A purjī from C-in-C Deva Śamśera ordering Candra Bahādura Sāhī to account for expenditures for feeding meat on the occasion of Baḍādasaĩ (VS
1957)
ID: K_0608_0055
Edited and
translated by Astrid Zotter
Created: 2018-10-25;
Last modified: 2019-08-08
For the metadata of the document, click here
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
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Government of Nepal).
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Abstract
This
purjī from Commander-in-Chief General Deva Śamśera directs
the secretary (
kharidāra) of the Gūṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā, Candra
Bahādura Sāhī, to record sums spent on purchasing four sheep together with spices with which feed to feed the
poor on the occasion of the Baḍādasaĩ festival. It refers to an authorization
(
pramāṅgī) previously issued to exceptionally sanction this
purchase.
Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1श्री२
1श्री३सर्कार
2१
1श्रीपुर्णेश्वर
2३
1श्रीजगनंदप्रकासेश्वर
2४
1⟪नंवरये़काईस्
2२१⟫
1स्वस्तिश्री•मद्राजकुमारकुमारात्मज्मजश्रीकम्यांडर•इनचिफजनरलदेवसं
2म्सेरजंगराणावहादुरकस्य•
¯ १¯ ¯तर्फगुठीषर्चअडाकाषरीडार
चंद्रवहादुरसाही
3केपुर्जीउप्रान्त•हामीगरीप्गुर्व़ा⟪हरु⟫लाईवडादसैमा•मासुषानुलाईसावीक्वक्से
4वमोजीं•षसीषरीदगरीदीनुभंन्याप्रमांगीगरीपाउभनि
¯ २¯ ¯काकानाषोरंडाह
5रुले
¯ ३¯ ¯काहजुरमावींतीचढाउदा•मोहरु२५पचीस्लेठुलाठुलाभेडा
6कीनीष्वाउनुभंन्यामर्जीभय़ाकोछभनि•प्रमांगीकप्तां•
नारांवहादुरमह
7त्छेतृले•५७सालआश्वीनसुदी६रोज१मास्हीछाप्गरेकोहुनालेप्रमां
8गीवमोजीं•ठुलोभेडा४केदर१केमोरु५||•लेमोरु२२रमसलामो
9रु३ज्मामोरुपचीच्२५षर्चभैसक्योसोषर्चभय़ाकोमोरु
10२५सावीक्वमोजीं
¯ ¯ ¯कास्याहामाषर्चलेषी•सनदगरीपाउभनि
11गुठीवंदोवस्तअडामार्फत्•षरीदारचंद्रवहादुरसाहीलेहाम्राहजुरमावी
12न्तीपार्दाजाहेरभयोतसर्थ•प्रमांगीवमोजीं
¯ ¯ ¯कागरीप्गुर्वाहरुला
13ई⟪वडादसैमा⟫मासुष्वाउनाकेषरिदभै⟪गय़ा⟫कोभेडा४केमोल्मोरु२२रमसलाकोवापत्•
14मोरु३ज्मामोरु२५
¯ ¯४ ¯कास्याहामाऐन्सव़ाल्वमोजींषर्चलेषी•
15दिनुवहीवुझदामोजराहोला१९५७सालआश्वीन•सुदी१५रोज२शु
¯¯¯
Translation
[1r]
Śrī
Śrī 3 Sarkāra – 1
Śrī Purṇeśvara – 3
Śrī Jaṅgānandaprakāśeśvara (text: Jaganaṃdaprakāseśvara) – 4
Number twenty-one, 211
Hail! A purjī of the venerable Commander-in-Chief General
Deva Saṃsera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura, a venerable prince born of
a prince, to Caṃdra Bahādura Sāhī, the secretary (kharidāra) of the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā
under [Śrī 3 Sarkāra]2 .
Uprānta: When the handicapped (lit. "one-eyed and lame") of
-2-3 submitted a petition
to -3-4 stating: "May an authorization letter (pramāṅgī) be issued concerning [an exception to the usual order,] which
states 'Buy gelded goats in order for us poor [to be able] to eat meat during Baḍādasaĩ, in accord with what has usually been done'," a
pramāṅgī was signed and sealed by Captain Nārāṃ
Bahādura Mahat Chetṛ in the [Vikrama era] year [19]57, on Sunday, the
6th of the bright fortnight of Āśvina, stating that an order had been given for very
big sheep to be bought with 25 mo[hara]ru[paiyā̃]s. Whence,
in accordance with the pramāṅgī, a total of 25, [in words]
twenty-five, morus has already been spent, 22
morus [for] 4 big sheep, at the rate of 5 rupees, 2 sukās for 1 head, and 3 morus [for] spices.
[All this] came to our notice when Kharidāra Caṃdra Bahādura Sāhī—having as usual
recorded these 25 morus spent in the account book
(syāhā) of the ...5 —filed a petition through the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, stating: "May a [corresponding] sanada kindly be issued." Therefore, in accordance with the law (ain) and administrative instructions (savāla), write down in the account book (syāhā) of the
[Śrī Jaṅgānandaprakāśeśvara]6 [guṭhī] the expenditures totalling 25
morus: 22 morus as the price for 4 sheep and
3 morus for spices that were bought to feed meat during the
Baḍādasaĩ to the poor of ...7 It will be deducted when the accounts are checked (bāhi
bujhadā).
Monday, the 15th of the bright lunar fortnight of Āśvina in the [Vikrama] era year
1957 (1900 CE). Auspiciousness.
Commentary
The document concerns the feeding of meat to the poor during the autumnal Dasaĩ. From similar documents issued to the same effect in
previous and subsequent years (K_0614_0041 issued in VS 1955, K_0660_0052 in VS 1960,
K_0664_0017 in VS 1961 etc.) it is apparent that it pertains to persons being fed at
the Pūrṇeśvara Pākāśālā, which fell under the purview of the Jaṅgānandaprakāśeśvara
Guṭhī, though the two institutions are only referred to in the present document under
the names of their titular deities. As remarked in the notes above, the pairing of
the honorific references at the beginning of the document with the numbered (or
unnumbered) blank spaces in the text is not completely clear. There may have been
some confusion when the document was scribed (or copied).
This order to record expenditures for a festive meal differs from similar documents
extant for other years in that, exceptionally, sheep (bheḍā)
instead of gelded goats (khasī) had been bought. Accordingly, it
refers to a different and longer administrative process, with much paperwork having
to be filed in connection with a pramāṅgī (special authorization
that had to be issued to circumvent the existing practice). From the references to
other paperwork throughout the document, it appears that 1) the persons who were fed
at the kitchen filed a petition (bintī) to the government
requesting such exceptional permission. That permission was 2) issued by Captain
Nārāṃ Bahādura Mahat Chetṛ from an unidentified office. As this
pramāṅgī refers to 3) an order (marjī)
having been given, the captain probably 4) was directed to issue such an order by a
higher office. The purchase was made, and probably on account of of its exceptional
nature, the amount sanctioned was 25 rupees, a sum that was 2 rupees short of the
expenses incurred in other years, 5) the responsible accountant
(kharidāra) of the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā requested a sanctioning
order by the government (sanada) to reconfirm the unusual process.
The present purjī is this sanada, and at least
the sixth document concerning this case, having been issued in the name of the
commander-in-chief general, the second highest post in the Rāṇā era government.
Notes
1. This number, added by a later hand and
mirrored in the registration number of the document given on the NGMPP catalogue
card, refers to the position of the document in the batch running from
K_0608_0035
(numbered 1) to
K_0608_0069 (numbered 35) that are all addressed to named or
unnamed officials of the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā under Śrī 3 Sarkāra. The bound
material, scribed by different hands, may have formed part of that office's
archives containing incoming documents it had copied.
[⇑] 2. Inserted from the space numbered 1
above.
[⇑] 3. The honorific reference numbered 2 is missing in the space
above. Either the petitioners quoted belonged to another institution or, under the
assumption that something has gone awry here (see the next notes and Commentary),
the reference could be to those who are fed at the [kitchen
(
pākaśālā) of] Śrī Pūrṇeśvara themselves, i.e. the reference
should be inserted from the space numbered 3 above. The latter seems more likely,
as the petitioners, referring to themselves, note that meat was being fed to "us,
the poor" (
hāmī garīpgurvāharulāī).
[⇑] 4. Following the text as copied, this honorific reference would
refer to the [kitchen (
pākaśālā)] of Śrī Pūrṇeśvara. It seems
more plausible, however, that the petition was made to the government. Thus a
likely referent would have been Śrī 3 Sarkāra, i.e. to be inserted from the space
numbered 1 above. If this is so, it would underpin the assumption that there was
some confusion when it came to pairing the blank spaces in the text with the
references above.
[⇑] 5. The blank space for the
honorific reference is not numbered. Given parallels in the other documents of the
batch (see Commentary) and the repetition in the
sanctio, it is
likely meant to be filled with the name Śrī Jaṅgānandaprakāśeśvara, i.e. the
entity numbered 4 above.
[⇑] 6. Inserted from the space numbered 4
above.
[⇑] 7. The blank space for the honorific
reference is not numbered. According to its position and in view of parallel
documents, it is likely meant to be filled with "the [kitchen
(
pākaśālā) of] Śrī Purṇeśvara," i.e. the entity numbered 3
above.
[⇑]