Documenta Nepalica

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

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A copy of a purjī from C-in-C Bhīma Śamśera instructing the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā to disburse funds to the Pūrṇeśvarapākaśālā on the occasion of Baḍādasaĩ (VS 1968)

ID: K_0382_0029

Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter in collaboration with Pabitra Bajracharya
Created: 2019-04-11; 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, 2020. 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

The purjī from Commander-in-Chief General Bhīma Śamśera of which this is a copy directs officers of the Gūṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā to disburse a customary sum for purchasing sweet breads, sweets and yoghurt to feed the poor on the occasion of the Baḍādasaĩ festival in VS 1968 at the Pūrṇeśvarapākaśālā.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1⟪43⟫

1श्री\

1श्रीजङ्गनंदप्रकाशेश्वर
2३

1श्रीपुर्णेश्वर
2२

1श्री३सर्कार
2१

[Unknown Seal]

1सकलवमोजिमनकलदुरूस्टछ∙स्ही[...]

1स्वस्तिश्रीमद्राजकुमार∙कुमारात्मजश्रीकम्यांडरईनचिफजनरलभीमसम्सेर∙जङ्गवहादुर∙राणाकस्य∙¯ ¯१¯तर्फगुठीषर्चअ
2डाकाहाकींकारींदाहरुकेपुर्जिउप्रांत¯ ¯२¯पाक्साला∙माभात∙षाने∙गरीवगुरुव़ाहरुलाईवडादसैंमांनालाई∙मोरु२७को६६सा
3लसंम्मषसी∙र६७सालमास्वाहारी∙मालपुव़ा∙मीठाईदहि∙गुठीषर्च∙अडावाट∙पाईआय़ाकोहुनाले∙यो६८साल∙का∙
4वडादसैमांनालाई¯ ¯२¯पाक्सालामाभातषाने∙गरीवगुरुव़ाहरुलाईसाविक्‌∙वमोजिम्‌स्वाहारीमाल∙पुव़ामीठाईदहि
5स्मेतकेमोरु२७सताईस∙रुपैञा∙वक्स्येकोछ¯ ¯३¯गुठीकास्याहामाषर्चलेषी¯ ¯२¯पाक्सालाकादीठालालवहादुर
6हस्तेदीने∙कामगरवहिवुझदा∙नीजदीठाका∙सहिछाप∙परेका∙स्याहा∙भर्पाईवमोजिममोजरा∙होला∙ईतीसम्वत्‌१९६८
7साल∙आश्वींगते३रोज∙३शुभ्म्‌¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

[no.] 431

Śrī

Śrī Jaṅgānaṃdaprakāśeśvara – 3

Śrī Purṇeśvara – 2

Śrī 3 Sarkāra – 1

[Unknown Seal]

The copy is true to the original. Signature: Nau[sindā?]Narotamadhara 2

Hail! A purjī of the venerable Commander-in-Chief General Bhīma Samsera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā, a venerable prince born of a prince, to the chief and clerks of the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā under [Śrī 3 Sarkāra]3 .

Uprānta: Since the poor people who take their meals (lit. "cooked rice") at the kitchen (pākaśālā) of [Śrī Purṇeśvara]4 have been receiving from the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā 27 mohararupaiyā̃s (text: moru) for observing Baḍādasaĩ [with a feast]—up until the year [19]66 gelded goats, and in [19]67 suhārī, mālapuvā, sweets and yoghurt—in order to observe the Baḍādasai of the current year [19]68 27, [in words] twenty-seven, morus, are granted, in accord with what is usual, for suhārī, mālapuvā [and] sweets together with yoghurt, for the poor people who take their meals at the kitchen of [Śrī Purṇeśvara]5 . Record the expenditures in the account book (syāhā) of the guṭhī of [Śrī Jaṅganaṃdaprakāśeśvara]6 and carry out the task of delivering [the money] into the hands of Lāla Bahādura, the diṭṭhā of the kitchen of [Śrī Purṇeśvara]7 . It will be deducted when accounts are cleared according to the account book and receipt that bear the signature and seal of the said diṭṭhā.

Tuesday, the 3rd solar day (gate) of Āśvina in the [Vikrama] era year 1968 (1911 CE). Auspiciousness.

Commentary

The present purjī belongs to a series of similar instructions from the period VS 1955 to VS 1970, that pertain to festive meals at the Pūrṇeśvarapākaśālā during the autumnal Dasaĩ festival (see K_0614_0041, K_0608_0055, K_0660_0052, K_0664_0017, K_0667_0036, K_0488_0009, K_0488_0012, K_0384_0064, K_0395_0041, K_0395_0049).

Notes

1. This number was added by a later hand using Arabic numerals. It refers to the position of the document in the bundle (pokā) number 13 of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, microfilmed from K_0381_0064 (no. 1) up to K_0383_0024 (no. 141) (cf. registration number on the catalogue card). There is another series of documents with the same registration number (Po. no. 13 Gu. Bam.) with 143 counted documents microfilmed from K_0384_0005 (no. 1) up to K_0385_0054 (no. 143). The documents of both series, scribed by different hands, are copies of instructions given by the commander-in-chief general to different offices. Many of these concern affairs of institutions operating under the Jaṅgānandaprakāśeśvaraguṭhī. The documents of the present batch were issued in the years VS 1968 (K_0381_0064 to K_0383_0003) and VS 1951 (K_0383_0004 to K_0383_0024). [⇑]

2. The word "signature" (shī) is written in an ornamental fashion its shape resembling a fish. This seems to be a pecularity of the scribe, whose name cannot be made out from the photo of the present document—being concealed by the paper used while microfilming to cover the previous and following documents—but it is visible on the photo of the next document and on those documents of the batch that are scribed by the same person (e.g. K_0382_0030 up to K_0382_0044). [⇑]

3. Inserted from the space numbered 1 above. [⇑]

4. Inserted from the space numbered 2 above. [⇑]

5. Inserted from the space numbered 2 above. [⇑]

6. Inserted from the space numbered 3 above. [⇑]

7. Inserted from the space numbered 2 above. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
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.
dasaĩ / daśaĩ	[fr. S. daśāha] var. dasai; n. festival to worship the goddess Durgā as slayer of the buffalo demon, held over the bright half of the autumn month of Āśvina (baḍā dasaĩ) and, on a smaller scale, over the bright half of the spring month of Caitra (caite dasaĩ).
ḍiṭṭhā	var. ḍīṭṭhā, ḍiṭhā; a civil servant ranking above a mukhiyā and lower than a subbā (cf. Stiller 1981: 379). According to Edwards 1975: 107, ḍiṭṭhās originally had been the judges who presided over the courts in Kathmandu but later could serve in a number of other offices (such as the kausī, the hāttīsāra or the sadara daphtarakhānā; see also Kumar 1967: 165; M.C. Regmi 1978: 226). The Mulukī Ain distinguishes three categories of the ḍiṭṭhās; the jaṅgī kote ḍiṭṭhā (probably, combatant personnel), the lājimā ḍiṭṭhā and the ḍiṭṭhā in charge of Elephant or horse stable or cowshed (MA-54.31.11).
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.
mālapuvā	n. small, sweet, thick fritters made of wheat flour, sugar and spices or of bananas, milk, sugar and spices; prepared on festive occasions in Nepal and Northern India (Pathak 2007: 341; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malpua).
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.
nausindā	n. a scribe or a clerk of lower rank responsible of translating, registry and accounts; “They were the lowest rank of scribes. There were more personnel in this rank than in any other within the "civilian" hierarchy (and excluding the sipahis). A considerable number of them worked in the offices of registry and accounts. Nausindas registered the papers which came in and left the offices and copied letters and documents.“ (Edwards 1975: 109 ; cf. M.C. Regmi 1978: 228 ; Adhikari 1984: 354 ; Kumar 1967: 167 )
pākaśālā	[S.] var. pākasālā; n. 1) kitchen. 2) public kitchen set up to feed the poor and needy (K_0351_0071).
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.
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 3 sarkāra	lit. "three-times venerable ruler"; title used by the Rāṇā prime ministers (cp. Whelpton 2005: 266).
suhārī / svārī	[S. su-āhārī] var. svāhārī; n. very thin, soft, fried bread made of wheat flour, folded in half or into a triangle; prepared on festive occasions and sold in sweet shops (Pathak 2007: 105).
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.