Documenta Nepalica

Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal
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A receipt for an amount received for fraudulently traded salt sold in auction (1950 VS)

ID: Tsum_0001_0023


Edited and translated by Nadine Plachta and Rajendra Shakya
Created: 2018-02-19; Last modified: 2020-07-24
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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, 2018. Published with the support 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 CCby-SA.

Abstract

This is a receipt from Sirdibas Amānata Revenue [and] Customs Office for an amount received from the auction of fraudulently traded salt.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1श्री:­

[Unknown seal]

1भर्पाईदादै­सिर्तिवासअमानतपोटभंसारकस्ये­९//­क्यौमा­
2अंगाले­चोरि­ढाटि­नुन्‌­वेपार­गर्‍‍योको­चौरि­४­के­भारि­
3८­के­नुन्‌­मुरि­३|६­भंन्सारका­वहीदारवाट­वुझि­मोहो
4र­पाथिका­भाव़मा­लिलाम्‌­विक्री­गरि­बुझिलिञ्युं­तस्को­
5भरपाइ­लेषिदिञ्यूं­५०­साल­आश्विन­वदि­१०­रोज­५­शु
6भ्म्­¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

Śrī

[Unknown seal]

Receipt (bharpāīdādai): From the Sirdibas1 Amānata Revenue [and] Customs Office

After receiving from the bahīdāra of the customs office 3 murīs 6 pāthīs of salt [that was smuggled into the village] in 8 packs [lit. loads] on 4 yaks and was being traded by … 2 , [we] sold it at auction for mohara [per] pāthī [bids] and received 9 moharas 2 ānās (?). We issued a receipt for the same.

Thursday, the 10th of the dark fortnight of Āśvina of the [Vikrama Era] year [19]50 (1893 CE). Auspiciousness.


Commentary

The Sirdibas Amānata Revenue [and] Customs Office obviously served a twofold function: both as a land revenue office and as a customs office. The reason for the confiscation of salt mentioned in the document is unclear. The locally traded salt was probably smuggled into Nepal from Tibet. After the confiscated salt was deposited in the office treasury, it was auctioned off for cash. However, the amount received is not clear either. What appears to be “9 rupees 2 ānās” at the beginning of the document may have been some amount received from the auction. Although auctions provide opportunities to buy things very cheaply, that amount is exceedingly low for the 66 pāthīs of salt that was auctioned off. An instruction from Prime Minister Raṇa Uddīpa Siṃha in VS 1942 reveals that the price of salt in Olāṅcuṅga Golā, a village in the far- eastern part of the country, was 1 pāthī 4 mānās a rupee (Regmi 1989: 26). Another possibility is that salt was much cheaper there than in Olāṅcuṅga Golā because it was easier to come by and closer at hand.

Notes

1. The document lists the name as Sirtibāsa. The village is currently known as Sirdibas and is a VDC in Gorkha District in north-central Nepal. [⇑]

2. The text here is unclear. The whole lot of salt may not have been sold in bulk, but divided up into different portions so that people could purchase more limited amounts, ones they needed and could afford. It is not clear what the starting bid was, but apparently bidding proceeded in increments of ānās. Thus the receipt may be for someone who made the highest bid on an unspecified amount of salt and paid 9 mohoras 2 ānās for it. Kyauma Anga seems to be a Nepali rendering of the Tibetan name of the person whose salt was confiscated. [⇑]