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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
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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

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¯ ¯तर्फ­गुठी­षर्च­अडाका­षरीडार­चंद्र­वहादुर­साही
3के­
पुर्जी­उप्रान्त­•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. []