Documenta Nepalica

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

Version with DOI and citation guidelines

A copy of a rukkā from Jaṅga Bahādura exempting subjects in Doce from the obligation to supply an assigned quota of rations (VS 1917)

ID: Tsum_0001_0013

Edited and translated by Nadine Plachta and Rajendra Shakya
Created: 2017-12-14; Last modified: 2018-11-27
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, 2018. Published by the courtesy of the Nile Labrang, Tsum. The copyright of the facsimile remains with Nadine Plachta. 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 copy of a rukkā of Jaṅga Bahādura exempting subjects in Doce, as a reward for spying on the Tibetan army during the Nepalese–Tibetan War, from having to supply mandatory rations for a period of two years.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1नकल

1श्रीकम्याडिङजनरलभाईजग
2त्समसेरजङ्गकुव़रराणा¯¯¯¯¯¯
3२

1श्रीजनरलसाहेव
2१

1स्वस्तिश्रीमदतिप्रचण्डभुजडण्डेत्यादीश्रीश्रीश्रीमहाराज∙जङ्गवहादुर∙राणाजि∙सिविप्रा
2ईममिनिष्टरय़ान्ड∙कम्यान्डर∙ईन∙चिफकस्यरुक्का¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
3स्वस्तिश्रीमद्राजकुमारकुमारात्मज∙श्रीकम्यान्डरईनचिफ
4जनरलकृष्णवहादुरकुव़रराणाकस्येपत्रम्¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
5आगे∙डिट्ठागौरिदास∙धमालाके∙यथोचित्∙उप्रान्त∙११सा
6लमा∙भोटसंगलडाञिंहुंदातिमि∙भोटेप्रजाहरुलेआ∙
7फ्नुसाधसिमा∙गौंडागल्फामाहोसिय़ारिराषि∙दुस्‌म
8न्‌कोचिव़ाचर्चा∙गर्नु∙तिमिहरुकाचौरिगदहालगि∙
9फौजपल्टन्‌वस्याकाठाउमादारुव़ावोकिपुर्‍‍याउनुति
10मिहरुले११|१२सालमालाग्याकोरसदवोक्‌नुप्रदैनमा
11फभयोभनि¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ १¯¯¯ ¯¯¯वाटमर्जिहुंदामर्जीवमोजिम्‌∙पल्‌
12टन्‌वस्याकाजगाजगामादारुव़ावोकिपुर्‍‍यायौं∙जगाजगा
13मा∙दुस्मन्‌कोचिव़ाचर्चापनिगर्‍‍यौंहिजै∙तिमिहरुले११|१२
14सालमालाग्याकोरसदवोक्‌नुपर्छभनि∙मर्जिभय़ाकोभय़ा
15रसदपनिवोक्‌ताहुँ∙आजआहामिदोच्येप्रर्जालाईञांहांवा
16टरसदउठाउनजान्याडिट्ठागौरिदास्‌धमालाले∙हलपाट्राकोदालेको११सालको
17डेढोर१२सालकोस्मेत्‌हिसाफ्‌गरि∙८पाथिका∙दरभावलेदामवुझाउभनि∙हामिला
18ई∙क्षेकथुन्‌धरपकरगर्नलाग्याहिँउकाडल्लाकोवास्‌∙षेतिकमाई∙हाम्रोकेहीछैनभो
19टवाटनुन्‌वोकिल्याई∙उधोवाटआयाकाढाक्र्यालेल्यायाको∙नुन्‌साटी∙वेपारलेजिवि
20कागरि∙अघिदेषिदरिचलिआयाकोरकम्‌तिरिरह्याकाप्रजाहुंतिमिहरुलेरसद∙
21वोक्नु∙पर्दैनमाफ्‌भयो∙भनिमर्जिभयाकैहो∙योरसदमाफिपाउन्याहुंभनि∙अठा
22रसयेषोलामध्ये∙स्यार्कुतांङ्‌पट्टिकादोचेप्रजाहरुले¯¯¯ ¯¯¯२¯¯¯ ¯¯¯मार्फतअर्जीचढा
23ईविन्तिगर्‍‍यारकसोहोभनि¯¯¯ ¯¯¯२¯¯¯ ¯¯¯संग∙सोधनिगर्दा∙केरुंवाटपल्टनिञासिपा
24हिघरघरैपठाई∙चौरि∙गदाहा∙उठाईदारुवावोकाइजगाजगामागौडागल्फाचिव़ाच∙
25र्चा∙गर्नु∙रसदवोकनुपर्दैन∙माफभयोभनिभन्याकोहोभनि¯¯¯ ¯¯¯२¯¯¯ ¯¯¯लेहाम्राहजुरमा
26विन्तीपार्दाजाहेरभयो∙तसर्थ∙अठारसय़षोलामध्ये∙स्यारकुताङ्‌पट्टिकादोच्याप्र
27जागैह्रलाई∙११|१२सालमालाग्याकोरसद∙माफगरिवक्स्यौंछाडिदेउ∙टंटानग
28रलियाको∙भयापनि∙फिर्तागरिदेऊईतिसम्वत्१९१७सालमितिमार्गवदी३रो
29ज७शुभ्म्¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

Copy

Venerable Commanding General [and] younger brother Jagat Śamśera Jaṅga Kũvara Rāṇā – 2

Venerable General Sāheba – 1

Hail! A rukkā of him who is very mighty, has arms like a staff etc., the thrice venerable great king, GCB Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā

Hail! A letter from Commander-in-Chief General Kṛṣṇa Bahādura Kũvara Rāṇā, the venerable prince born of a prince

Āge: to Ḍiṭṭhā Gauridāsa Dhamālā

Yathocita uprānta: “During the war against Bhoṭa in the year [19]11 (1855 CE), [Venerable General Sāheba]1 ordered [as follows]:– ‘You, bhoṭa prajās2 , remain alert at your (section of) border, [and] in gaũḍās and galphās3 , and observe the enemy’s movements. Take your yaks and donkeys and deliver firewood to the places where the army battalion is staying. You need not bear [the burden of providing your quota of] rations for the years [19]11 / [19]12. [You have been] exempted.’ Persuant to the order, [we] delivered firewood to many places where the battalion was staying. [We] also observed the movements of the enemy at many places. If back then we had been given the order: ‘You will have to transport [your quota of] rations for the years [19]11 / [19]12’, we would have transported the rations, too.

Now Ḍiṭṭhā Gauridāsa Dhamālā, the officer appointed to obtain rations from here, is threatening to arrest us Doce subjects, telling us to deliver up the amount at the rate [based on the amount of tilled land] - whether pāto [ploughed by a yoke of oxen] or kodāle [ploughed by hoe]: one and half [pāthīs] for the year [19]11 and 8 pāṭhīs for the year [19]12. Our abode is among drifts [lit. balls] of snow. We have no [rice] cultivation nor any income.4 We are subjects who have been earning a living in trade and paying sums at regular previously fixed rates, exchanging [our goods for] salt with porters (ḍhākre) who carry the salt [on their backs] from Bhoṭa, bringing it from higher up. It is indeed true that [you] ordered: ‘You need not transport the ration (quota); [you are] exempted’. We are meant to receive the ration exemption.”

Such an arjī was filed by the Doce subjects of Syār-kutāṅ side within Aṭhāra Saya Kholā through [Commanding General [and] younger brother Jagat Śamśera]5 about [it]. It has come to our knowledge through [Commanding General [and] younger brother Jagat Śamśera]6 having brought to our attention the fact that battalion soldiers from Kerung had been sent around to houses [of the Doce subjects], [whom] they told to round up yaks and donkeys and to transport firewood: “Observe [any enemy presence] in places (along the way) in gaũḍās [and] galphās. You need not transport rations; [you are] exempted.”

Therefore, [we] have exempted the Doce subjects of Syār-kutāṅ within Aṭhāra Saya Kholā from the ration [quota] imposed for the years [19]11 / [19]12. Leave them alone. Do not bother [them]. If [the ration quota] has already been obtained, return it [to them].

Saturday, the 3rd of the dark fortnight of Mārga in the [Vikrama] era year 1917 (1860 CE). Auspiciousness.

Commentary

This document reveals that the state used people from the Doce area to spy on the Tibetan army during the Nepalese-Tibetan War of 1855-56, and rewarded them for their service by exempting them from having to provide their assigned quota of rations for two years.

Notes

1. Inserted from the marginal note numbered 1. [⇑]

2. Subjects of Mongoloid origin. [⇑]

3. The meaning of galphā here is not clear, but it probably is also an administrative unit, though maybe smaller than a gaũḍā. Pant and Pierce (1989: 54-55) read the word as 'gauḍāgalphā' and translate it as “district headquarters”. However, it is clear from this document that the state was here asking its subjects to remain alert in the border area and spy on the enemy there, that is, not anywhere near a district headquarters. However, Parājuli et al. (2052: s.v.) give a second meaning of gaũḍā as a fortress. It also gives a compound term gaũḍā-galchẽḍā, meaning a difficultly accessible road. Although the terms galphā and galchẽḍā are less likely to be the same, it is possible that the spies were being asked to look for possible defensive positions Tibetans may have been scouting out or assembling at. [⇑]

4. The previous sentence implies that they do cultivate land. They probably lament that the culitvation of rice is not possible there. [⇑]

5. Inserted from the marginal note numbered 2. [⇑]

6. Inserted from the marginal note numbered 2. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
āge	[fr. S. agre] adv. lit. "henceforeward" (Riccardi 1976: 150 n. 6), especially used in administrative and legal documents to mark the beginning of a text or paragraph. In its function it is similar to uprānta.
arjī	var. arji; n. 1) request, petition, application. 2) a respectful letter to a superior authority, especially the king.
ḍhākre	var. ḍhākryā; n. 1) a porter; one who carries goods on his back in a ḍhākara, a large hand-woven conical basket of bamboo widely popular in hill regions; 2) a former state employee (cf. M.R. Pant 2002: 132 ), "off-role, out of government employment" (Whelpton 1991: 282); 3) an unemployed person; 4) another word for raitī, i.e. tenants or settlers, who fall under the jurisdiction of and pay taxes to the Limbu subbā (cf. Parajuli et al. 2075 s.v. ḍhākre).
ḍiṭṭhā	var. ḍīṭṭhā, ḍiṭhā; a civil servant ranking above a mukhiyā and lower than a subbā (cf. Stiller 1981: 379). According to Edwards 1975: 107, ḍiṭṭhās originally had been the judges who presided over the courts in Kathmandu but later could serve in a number of other offices (such as the kausī, the hāttīsāra or the sadara daphtarakhānā; see also Kumar 1967: 165; M.C. Regmi 1978: 226). The Mulukī Ain distinguishes three categories of the ḍiṭṭhās; the jaṅgī kote ḍiṭṭhā (probably, combatant personnel), the lājimā ḍiṭṭhā and the ḍiṭṭhā in charge of Elephant or horse stable or cowshed (MA-54.31.11).
gaũḍā / gauḍā	var. gaurā; n. 1) a fortification, fortress (see Parājulī et al. 2052: s.v. gaũḍā and gauḍā); 2) certain districts were known as gauḍā, according to Adhikari (describing the situation after 1850): Doti, Salyan, and Palpa in the West and Dhankuta in the east (Adhikari 1979: 16); 3) a district office for maintaining law and order (cf. Karmacharya 2001: 91) established in the districts known as gauḍā. According to Adhikari this judicial offices were placed under responsible military officials—at first under kājīs or sardāras, and later on, under generals (janarala) and colonels (karṇela). In the Ain the chief officer of a gauḍā is referred to as hākima or mālika. Gauḍās decided original cases and served as appellate courts. They had jurisdiction regarding pañcakhata cases but could order a death sentence only after receiving a lālamohara from the kausala (Adhikari 1979: 16). The other levels of courts in the disctricts besides gauḍās or gaũḍā adālatas (cf. Adhikari 1984: 310) were: adālata (sometimes also called aḍḍās) and amāla (Adhikari 1979: 14). According to Kumar there were three "first courts of appeal" known as gauḍās covering twelve lower courts after the reorganisiation of the country's judiciary by Vīra Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā in 1887: I. Palpa gauḍā (covering 1. Salyan, 2. Piuthan, 3. Pokhara, 4. Doti, 6. Bhagwanpur, 6. Taulihawa), II. Doti gauḍā (covering 7. Jumla, 8. Dailekh, 9. Banke, 10. Kanchanpur), III. Dhankuta gauḍā (covering 11. Morang, 12. Saptari) (Kumar 1967: 129f.).
GCB	title of a member of the first class (Knight Grand Cross) of "The Most Honourable Order of the Bath", founded by King George I in 1725 and restructured in 1815; other classes are: KCB and CB. The title was bestowed on Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā.
kodāle	n. pākho land holding in the hill regions smaller than a pāte holding, which was too small to be plowed by oxen and hence had to be dug with a spade (kodālo) (M.C. Regmi 1999: 234; M.C. Regmi 1978: 861; M.C. Regmi 1988: 268).
pāthī	var. pāthi; n. 1) a volumetric unit equivalent to 4.546 litres comprising of 8 mānās with 20 pāthīs in one muri. 2) a container for grains having a volume of one pāthī.
pāto	[fr. S. paṭṭa] var. pāṭe, pāṭā, pāte; n. 1) a large plot of field; evenly-plane widespread plot of land. 2) an pākho land holding in the hill region, including Kathmandu Valley, half of a hale holding in size (M.C. Regmi 1999: 235; M.C. Regmi 1988: 269), bigger than kodāle hence could be ploughed by an oxen.
rukkā	[fr. A. ruq'a] n. an executive order, short note, missive from the highest authority. The king, the crown prince, but also queens and the Rāṇā prime ministers issued rukkās.
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.

Bibliography

Pant, Mahes Raj and Philip H. Pierce. 1989. Administrative Documents of the Shah Dynasty Concerning Mustang and its Periphery (1789-1844 A.D.). Bonn: VGH (Archiv für Zentralasiatische Geschichtsforschung).
Parājulī, Kṛṣṇaprasāda et al. (ed.). VS 2052 [1995]. Nepālī Bṛhat Śabdakośa. 3rd (2nd reprint of 1st ed.) ed. Kathmandu: Nepāla Rājakīya Prajñāpratiṣṭhāna.