Documenta Nepalica

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

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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

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
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. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
ain	var. āin, aina; n. 1) laws, statutes, rules, regulations enacted by authority 2) law-code of Nepal, first promulgated in 1854 during the rule of Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā and amended several times before it was completely revised in VS 2022. The revised law-code was renamed as Mulukī Ain.
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.
bintī	[fr. S.] var. biṃtī; n. request, supplication, prayer; application, petition. Cf. bintīpatra.
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).
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.
kharadāra / kharidāra	[fr. P.] var. kharīdāra, ṣaridāra; n. secretary, official scribe, office superintendent (cf. Kumar 1967: 166).
marjī	n. an order from the mukhtiyāra, Prime Minister or other high-ranked officers.
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.
pramāṅgī	[fr. P. farmān?] var. pramānagī, pramāṃnagī; n. permission, order; specifically an order or authorization letter from the king or a high-ranking government official such as the prime minister that have to be in written form and approved, often issued when existing legal norms are to be overruled.
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.
sanada	var. sanad; n. a regulation, order, decree or certificate of appointment, esp. from the prime minister (prāimaminisṭara yaṇḍa kamyāṇḍara ina cipha) or the commander-in-chief general (kamyāṇḍara ina cipha janarala); "government orders" (Karmacharya 2001: 327).
savāla	n. 1) an enquiry. 2) a set of directives issued especially for the administrative purposes. Contrary to a sanada which is applicable to general public, a savāla refers to rules within a particular organization or an administrative unit (see Siṃha 1981 sv svāla. 3) rules and regulations enacted based on an existing law; administrative regulations (Adhikari 1984: 356; Karmacharya 2001: 328).
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).
sukā	n. monetary unit worth one fourth of a rupee, i.e. half of a silver mohara, and comprising four ānās; in documents the second of the four usual monetary fractions of the system based on the rupee, usually represented by either the avagraha-shaped sign for zero or one to three daṇḍas.
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.