Documenta Nepalica

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

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A loan deed wherein Padma Jaṅg Sāha pledges a servant as security to Ḍaṃbara Kumārī Devī (VS 1956)

ID: K_0210_0064

Edited and translated by Manik Bajracharya in collaboration with Yogesh Budathoki and Raju Rimal
Created: ; Last modified: 2019-03-30
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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

Abstract

This is a deed, secured by the pledge of a nine-year-old servant girl, formalizing Padma Jaṅg Sāha's borrowing of 46½ rupees from Ḍaṃbara Kumārī Devī. the transfer of a slave girl, aged 9, by Padma Jaṅg Sāha to for borrowing rupees 46 1/2 from the creditor.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1साछी
2हरीसीधीवस्नेइन्द्रवीरकार्कि¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯१
3पाटनवैलछेवस्न्यासाहुलाल¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯१
4लेषतप्रतिसोहस्त¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯१

1स्वस्तिश्रीसम्वत१९५६सालमीति•फागुणवदि९रोज६तद्दिनेलिषीतमधनी
2कनाम•डम्वरकुमारि•देवीसुव्वेनीव्राह्मणी•असामीधनवेहोरिणीकनाम
3पाल्पातान्सेंघरहुनेवाग्मतिपुलनेरावस्न्याचौतरीयापद्मजंसाहलिहल
4चादीकामोहरू•४६॥•अक्षेरूपीसाडेछयालीसकर्जालीञावावत्५५सा
5लकासवारिषर्चगर्नानीमीत्तलीयाकोहुंसोसाल्मात्मसुकनलेषीरूपैआ
6लीयाकोहुनालेसोरूपैञालीयाकासालदेषी•नफा•कवोल्‌स
7येकडा•दसौदीकादर्लेज्येस्ठमैन्हाभरमाबुझाउलासोभाषामाबुझाउन
8सकीनभने •मसीतनभयाकोहुनाले•मेराघर्कारामवदनभंनेसुसारे
9वर्ष९कोपंचकिर्तिगरीलीनु•भनिमेरामनोमानषुसीराजीसंगत्मसुक्‌
10लेषी•मजकुरसाहुलाइदीञायेसबेहोराकोसाछिफट्केमालेषीया
11कोछसम्वतमीतिसदरशुभ्म्¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

Witnesses:

Indravīra Kārki, resident of Harīsīdhī 1 - 1

Sāhu Lāla, resident of Vailache 2 , Patan - 1

lekhata prati sohasta3 - 1

Hail! Written on Friday, the 9th of the dark fortnight of Phāguna in the [Vikrama] era year 1956 (1900 CE). I, the debtor named CautarīyāPadma Jaṃ Sāha, whose house [originally] is in Tānsen, Pālpā and [who currently] resides near the Vāgmatī bridge, have received a loan of 46½ current silver mohararupaiyās, in words forty-six and a half, from the creditor named Ḍambara Kumārī Devī, the Brahmin subbenī4 . I took [the loan] for covering the cost of a trip (savārī) in the year [19]55.5 I took the loan in that year without drawing up a loan agreement (tamasuka). I will pay [the amount, together with] the agreed interest of ten percent starting from the year I took the loan, by the month of Jyeṣṭha. If I cannot repay [the amount] by the promised [date] on account of not having [the money], my 9-year-old house servant (susāre) named Rāmavadana shall be taken after [her price] is determined by the five village notables (paṃcakīrti garī). I have written this agreement willingly, and have handed it over to the aforementioned (majakura) creditor.

The witnesses to this deed are written in the margin. The date is valid. Auspiciousness.

Commentary

This loan agreement between the debtor Padma Jaṅg Sāha and the creditor Ḍambara Kumārī Devī takes a standard form. The debtor is originally from Palpa, but currently a resident near Vāgmatī bridge. The creditor's place of residence is not mentioned. One can, however, assume that she is from Patan as both the witnesses to the deed are from Patan and that the deed was likely drawn up in the city. It is stipulated that the debtor's household servant Rāmavadan is to be surrendered to the creditor upon failure to repay the loan amount. The deed doesn't expressly call her a pledge, and this would mean that she was assigned as a non-usufructuary pledge.

Notes

1. Harisiddhi is a town in Lalitpur, to the south-east of Patan. [⇑]

2. Probably Bhelāchẽ, a locality to the north-east of Patan Darbar Square. [⇑]

3. The meaning is unclear. The scriber seems to be listed as one of the witnesses. Perhaps the meaning can be derived as: [The witness] to [the authenticity of] the document is [the writer's] own hand. [⇑]

4. I.e., the wife of a subbā. [⇑]

5. It is not clear whether the loan was taken for his own trip or somebody else's. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
cautariyā	var. cautarīyā; n. 1) in the early Shah period, a royal collateral appointed as principal officer of the state, often kings' second and third sons; 2) later a title with no specific functions attached, granted to several male descendents of the Śāha kings at a time. Cautarīyās held different higher administrative posts, like governors (cf. Adhikari 1984: 98–99; Kumar 1967: 164-165; J.C. Regmi 1981: 32–35; M.C. Regmi 1995: 42-43); descendents of different Śāha kings of earlier periods could be nominated thus.
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.
pañcakīrti	var. pañcakīrte, pañcakṛti; n. 1) decided by the five village notables. 2) price determined by the five village notables.
savārī	var. savāri; n. 1) progress/procession of an exalted person on a riding. 2) a vehicle used for procession. 3) employee at the astabalakhānā.
subbā	var. subā; n. 1) governor or chief administrative officer of a province or district (cf. Kumar 1967: 168; Krauskopff and Meyer 2000: 185; M.R. Pant 2002: 135; M.C. Regmi 1999: 137; M.C. Regmi 2002: 303). 2) civil officer ranking higher than a mukhiyā, but lower than a sardāra (Stiller 1981: 382). According to Edwards subbās were stationed at Gorkha (cf. also Michael 2012: 134) and Chitwan, “with five others being administrators in the Terai” (Edwards 1975: 106). Edwards further mentions that “men of subba rank were also assigned in the capital to the Kumari Chowk, and Kat Bhandar offices, where they were the deputies of the kaji and kapardar in charge” (ibid.). 3) headmen of the Limbu community in the far-eastern hill regions (M.C. Regmi 1978: 229; cf. also 1978: 865).
susāre	var. susāryā; n. 1) a caretaker, maid or servant. 2) a slave (K_0210_0064).
tamasuka	var. tamasuk, tamsuk; n. a deed of loan transaction.