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A purjī to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā ordering that meat cease to be fed to the poor during Baḍādasaĩ (VS 1964)

ID: K_0351_0072


Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter
Created: 2019-05-27; Last modified: 2019-10-18
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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, 2019. 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 purjī the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā is ordered to make provisions for serving bread instead of meat on the occasion of the Baḍādasaĩ festival to the poor who take their meals at Lakṣmeśvara’s public kitchen (pākaśālā).



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

154­

1साव­नं­४६­

1श्री­लक्ष्मेश्वर­
2२­

1श्री­५­सर्कार­
2१­

[Seal of Candra Śamśera]

[Seal of Bhīma Śamśera]

1¯ ¯१¯तर्फ­गुठि­वंदोवस्तका­हाकीम­कारीन्दाले­पुर्जि­हेरि­¯ ¯२¯­पाक्सालामा­भात्‌षाने­गरीवगुरुव़ाहरुलाई­सालवसाल­वडाद
2सैमा­मासु­षुव़ाउने­गरी­आयाको­छ­तापनी­[?]­[?]प्रान्त­मासु­षुव़ाउनु­पर्दैन­सावीकमा­मासु­षुव़ाउदा­षर्च­भया­वमोजिम[?]­
3रुपैञाको­वडादसैमा­रोटी­षरीद­गरी­[?]­वन्दोवस्त­गर्नालाइ­गुठी­षर्च­अडास्मेत­जजसलाइ­जेजे­उर्दिपुर्जि­गर्नु[?]­
4गरी­दी­वडादसैलाइ­सावीक­षर्च­भयाको­अंकस्मेत­देषाइ­जाहेर­गरी­निकासा­गराइ­ली­रोटी­षरीद­गरी­षुव़ाउन­[?]
5[?]ने­काम­गर­इति­सम्वत­१९[?]­[?]२८­रोज­२­शुभ्म्­¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯

[Unknown Seal]

Translation

[1r]

541

sāva (?) num[ber] 462

Śrī Lakṣmeśvara – 2

Śrī 5 Sarkāra – 1

[Seal of Candra Śamśera]3

[Seal of Bhīma Śamśera]4

The serving of meat to the poor who take [their] meals at the public kitchen (pākaśālā) of [Śrī Lakṣmeśvara]5 has traditionally been performed annually on [the occasion of] the Baḍādasaĩ festival. Nevertheless, from now on6 meat does not need to be served. In order to [be able to] make arrangements for buying and serving bread on Baḍādasai for the same number of rupees as spent when customarily serving meat, [you,] the chief officer and the clerks of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā under [Śrī 5 Sarkāra]7 [should] take note of [this] purjī and perform the task of issuing whatever written orders (urdīpurjī) need to be issued to whomever they need to be, including to the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā, uncovering what costs have usually been incurred for the Baḍādasai—including [concrete] figures—getting consent from the higher authorities (nikāsā), buying the bread and having [it] served.

Monday, the 28th solar day (gate) of Māgha8 in the [Vikrama] era year 1964 (10 February 1908). Auspiciousness.

[Unknown Seal]9


Commentary

This purjī, bearing the seals of Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Candra Śamśera and Commander-in-Chief General Bhīma Śamśera, is addressed to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, which is told to write to the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā requesting information on the annual expenditures for meat served at the Lakṣmeśvarapākaśālā on the occasion of the autumnal Dasaĩ. Given that the present document was issued by the highest authorities in the Rāṇā administrative system, in that later document the present purjī is referred to as a sanada. For further thoughts on the case at hand, see the edition of that document (K_0351_0071).


Notes

1. This number, added by a later hand in Arabic numerals, was probably inserted when the documents were microfilmed by the NGMPP. It is part of the registration number of the document given on the catalogue card (54; Bā. Da. Po. no. 53) and refers to its position in the batch under the shelf-mark Bā. Da., bundle (po[kā]) number 53, that runs from K_0351_0015 (numbered 1) to K_0352_0066 (numbered 127). As it counts the first two documents of the batch as 1 and 1a respectively, it differs by 1 from the following running number in Nagari script that probably represents an earlier count. []

2. Added by a later hand. It remains unclear what sāva means or what this number refers to. The numbering is present in the same format throughout the whole batch, from K_0351_0015 (sāva naṃ 1) up to K_0352_0066 (sāva naṃ 104). []

3. The seal, which is only vaguely visible on the microfilm reproduction of the present document, can be seen clearly on other documents filed in the batch that follow the same conventions as the present one, such as K_0351_0064, K_0351_0065 or K_0351_0070. The legend reads "śrī 3 candra śamsera". []

4. The legend on the seal bears the name Bhīma Samsera in the middle with the honorific śrī preceding it in the first line and the number 60—probably referring to the year VS 1960—following it in the third line. []

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

6. In this and the following, occasional akṣaras that are illegible due to an under-exposure of the photo are supplied on the basis of the quotation of the text in the follow-up document K_0351_0071. []

7. Inserted from the space numbered 1 above. []

8. The reading of the date has been supplied on the basis of what is recorded on the NGMPP catalogue card. []

9. This could be the seal of the scribe. []