Documenta Nepalica

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

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A copy of a copperplate recording the donation of land by King Gīrvāṇayuddha's mother for the worship of Mahāmāyā at Gorkha (VS 1856)

ID: K_0120_0020

Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter in collaboration with Pabitra Bajracharya
Created: 2019-08-07; Last modified: 2020-06-24
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, 2020. 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

The copperplate of which this is a copy records the donation of 1,300 muris of land in Purkoṭa by King Gīrvāṇayuddha's mother for worshipping Mahāmāyā, who presides over the Navarātra festival at Gorkha Palace on each eighth day (aṣṭamī) of the lunar fortnight. For details about the land offered and the materials provided from its produce, the text refers to the corresponding dānapatra.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1[...]

1श्री३महामाया

1श्रीमन्मात्रा

1सकलवमोजीम्‌नकलदुरुस्तछभनीस्हीछापगर्न्यासुव्वाकवीराजअधीकारीक्षतृ१

[Scribal seal with the legend: कविराज]

1स्वस्तिश्री३माहाँमाय़ायैनम:॥ ॥स्वस्तिश्रीसालिवाह∙नी∙यशाकेचन्द्र∙नयनाश्वैक१७२१
2मिते∙प्रमोदाख्य सम्वतसरे∙श्रीसूर्येदक्षिणाय़ने∙आश्विनमासे∙कृस्न∙पक्षअष्टम्यांपु
3ण्यातिथौरविवासरेआर्द्रानक्षत्रे∙व्यातीपातयोगेवालवकरणेगिरीशमुहूर्तेकंन्या
4राशिस्थितेश्रीसूर्येमिथुनराशिस्थिते∙चन्द्रेदेवगुरौ∙चान्येषुग्रहेषुयथास्थानस्थि
5तेषुसत्सु∙स्वस्तिश्री∙गिरिराजचक्रचूडामणिनरनाराय़णेत्यादिविविधविरुदाव
6लिविराजमानमानोन्नतश्री∙मन्महाराजाधिराज∙श्रीश्रीश्रीमहाराजगीर्वाणयुद्ध
7विक्रमसाह∙वहादुर∙सम्सेर्जङ्ग∙देवानांसदासमरविजयिनाम्‌∙¯ ¯ ¯ ¯नवरात्र
8धिष्ठा∙तृ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯प्रीतययेप्रतिवर्ष∙सर्वासुशुक्लकृस्नाष्टमीषु∙दानपत्रस्थ∙यथालिपिस
9मग्री∙भिरन्यूनाभिर्यथाक्तपूजांकार∙यितुं:त्रितुंगनगर∙भूभागान्तर्गतपुर्कोटा∙
10ख्याग्राम∙निकटवर्तित्रयोदशशत१३००मूरिपरिमितक्षेत्रंसकुशोदकंसंक∙
11ल्पा∙समर्पितमस्ति∙¯ ¯ ¯ ¯पूजार्थसमुत्सृष्टक्षेत्रसिमापूजनसामग्रीदेवक्षत्र∙
12रक्षाधिकार∙स्थजनोदेर∙भर∙णोपरोगिभोग्ये∙चैतत्सर्ववृत्तान्तवि∙लसितमरु
13ण∙मुद्राऽल∙ङ्कृतंपूर्वोक्तदानंपत्रमधिकारीहस्ते∙स्थापितमस्तिअधिकारिणाच
14दानपत्रलिखितायथालिपिसामग्रीप्रत्यष्टमिषु¯ ¯ ¯ ¯पूजागृहसंनिधौ∙प्रावप
15यितव्या॥कदाचिद्दैववशादन्तरायेपतितेअधिकारिणैवराजद्वारमागत्यसचि
16वप्रभृतिभार∙धरनिकटेविज्ञप्तिं∙कृत्वायथो∙क्तसामग्रीसंवादनीयासविवादि∙भिश्च
17तदियोक्तिमवधार्यदानपत्रलिखितमनतिक्रम्या∙पूजाकार∙यितव्याअथैतस्मि
18न्देवस्ने∙तदधिकार्यन्योयकस्च∙नपापात्मालोभमाचरिष्यन्‌पूजाखंडनंकरिष्ये
19तिसपंचमहापातकितमेव¯ ¯ ¯ ¯कोपदृष्ट्याश्यातुसएवपुनर्वणा∙श्रमानुसारेण
20नित्यानुसारेणावराधानुसारेणचवधार्हश्चेद्धन्त्तव्या।तत्कलत्रादिकंचदास्वोत्वे
21 नियोनाम्‌∙अवध्योव्राह्मणादिर्मुण्डनापराध∙युत्तश्चेत्तथाविधेय:॥धनापहार
22योग्याश्चेत्तदियधनं दायानुसारेणग्राह्यम्‌∙अ∙पसारण∙योग्यश्चेद्देशतोवहिनि
23सारणिंय़:॥य:कश्चनधर्मात्मायतद्धर्मसंर∙क्षणंविधा∙सेन्‌∙पूजांनिर्वाहयिष्यति
24सपंचमहायज्ञजन्यपुण्यभाग्‌∙भविषेति∙तस्मि∙न्नेव¯ ¯ ¯ ¯कृपासुदृष्टि∙श्चनितरां
25पतिष्यतित्यत्र∙साक्षिण∙आदित्ते∙चन्द्रादयोदेवा∙ ||मनुष्याश्चैते∙ ||संकल्पवाक्या
26वक्तापुरोहित∙श्रीदैवज्ञकेसरी∙पंडितमंत्रिनायका:पंच॥श्रीरणोद्योतसाहश्री
27समर∙सेर∙साहश्रीवलभद्रसाहश्री∙विदुरसाहश्रीसेरवहादूर∙साह॥सचिवा
28श्चपंच∙ ॥ ∙पांडेश्रीरणजित∙पाडेदामोदरश्रीत्रिभुवन।∙श्री∙नरसिंह∙उदकन्या
29सकर्ता∙श्रीकीर्तिमानसिंह∙ ।महाकोशाध्यक्ष∙पाडेश्रीभोटुटु।कोसाध्यक्ष∙श्रीस्या∙
30मलालउपाध्याय∙।सोर्णरौप्यामुद्राधिकारस्थ:।श्री∙भिमम॥सिमासमय∙साक्षिण
31स्तु∙श्रीहर्षपंत:।अर्ज्यालश्रीहरिखनाल:श्रीभानुउपाध्याय:।पाडेश्रीजगजित
32॥∙वोहराश्रीहरिवंस:।रानाश्रीवंसविर॥इतिश्री∙विक्रमार्कसम्वत्‌सरे१८५६
33आश्विनशुक्लअष्टम्यांमादित्तेवासरे∙लेखोयंकान्तिपुरियश्∙शुभछ॥∙स्वदत्तांपर∙
34दत्तांवा∙योहरेत्रवसुन्धरा∙म्‌॥षष्टि∙वर्षसहस्राणिविष्टायांजाय़तेक्रिमि:॥१॥

Translation

[1r]

Śrī 1

Thrice glorious Mahāmāyā

By the venerable mother

Certifying by signature and seal that the copy is true to the original: Subbā Kavīrāja Adhikārī Kṣatṛ – 1

[Scribal seal with the legend: Kavirāja]

Hail! Obeisance to thrice glorious Mahāmāyā!2 Hail! In the year called pramoda3 , counted [as] 1721—[in words] moon (1), eyes (2), horses (7), one—in the Śaka [era] of Śrī Śālivāhana, when Śrī Sūrya (i.e. the sun) is on its southern course, in the month Āśvina, on the meritorious eighth lunar day (tithi) of the dark fortnight, on Sunday, when the nakṣatra is ārdrā, the yoga is vyatīpāta, the karaṇa is bālava, [and] the muhūrta is girīśa, while the sun is in Virgo, the moon in Gemini, [and] Jupiter and the other celestial bodies in their respective places, in order to please [thrice glorious Mahāmāyā]4 , who presides over the Navarātra, a field measuring 1,300 muris situated near the village named Purkoṭa in the Trituṅganagara 5 area is offered, the ritual commitment being performed with kuśa grass and water, [by the venerable mother]6 of him—hail!—who is shining with manifold rows of eulogy [such as] "The venerable crest-jewel of the multitude of mountain kings" and Nārāyaṇa among men (Naranārāyaṇa , also an epithet of Kṛṣṇa) etc., high in honour, the venerable supreme king of great kings, the thrice venerable great king, Gīrvāṇayuddha Vikrama Śāha, the brave swordsman, the divine king always triumphant in war, in order to have worship (pūjā) performed, as stated [by tradition], annually on all aṣṭamī days [of] bright and dark [fortnights] with unreduced [amounts of] materials according to the text [to be] laid down in the dānapatra. And the said dānapatra, marked with the red seal7 [and] in which all these specifications appear—the borders of the field released for the worship of [thrice glorious Mahāmāyā],8 the materials for worship and what is to be enjoyed by (being intended for sustaining the life of) the person in charge of protecting the field of the deity—is deposited in the hand(s) of the one in charge. And every aṣṭamī the materials written in the dānapatra should be taken, in accordance with the transcript, to the place of worship of [thrice glorious Mahāmāyā]9 by the one in charge. If at any time an obstacle appears through ill fate (daivavaśa), the same person in charge shall come to the palace (lit. "king's door") [and] announce it to the ministers (saciva) and other courtiers (lit. "burden-bearers", Nep. bhāradāra), and the prescribed materials shall be procured. Having had his words taken note of, the ministers and the other [courtiers] shall have the worship performed without overstepping what is written in the dānapatra.

Now, if with respect to this divine piece of property (devasva) the person in charge of it or some other sinful person (pāpātman) impairs the worship by acting covetously, he is [equivalent to] someone who has committed one of the five heinous crimes (pañcamahāpātakī). [Thrice glorious Mahāmāyā]10 shall look at him with an angry look. Moreover, if according to [his status in] the varṇāśramadharma and according to the laws and [their penalties for] crimes he is liable to capital punishment, he shall be executed.11 His wife and family shall be condemned to slavery. A Brāhmaṇa or the like who is not to be executed shall, as if connected with a crime calling for shaving, be subjected [to punishment] in that manner. If he is liable to having his property confiscated, his property shall be seized, conformably to what his share in property (dāya) is. If he is liable to banishment (apasāraṇa) he shall be exiled to beyond the realm. Any righteous person who performs the worship in order to secure the protection of dharma will partake of the merit generated by the five great sacrifices (pañcamahāyajña). On him [thrice glorious Mahāmāyā's]12 grace and compassionate look will fall continually.

The witnesses of the stated [matters] are the sun, moon and the other deities. The humans are: the house-priest (purohita) who spoke the ritual commitment (saṃkalpa), Śrī Daivajñakesarī Paṃḍita; five "leaders of the ministers" (mantrināyaka for Nep. cautariyā), Śrī Raṇodyota Sāha, Śrī Samarasera Sāha, Śrī Balabhadra Sāha, Śrī Vidura Sāha, Śrī Serabahādura Sāha; five "ministers" (saciva for Nep. kājī), Pā̃ḍe Śrī Raṇajit, Pāḍe Dāmodara, Śrī Tribhuvana, Śrī Narasiṃha [and]—the pourer of water [during the saṃkalpa]—Śrī Kīrtimāna Siṃha; the "great treasurer" (mahākośādhyakṣa for Nep. kaparadāra),13 Pāḍe Śrī Bhoṭu; the "treasurer" (kośādhyakṣa for Nep. khajāncī) Śrī Syāmalāla Upādhyāya; the "person responsible for [minting] gold and silver coins" (svarṇaraupyamudrādhikārastha for Nep. ṭakasārī) Śrī Bhima; the witnesses at the time the borders [were fixed]: Śrīharṣa Panta, Arjyāla Śrī Hari, Khanāla Śrī Bhānu Upādhyāya, Pāḍe Śrī Jagajit, Boharā Śrī Harivaṃsa, Rānā Śrī Vaṃsavira.

This document [was issued] from Kāntipura on Sunday, the eighth of the bright fortnight of the month Āśvina in the Śrī Vikramārka [era] year 1856 (6 October 1799 CE). Auspiciousness.

Whoever seizes land given by himself or somebody else will be reborn as a worm in feces for sixty thousand years.

Commentary

As a note (K_0120_0021) attached to the present document and the scribal mark on it reveal, this certified copy of a copperplate inscription was made in VS 1960 (1904 CE) by Subbā Kavirāja Adhikārī Kṣatṛ and was sent from Gorkha Palace to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā under Śrī 5 Sarkāra. As the note explains, the copperplate, before it was copied, was kept inside the treasure house (ḍhukuṭi), whence the copy could only be made when the ḍhukuṭi was opened, namely for the Caitedasaĩ. In their publication of a transcription and Nepali translation of the copperplate, Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha describe the location of the copperplate inscribed with the text as being "fixed to the door of Kālikā's sanctum at Gorkha Palace" (gorakhā-darbāra, kālikāsthānako ḍhokāmā yo abhilekha kũdieko tāmrapatra ṭāsirākheko cha, Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha VS 2037: 277); Bhaṭṭarāī more specifically, as "fixed to the eastern wall at the main door of the temple section of Gorkha Palace" (gorakhādarabārako mandirakhaṇḍako mūlaḍhokāmā pūrvatarpha bhittāmā ṭāsieko cha, Bhaṭṭarāī VS 2054: appendix 2). Another copy of the copperplate was microfilmed twice as K_0029_0011 and K_0334_0037; a Nepali translation as K_0031_0011A.

The inscription records the endowment of land for sustaining worship. Though written fully in Sanskrit, it follows the same format as the lālamohara texts on land transfer written predominantly in Nepali. Mutual reference between the two textual categories is explicit, with the lālamoharas referring to the attendant copperplates as moharatāmrapatras, while the latter refer to the former as dānapatras. The actual dānapatra spoken of in the present copperplate as being a lālamohara covering the details about the land donated, such as its borders, the worship materials to be procured from its income and the persons in charge, has not been traced yet. According to a copy of a follow-up lālamohara, the original lālamohara had become unreadable and therefore was reissued in VS 1942 (1885 CE), details from and citations of it being copied in part (K_0120_0024). For some of the parallel endowments (see below) copies of the actual dānapatras are extant.14 These sources allow for observations on the commonalities and differences between the probably more prestigious format of a copperplate written in Sanskrit and on display at prominent locations and the corresponding Nepali-language dānapatra placed in the hands of the persons in charge.

In the Sanskrit text of the copperplate, the endowment is called devasva, "the deity’s property," while the Nepali word guṭhi is used in the dānapatras. Furthermore, the Sanskrit text features translations of Nepali terms for state functionaries (see the Translation above). The list of witnesses to the pious deeds as given in the copperplate starts with the sun and moon in the realm of the gods and then lists humans. The sequence of names, each prefixed with the honorific śrī, is the same as in the dānapatras, starting with the purohita involved, then mentioning the royal collaterals (cautariyās), ministers (kājīs)—one of the latter pouring the water in the saṃkalpa ritual—and then functionaries responsible for finances. As witnesses at the time the borders were fixed, only the representatives of the six tharagharas are mentioned, with one representative each from the Pantha, Arjyāla, Khanāla, Pā̃ḍe, Boharā and Rānā clans. Missing in this list are the lower ranks involved in the actual border demarcation, such as land measurers and local representatives. These would sometimes make up the major part of the witness lists in dānapatras.

This difference in listing persons is also due to the fact that the actual demarcation of the land would usually happen on a separate occasion, after the land had first been ritually dedicated through a saṃkalpa of the type recorded in such copperplates, in which the royal donor holds kuśa grass in his or (as in the present case) her right hand in the presence of a cautariyā, while the first minister of state pours water over it and the purohita recites the saṃkalpa formula.15 Accordingly, many dānapatras laying out the actual details of the endowed land and the purpose of its foundation refer to royal saṃkalpas made on earlier occasions. The interval between the two steps of the deed is sometimes rather short, e.g. two and a half months in the case of land dedicated to feeding rice pudding to Paśupati (DNA_0013_0025). As for extant dānapatras for endowments similar to the present one, it amounted to years. These were only issued in VS 1862, i.e. six years after the saṃkalpa (K_0050_0038, K_0360_0038). Unfortunately, the reissued lālamohara for the present endowment does not refer to the date of the dānapatra but only to the date of the saṃkalpa.

There are copies of other follow-up lālamoharas pertaining to the endowed land at Purkoṭa. The responsibilities for it were shifted to new persons. Thus in VS 1872 Tārānātha Aryāla was appointed to follow Raṇasura Thāpā (K_0015_0022B), and in VS 1890 Hemalāla Purohita was to follow Lakṣmīnātha Bhaṭṭarāī (K_0003_0035C). Other documents pertaining to the guṭhi include a copy of a lālamohara from VS 1865 concerning an annual contractual sum (ijārā) of Rs. 405 raised from the land (K_0020_0007B), a list (lagata) of revenue and expenditures from VS 1909 (K_0323_0062), other such lagatas pertaining to the "Purakoṭa Guṭhī" from VS 1963 (F_0017_0006, F_0017_0007) and two further documents from VS 1954 (K_0120_0023, K_0120_0024).

The present copperplate refers to the commitment (saṃkalpa) for the dedication of land having taken place on the 8th of the dark fortnight of Āśvina and the ensuing copperplate being issued on the 8th of the bright fortnight, thus on the Mahāṣṭamī day of the Dasaĩ festival. On the same days a batch of other endowments were made with strictly parallel texts, each only modified according to the deity the endowment was made to and the location of the land. Some of these were published by Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha (VS 2037):

– 530 muris donated to Cā̃gunārāyaṇa for mahāpūjā (Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha VS 2037: 281–284; copies of the copperplate microfilmed as K_0029_0004D, K_0031_0007),

– 536 muris to Taleju of Kāntipura for several ṭhāpūjās16 (Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha VS 2037: 289–292; copies microfilmed as K_0029_0010, K_0334_0036),

– 224 muris for the deity presiding over Śāntipura for mahāpūjā on the full moon days of Kārtika and Māgha (Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha VS 2037: 293–196; K_0050_0037; Nepali translation: K_0031_0012A),

– 504 muris to Dakṣiṇakālī for mahāpūjā and nityapūjā (Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha VS 2037: 301–305; K_0029_0012),

Other inscriptions with the same text were issued in the name of Gīrvāṇayuddha's father and Ex-King Raṇabahādura, mentioning his ascetic name Paramanirguṇānanda Svāmī:17

– 268 muris to Taleju for ṭhāpūjā on the 8th of the bright fortnight of Bhādra and on the 5th of the bright fortnight of Āśvina (Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha VS 2037: 285–288, K_0246_0024, K_0029_0016),

– 402 muris to Bhaktapur Taleju for ṭhāpūjā (Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha VS 2037: 297–300; K_0029_0017).

The supposition by Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha (VS 2037: 305) that there were still other deities to whom land was donated on this occasion proves true. Further copies of parallel endowments by the queen mother found in the NGMPP collection include:

– 400 muris to Gokarṇa for mahāpūjā (K_0031_0012B),

– 760 muris to Guhyeśvarī for worship on Caitrāṣṭamī and Mahāṣṭamī (K_0029_0006),

– 420 muris to Degutale for worship on the 14th of the dark fortnight of Mārgaśirṣa (K_0029_0007, K_0066_0006A–C),

– 536 muris to Patan Taleju for several annual ṭhāpūjās (K_0029_0008),

– 461 muris to Vajrayoginī for mahāpūjā (K_0029_0009, K_0063_0003D, K_0334_0032).

Those issued in the name of the king's father include:

– 400 muris to Paśupatinātha for mahāpūjā (K_0029_0014),

– 420 muris to Degutaleju for worship (K_0029_0015),

– 380 muris to Guhyeśvarī for mahāpūjā in Bhādra (K_0029_0018, K_0059_0007).

All deities addressed are among the important royal deities. Except for the present endowment for worshipping the goddess at Gorkha, all other temples are located within the Kathmandu Valley. What also sets the present copperplate apart from the rest of the batch is the extraordinarily high amount of land endowed, two to three times that given to the other deities. This may have to do with the greater availability of land outside the valley, but may also indicate that the goddess of the Gorkha palace, the Śāha royal family deity, holds a privileged position. Moreover, this endowment is one of only two where a connection between the time of donation and its purpose is immediately apparent. It does not refer to the goddess as Śrī Kālikā, as other documents do, but explicitly to the form of the goddess worshipped during the Navarātra period. As the list of materials covered by the reissued dānapatra shows, the pūjās to be performed in the two Dasaĩ periods, particularly on Mahāṣṭamī, are special among the aṣṭamīpūjās and require far more material than those of normal aṣṭamī days (K_0120_0024; see also Bhaṭṭarāī VS 2054: 90–91). Another donation in which the relation between the time of dedication and the endowment purpose is apparent is the one for worshipping Guhyeśvarī on the aṣṭamī days of the vernal and autumnal Dasaĩ. At 760 muris, this is the second largest donation of land.

As Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha (VS 2037: 304–305) have rightly pointed out, though the autumnal Dasaĩ in VS 1856 (1799 CE) formed the occasion, the actual motivation for the royal couple to endow land at this extraordinary rate is to be sought elsewhere. These donations were made at a time when the donor queen, the ex-king's favourite wife Kāntavatī—married against the norms of caste, whose son Gīrvāṇayuddha had been crowned while his father was still alive—was seriously ill. As contemporary accounts say and narrative traditions further elaborate, Raṇabahādura left no remedy untried to save the life of his beloved. This included all kinds of ritual activities. The donations to the prominent deities must have been part of this intervention program. Still, Kāntavatī died less than a month after the endowments were made,18 which led to memorable outbreaks of anger and indeed the madness of the ex-king, during which he ordered temples to be destroyed and deities to be deconsecrated (Nepālī VS 2020: 38–42; Stiller 1973: 296–301). Apparently, however, this did not include a rescinding of the royal endowments made some weeks earlier. Possibly, though, it delayed their implementation—at least in the case of two of them (those to Śāntipura and Guhyeśvarī, see above) but possibly of the others too—to VS 1862 (1805 CE), i.e. to the time after Raṇabahādura had returned from Benares in March 1804.

Notes

1. The invocatio is illegible, being covered by a note attached to the upper part of the document (K_0120_0021). Its presence can be inferred from the long backslash with which ones typically end, and which extends from under the rim of the note into what is written in the space. [⇑]

2. Here and in the following, mistakes in the Sanskrit text that probably largely result from mistakes in copying the original copperplate are corrected, partially on the basis of the published transcription of the inscription (Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha VS 2037: 277–279). [⇑]

3. The name pramoda marks the year as being the fourth within a Jovian cycle of 60 years, according to which years are usually identified in the Hindu calender. [⇑]

4. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

5. Trituṅganagara is the Sanskrit name of Tanahū̃ (Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha VS 2037: 279). [⇑]

6. Inserted from the space above. This refers to Queen Kāntavatī Devī. [⇑]

7. The characterization of the dānapatra as aruṇamudrālaṅkṛtaṃ points to its being a lālamohara. [⇑]

8. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

9. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

10. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

11. In this and the following, different categories of capital punishment are distinguished on the basis of the status of the transgressor, which is typical of the Nepalese judicial system. Already foreshadowed in Rāma Śāha's edicts (Riccardi 1977: 53–54), they were later systematized in the Mūlukī Ain. [⇑]

12. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

13. The Sanskrit rendering of mahākośādhyakṣa of kaparadāra, the title held by Bhoṭu Pā̃ḍe, indicates that at that time the kaparadāra was not only the chief of the royal household, "in charge of the royal wardrobe, jewellery and kitchen" (Pant 2002: 133), but possibly the senior treasurer of state, ranking above the khajāncī. [⇑]

14. A copy of a dānapatra for land dedicated to the worship of the deity presiding over Śāntipura (K_0050_0038) and a copy of a dānapatra for an endowment for the worship of Guhyeśvarī on Caitrāṣṭamī and Mahāṣṭamī (K_0360_0038), both issued on the 11th of the bright fortnight of Āṣāḍha in VS 1862 (1805 CE). [⇑]

15. Note that this distribution of roles differs slightly from what the ninth and tenth edicts of King Rāma Śāha prescribe as the common pattern for dedicating land to Brahmans and gods (Riccardi 1977: 45–48). In them, "when a saṃkalpa is to be done for a birtā grant to a Brahman, the saṃkalpa is to be performed with a donation ritual (dāna) [with] land belonging to the king, a water vessel of a cautariyā, [at] the request (bintī) of a kājī [and with] the hand of a Brahman" (brāhmaṇalāi birtā saṃkalpa pari baksadā śrī 5 mahārājako bhumi cautariyāko jhāri kājiko biṃti brāhmaṇako hāta dāna garnāle … saṃkalpa garnu; cf. ibid.: 45–46). [⇑]

16. The Newari word thāpūjā, usually rendered in Nepali as ṭhāpūjā or ṭhā̃pūjā, denotes a specific type of pūjā. Dictionaries point to selected instances (Kölver and Shresthacharya 1994: s.v. thāpujā "kind of ritual ... (in worship of the family deity or of the goddess Hāratī on Svayambhūnāth)"; cf. Malla et al. 2000: s.v. thā pūjā). It is described as a special type of Tantric pūjā performed only by initiates, while non-initiates shall neither hear nor see it (Munaṃkarmī 2059: 22). It "is to be performed on one or more calendrically fixed days of every year in accordance with the requirements of an endowment for this purpose, usually initiated by an endowment of a sponsor" (Sanderson 2003–2004: 366: 366). The charter reestablishing the guṭhi of Taleju under King Pratāpa Siṃha in VS 1832 lists 22 thāpūjās performed at that time on different lunar days (DNA_0012_0050). Further occasions were added under the Śāha kings. A manual for Taleju's ṭhāpūjā was microfilmed as NGMPP A 1230/9. [⇑]

17. Instead of "by the venerable mother" (śrīmanmātrā) these texts read "by the venerable father, Paramanirguṇānanda Svāmī" (śrīmatpitrā paramanirguṇānandasvāminā). Note that the king’s mother's name, Kāntavatī, is not mentioned in the texts, while the king father's is. [⇑]

18. C. Nepālī (2020: 38) reports the date of her death as the 4th of the bright fortnight of Kārttika in VS 1856 (i.e. 2 November 1799) while C. Buyers gives the date as 31 October 1799 (http://www.royalark.net/Nepal/nepal6.htm). [⇑]

Word	Notes
aṣṭamī	[S.] n. eighth day of a lunar fortnight, one of the parvan days, often connected with the worship of goddesses.
bhāradāra / bhārādāra	n. lit. "burden bearer"; a generic term for high-level functionaries (M.R. Pant 2002: 131); courtiers (cf. Adhikari 1984: 346; cf.: Kumar 1967: 164 ; Krauskopff and Meyer 2000: 183 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 854 ; M.C. Regmi 1999: 136; M.C. Regmi 2002: 297; M.C. Regmi 1978: 225; Whelpton 2005: 25). According to Michael 2012: 130 the term denotes "top ranking posts such as chautariya, kaji, sardar, khardar, karpardar and khanjanchi". See also bhāibhārādāra.
bintī	[fr. S.] var. biṃtī; n. request, supplication, prayer; application, petition. Cf. bintīpatra.
birtā	[fr. S. vṛtti] var. birttā, bīrttā, vṛtā, vṛttā; n. a royal land grant. For discussion, see M.C. Regmi 1976: 22-37.
caite dasaĩ	var. caityā dasai, caitra dasai, caitrā dasai; n. festival to worship the goddess Durgā as slayer of the buffalo demon, held in the bright half of the spring month of Caitra. Cf. dasaĩ / daśaĩ.
caitrāṣṭamī	[S.] var. caitra aṣṭamī; n. eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Caitra and major day of the Caitedasaĩ festival.
cautariyā	var. cautarīyā; n. 1) in the early Shah period, a royal collateral appointed as principal officer of the state, often kings' second and third sons; 2) later a title with no specific functions attached, granted to several male descendents of the Śāha kings at a time. Cautarīyās held different higher administrative posts, like governors (cf. Adhikari 1984: 98–99; Kumar 1967: 164-165; J.C. Regmi 1981: 32–35; M.C. Regmi 1995: 42-43); descendents of different Śāha kings of earlier periods could be nominated thus.
dānapatra	[S.] n. deed of gift.
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, Guṭhi 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).
ijārā	[A.] var. ījārā; n. 1) a system under which the government granted to an individual the exclusive right to collect revenue from a specified source subject to payment of a sum stipulated in advance (M.C. Regmi 2002: 299). 2) a contract for collection of revenue, exploitation of mines, etc. (M.C. Regmi 1978: 226; cf. Adhikari 1984: 349; M.C. Regmi 1978: 162).
kājī	var. kāji; n. “an officer of ministerial rank superintending civil and military affairs“ (M.R. Pant 2002: 133; cp. Edwards 1975: 105).
kaparadāra	var. kapardāra; n. high ranking official, chamberlain, described as the chief of the royal household, the keeper of the king's wardrobe, and the one in charge of jewelry and other valuable items in the palace (M.R. Pant 2002: 133; Kumar 1967: 166). “Hodgson called him the "controller of the Royal Household" and "a gentleman of rank" whose office then was known as Kot Bhandar or Kadel Chowk.“ (Edwards 1975: 106).
karaṇa	[S.] n. a division of time and one of the calendric parameters of the pañcāṅga, with two karaṇas being equal to a lunar day. There are eleven named karaṇas.
khajāncī	[fr. P. khajānacī] var. khajaṃci; n. 1) treasurer. 2) chief royal treasurer and hākima of the kausī tosākhānā.
kuśa	[S.] n. couch grass (Desmostachya bipinnata (L.) Stapf).
lagata	var. lagat; n. record; descriptive list of items, persons etc. concerning a certain subject; a registry of staff in an office; “assessment or stipulated rent of land“ (Adhikari 1984: 352 )
lālamohara	var. lālmohara, lālamohar, lālmohora; abbreviated mohara; n. royal document bearing the red seal.
mahāṣṭamī	[S.] n. eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Āśvina and one of the major days of the Dasaĩ festival.
moharatāmrapatra	var. moharatā̃vāpatra, moharatāmvāpatra, mohoratāvāpatra; n. copperplate inscription bearing a (royal) seal.
muhūrta	[S.] var. muhurta; n. a division of time equivalent to 48 minutes; the 30th part of a day.
muri / murī	n. 1) also khetamuri; unit of land measurement in the hill region, comprising 1/4 ropanī with 100 muris in 1 kheta. The area varied according to the grade: 1190 sq. ft. for lands of the best grade, and 1339 sq. ft., 1487 sq. ft., and 1785 sq. ft. for lands of inferior grades. 2) volumetric unit comprising 20 pāthis (with 8 mānas to a pāthi), equivalent to 90.919 (M.R. Pant 2002: 134 ) or 87.23 (Pant and Pierce 1989: 93) liters. (M.C. Regmi 1978: 163; M.C. Regmi 1999: 235 ; M.C. Regmi 1978a: 228 ; M.C. Regmi 1978b: 862 ; Adhikari 1984: 354; M.C. Regmi 1988: 269).
nakṣatra	[S.] n. sector of the ecliptic reckoned as lunar mansion, of which there are 27 (or 28), and one of the calendric parameters of the pañcāṅga.
navarātra / navarātri / navarātrī	[S.] var. naurātrī; n. lit. "nine nights", period of nine lunar days on which goddess Durgā is worshipped; Dasaĩ.
nityapūjā	[S.] n. regular worship performed on a daily basis, reckoned as compulsory part of a worship program.
pañcamahāpātakī	[S.] n. person guilty of having committed one of the five grave sins or offenses causing loss of caste (pañcamahāpātaka).
pañcamahāyajña	[S.] n. lit. "five great sacrifices", daily observances to be performed by a Brahmin householder conceived as the sacrifices to brahman (by studying the Veda), to the gods (by performing fire sacrifice), to the forefathers (by performing ancestor rituals), to men (by feeding Brahmins and attending to guests), and to the beings (by food offerings) (Kane 1968–1977, II: 696–704).
pūjā	[S.] var. pujā; n. 1) worship, honour. 2) formal worship ritual of a revered being with offerings.
purohita / pureta	[fr. S. purohita] var. prohita, prohīt; n. 1) house-priest called to carry out domestic rituals, chaplain. 2) house-priest and principal advisor of the king; cf. rājapurohita. 3) generic term for priests officiating in rituals.
saṃkalpa	[S.] n. ritual declaration, ritual commitment.
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 5 sarkāra	lit. "five-times venerable ruler"; commonly used to refer to the Śāha king (cp. Whelpton 2005: 266) and often indistinctively to his government (Lecomte-Tilouine 2015).
subbā	var. subā; n. 1) governor or chief administrative officer of a province or district (cf. Kumar 1967: 168; Krauskopff and Meyer 2000: 185; M.R. Pant 2002: 135; M.C. Regmi 1999: 137; M.C. Regmi 2002: 303). 2) civil officer ranking higher than a mukhiyā, but lower than a sardāra (Stiller 1981: 382). According to Edwards subbās were stationed at Gorkha (cf. also Michael 2012: 134) and Chitwan, “with five others being administrators in the Terai” (Edwards 1975: 106). Edwards further mentions that “men of subba rank were also assigned in the capital to the Kumari Chowk, and Kat Bhandar offices, where they were the deputies of the kaji and kapardar in charge” (ibid.). 3) headmen of the Limbu community in the far-eastern hill regions (M.C. Regmi 1978: 229; cf. also 1978: 865).
ṭakasārī	n. official in charge of minting coins; "official in charge of mints in Kathmandu, Patan and Bhadgaun. He was responsible for the collection of customs duties on goods imported from or exported to Tibet. He also adjudicated in disputes of the trading community in Kathmandu, Patan and Bhadgaun. His emoluments consisted of one-tenth of the revenue from mint and one-sixteenth from customs revenue from Nepal-Tibet trade." (M.C. Regmi 1970 (No. 11): 274 ; cf. M.C. Regmi 1978a: 229).#AZnew@admin: plz check#
tharaghara	n. 1) originally referred to the leaders of the thirty-six clans (thara) of which the nobility of Gorkha consisted (Riccardi 1977: 47 n. 5). 2) member of the six clans (cha thara) of Pā̃ḍe, Pantha, Aryjāla, Khanāla, Rānā, and Bohorā, who supposedly assisted Dravya Shah in the conquest of Gorkha (Edwards 1975: 108). They were heriditary dignitaries, in the 11th of Rāma Śāha's edicts charged with the duty of protecting the throne and lawfulness (Riccardi 1977: 49). These six clans form the top level of the 36 clans of the Gorkhali nobility (ibid.: 62 n. 1). Persons from these six tharas often oversaw land measurements. 3) Also known as chatharīya, a clan within the Newar Śreṣtha caste group which are considered superior to Asala Śreṣṭha and other Śreṣṭhas of lower rank (MA-54 145.7-8).
tithi	[S.] n. lunar day (the increase of the longitudinal angle between the Moon and the Sun by 12°) that lasts between appr. 19 and 26 hours.
yoga	[S.] n. division of time based on "the sum of the ecliptical longitudes of the sun and moon, arranged in 27 segments of 13°20 Min each, parallel to but not identical with the nakṣatras" (Gansten 2018) and one of the calendric parameters of the pañcāṅga.