnārāyaṇa had the goddess in his pocket when he conquered Kathmandu and built her a temple some days after the conquest (Vajrācārya VS 2033: 58).19

The first epigraphic references to the presence of the goddess at Kaḍelcoka are two inscriptions on vessels found in the temple and documented by G. Vajrācārya (VS 2033: 263). The vessels were donated by the then crown prince Pratāpa Siṃha Śāha and are dated Saturday, the 8th of the bright fortnight of Pauṣa in VS 1826 (5 January 1770).20 The first document relating to her worship traced so far is a rukkā, issued by the crown prince on Friday, the 10th of the bright fortnight of Caitra in VS 1830 (2 April 1773; K_0582_0048) and referring to rituals connected with the procession of the deity in the month of Vaiśākha.

The first mention of the Navarātra or Dasaĩ rituals of the deity is in documents issued on Wednesday, the 15th of the bright fortnight of Śrāvaṇa in VS 1833 (31 July 1776; DNA_0012_0049, DNA_0012_0052, K_0048_0003). There, however, only the Caite Dasaĩ is treated among the annual rituals for the goddess, the Baḍā Dasaĩ being explicitly excluded.21 The provisions for the Baḍā Dasaĩ rituals were probably directly provided by the court from the same time, around VS 1833 on. Even if an earlier document to that effect has not been traced yet, it seems likely that the present document was not the first list of its kind. There are also follow-up documents to it issued under later kings. In VS 1867 (1810 CE) a similar list was prepared under King Gīrvāṇayuddha, with the new regulation that from then on the items would not be provided in kind, but instead bought with temple revenue (K_0582_0046). A long tapasila listing provisions for all pūjās of the goddess was issued in VS 1947 (1890 CE) and microfilmed from K_0589_0023 to K_0589_0066. Its introductory text (K_0589_0023), unfortunately badly damaged, probably referred to why it was issued. What at least can be grasped from the fragments is that it refers to the earlier document from VS 1867 for the Dasaĩ provisions and to the one from VS 1830, which it calls a syāhāmohara.


Notes

1. From the date of the document, the issuing king must have been Raṇabahādura (r. 1777–1799). []

2. The present copy does not cover the honorific reference, which must have stood in the space above the main text in the original lālamohara. As it is found in a batch of documents referring to the guṭhī and the worship of the Bhagavatī of Kaḍelacoka (see Commentary), in all likelihood it read "Śrī Bhagavatī," an honorific reference found, for instance, at the top of K_0582_0051. []

3. The text clearly has kalam in this place, which does not make sense. Was kalas the word intended here? If so, the small flags that are stuck into kalaśas in some rituals might be meant here, or else a flag with a water pot as its insignia. The item is not listed in the later document from VS 1867 (K_0582_0046). []

4. The book meant here would probably be that containing the Caṇḍī, which is the main text recited during the Navarātra. []

5. The meaning of this term is unclear. It probably refers to the type of fabric, and reappears at several places throughout the document. In another list of pūjā items the term is spelled adharasā (K_0120_0024). []

6. It is unclear what sājyā (or sāje) denotes. Is it related to sāja, the Indian laurel (Terminalia elliptica Willd.)? This tree is known to be used for timber, producing charcoal, fodder and medicine, but not as an ingredient of incense (Manandhar 2002: 451–452). []

7. Sālīdhāna or śālīdhānya denotes a special type of rice. []

8. This latter number refers to the amount of popped rice, which has been added in between two lines of the table. []

9. The reading of the numeral 1 is unclear. It is confirmed by the later list (K_0582_0046). []

10. Apparently both the Newari and the Nepali terms are used here side by side to denote the small earthen saucers that are used as oil-fed lamps with cotton wicks or as vessels for sipping alcohol in Newar rituals; for New. sali, see Kölver and Shresthacharya 1994: s.v. salī, Malla et al. 2000: s.v. saliṃca). []

11. Like adharsā, which may denote a type of fabric (see above), the word pauvāla, too, is unclear. []

12. The term ḍhālā (or ṭ/ṭhālā?) is unclear. It probably denotes some kind of vessel. []

13. The term is unclear, in both its meaning and spelling. As its first akṣara is partly covered by a fold in the paper, it may also read naḍh, taḍh or caḍh. None of these yields a suitable reading. If bhā̃ḍo, “vessel”, was the word intended here, the variation in spelling is very pronounced. []

14. This term—probably an attribute of okhara—is unclear. It recurs in the same spelling in the later list from VS 1867 (K_0582_0046). []

15. The date is incomplete. This is perhaps due to the document having been copied. []

16. The term is unclear. []

17. For the temple, the goddess, her regular and annual worship, her varṣabandhana on the full moon day of Vaiśākha, and her procession to Nuwakot and back, see G. Vajrācārya VS 2033: 57–60, 156–157. []

18. DNA_0012_0049 refers to her as "fivefold venerable Bhagavatījyu brought from Navākoṭa to Kāṃtipura" (navākoṭavāṭa kāṃtipūramahā̃ lyāyākā śrī 5 bhagavatījyu). []

19. G. Vajrācārya refers to chronicles as the source of this story, but so far I have not been able to trace it in such texts. []

20. Strangely, though, in these inscriptions Pratāpa Siṃha is already called a king. The two parallel inscriptions describe the donor as pṛthvīnārāyaṇātmajapratāpasiṃhanṛpatiḥ, "King Pratāpa Siṃha, son of Pṛthvīnārāyaṇa". The document from VS 1830 (see below), however, clearly refers to him as yuvarāja, the crown prince (svasti śrīmanmahārājādhirājakumārayuvarājakasya rukkā; K_0582_0048). It seems remarkable that none of these early records stem from Pṛthvīnārāyaṇa, who alledgedly introduced the deity, but from his son. []

21. DNA_0012_0052 ennumerates the "Baḍā Dasaiṃ of the month of Āśvina" (āśviṇa mainhāko baḍā dasaĩ) together with a number of other regular obligations in the operation of the temple (e.g. the repair of the temple or the lighting of lamps) that are excluded from its listing of occasions for regular and occasional worship to be financed from the income of the guṭhi. []