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A copy of a rukkā from King Rājendra appointing Nītyānaṃda Acārja et al. to perform rituals at Arghā Palace (VS 1888)

ID: K_0078_0022A


Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter in collaboration with Pabitra Bajracharya
Created: 2022-05-25; Last modified: 2023-07-06
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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, 2023. 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

The executive order (rukkā) from King Rājendra of which this is a copy appoints seven persons—Nītyānaṃda Acārja, Manai Acārja, Tulasirāma Acārja, Tīlanārān Acārja, Nītyānaṃda Jaisī, Pīrhai Jaisī and Vīrabhadra Jaisī—to perform the regular and occasional worship of the goddess at Arghā Palace, and the rituals during Dasaĩ as well, following a complaint against the former in-charge, Sikyā Acārja. Eighty murīs of land are to be enjoyed by the new appointees according to a distribution scheme specified in the particulars (tapasila).



Diplomatic edition

[1v]

1स्वस्ति­श्रीमन्ममहाराजधीराजकस्ये­रुक्का­¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
2आगे­अर्घाका­नीत्यानंद­अचार्ज­मनै­अचार्ज­तुलसिराम­अचार्ज­ती
3लनारान्‌­अचार्ज­पुजाहारी­नीत्यानंद­जैसी­वेल्‌पत्र­वोकने­पीर्‍है­जैसी­नौर
4था­उपासने­वीरभद्र­जैसीके­सिक्या­अचार्जले­पोर­पुरोहीत्याञीको­मो
5हर­गराइ­लै­जादा­षोलामा­नलाग्याको­कर­लाई­ढेरै­कुराको­वीधी­तिहु
6दा­तिमीहरु­ञाहा­वीन्ती­गर्न­आउदा­तिमीहरुले­अर्घा­दर्वारका­¯ ¯१¯को­
7हिजो­परापुर्वदेषि­गरीआय़ाको­नीत्ये­नैमीत्ये­पुजा­र­दसै­गर्नु­पुरोहीत­र­जजमा
8नले­कोनै­कुरामा­कर­नगर्नु­सात­सये़­अर्घाले­करका­व्राह्मण­नपुजनु­दसै­गर्दा­अ
9मालीवाट­पढेका­व्राह्मण­जाची­काम­गराउनु­गुठी­षेतका­वालीले­परापुर्वदेषी­
10गरीआय़ा­वमोजीम्‌­काम­चलाइदीनु­∙लाकुरीवोट­षरक्‌ले­दीयो­वालनु­पुरोहीत­पु
11जाहारीले­अघिदेषि­षाईआय़ाको­चनौट्या­षेत­वगरस्मेत्‌­मुरी­।५०­पलु­व्राह्मणि
12को­घोचक्‌­षेत­मुरि­।२०­सधीकर­षेत­मुरी­।१०­ज्मा­षेत­मुरी­।८०­तपसील­वमोजी
13म्‌­षानु­भनी­सीक्याका­नाउको­मोहोर­हानी­थीतिको­वंदेज­वाधी­मोहोर­गरीवक्स्यौं­
14आफ्ना­षातिर्जामासँग­परापुर्वदेषी­आजस्म­गरीआय़ा­वमोजीम्‌­आफुलाइ­ला
15ग्याका­टहलमा­रुजु­रहि­हाम्रा­जय़­मनाइ­पुरोहीत्याञी­पुजाहारी­जानी­चलं­गर­
16तपसिल्‌­

[table1]

1पुरोहीत­नीत्यानंद­अचार्जके­षेत­मुरी­।१५­पुरोहीत­तील्‌नारां­अचार्जके­षेत­मुरी।१
 री­		।१०­
2पुरोहीत­मन्या­अचार्जके­षेत­मुरी­।५­पुरोहीत­तुलसीराम­अचार्ज­मुरी­।५­
3पुजाहारी­नीत्यानंद­जैसीके­मुरी­।३५­वेल्‌पाती­वोकने­पीर्‍है­जैसी
 के­मुरी­		।५­
4नौरथा­उपासने­वीरभद्र­जैसीके­मुरी­।५­

17¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
18इति­सम्वत्‌­१८८८­साल­मीती­पौष­सुदी­१३­रोज­२­शुभ्म्‌­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

Hail! [This is] an executive order (rukkā) of the supreme king of great kings.1

Āge: To Nītyānaṃda Acārja, Manai Acārja, Tulasirāma Acārja, Tīlanārān Acārja, PūjāhārīNītyānaṃda Jaisī, Pīrhai Jaisī (who carries the belapatra [bundle])2 [and] Vīrabhadra Jaisī (who keeps the naurathā fast)3 — [all] from Arghā

As you came here to make petition, [stating] that last year Sikyā Acārja had a mohara issued for the office of priest (purohityāī̃), that he took it [back] with him, that he exercised pressure without applying it openly [and that as a result] the procedure pertaining to many things was spoilt,4 we annul the mohara in Sīkyā's name and issue a mohara fixing in place a sanctioning of customs (thiti bandeja), stating: Perform the regular and occasional worship (pūjā) and Dasaĩ [rituals] of [Śrī Devī]5 of Arghā Palace as has traditionally been performed in yesteryear, from ancient times on. The house-priests (purohitas) and ritual patrons (jajamānas) shall not exercise pressure in any matter. Arghā, [which consists of] seven hundred [houses?] shall not honour Brahmins [who perform their duties] under duress. When [it comes to] performing Dasaĩ the local administrator (amālī) shall assess the learned Brahmins and [only then] have them perform [their] tasks. Have the rituals performed with [revenue from the] the crops (bālī) on the irrigated land (kheta) of the trust (guṭhi) in accordance with what has been done from ancient times on. Lamps should be lit with [revenue from the] pastureland (kharka) of lā̃kurī trees.6 The purohitas and pūjāhārīs shall enjoy the [landed property] that has hitherto been traditionally enjoyed according to [the distribution scheme specified in] the particulars (tapasila)—altogether 80 murīs of kheta, [including] the kheta [known as] canauṭyā7 together with the sandy riverbank (bagara) [totalling] 50 murīs, the kheta [known as] the "ghocaka of Palu Brāhmaṇi",8 [measuring] 20 murīs, [and] the kheta [known as] sadhīkara kheta, [measuring] 10 murīs. Being conscious of your duties, remain present for the service that you have taken onto yourself in accordance with what has been traditionally performed from ancient times until today, celebrate our triumphs and manage affairs, conceiving [as yours] the offices of house-priest and temple-priest.

Particulars

[table1]

to Purohita Nītyānaṃda Acārya, murīs of paddy 15 to Purohita Tīlnārāṃ Acārja, murīs of paddy 10
to Purohita Manyā Acārja, murīs of paddy 5Purohita Tulasīrāma Acārja, murīs 5
to Pūjāhārī Nītyānaṃda Jaisī, murīs35to Pīrhai Jaisī who carries the belpātī, murīs5
to Vīrabhadra Jaisī who performs the naurathā upāsana, murīs5

Monday, the 13th of the bright fortnight of Pauṣa in the [Vikrama] era year 1888 (16 January 1832). Auspiciousness.


Commentary

This document was microfilmed twice, the second time as K_0376_0040. Another copy of the same lālamohara is extant as K_0016_0005C.

Seven persons are appointed as priests to perform the regular (nityapūjā) and occasional worship and the rituals during the Dasaĩ festival at Arghā Palace. The palace is located at Arghākoṭa, the capital of the former principality of Arghā, one of the caubīsī rājyas. The present appointment follows a complaint raised against Sikyā Acārja, who had been in charge before. Though some of the words and phrases in the document remain unclear, it seems that the former in-charge—who, judging from his name, was also one of the priests involved in performing rituals at Arghā—had exercised undue pressure, probably meaning that fellow priests had to carry out their duties under duress (and without proper remuneration?). Under the present order, instead of a single person a group of seven is appointed and 80 muris of irrigated land is distributed among them. The biggest share, at 35 muris, is granted to the pūjāhārī Nītyānaṃda Jaisī. Two years later, in VS 1890, another royal order (extant in three copies: K_0003_0036B, K_0524_0027, K_0524_0043) allocates to the same person altogether 60 muris, including portions from plots of land similar to ones mentioned in the present document (see notes above). The later document refers to this land as guṭhi land from the revenue of which the daily and occasional rituals need to be performed, but it does not mention the Dasaĩ rituals.

For more on related documents and the conflicts over the performance of Dasaĩ at Arghā, see K_0031_0019C.

Notes

1. From the date of the document, the issuing king must have been Rājendra (r. 1816–1846). [⇑]

2. Belapatra or, as below, belpātī could be another term for phūlapātī, the assemblage of traditionally nine different plants that is introduced into the dasaĩghara on the seventh day of Dasaĩ in the festival practices of the Gorkhalis and other groups. The Bengal quince (bela) is one of its foremost items (cf. Unbescheid 1996: 116). According to P. Ramirez's research, however, a phūlapātī procession—as the explicit mentioning of "carrying" the belapatra seems to imply—did not form part of the rituals at Argha as performed in the late 1980s (Ramirez 1996: 223 n. 24), even if the phūlapātī bundle itself seems to have been present at the dismissal ritual (ibid.: 229). Was the procession discontinued at some point in history or does the phrase belpatra bokane refer to something else? [⇑]

3. This must refer to the special observance P. Ramirez (1996: 223) reports as taking place during the first six days of the Dasaĩ period. A person from the Bhusāl clan of Brahmin priests is chosen as naurāthe or guptabās and stays away from the sun’s rays (in the temple of the lineage deity over Caite Dasaĩ and in the "Naurāth mãdīr" during Baḍā Dasaĩ), keeps a fast and undertakes special worship of the lineage deity of the clan, Kulyān Bhagavatī. [⇑]

4. The reading tihudā is uncertain and cannot be made sense of. In another copy of the same rukkā the reading is similarly enigmatic and, to the best of my knowledge, can be read as tīrhuḍā (K_0016_0005C). [⇑]

5. The phrase to be inserted in the space numbered one is not part of the present copy. It is, however, given in the other copy (K_0016_0005C). In other documents relating to the worship of the goddess at Arghā Palace she is also referred to as Śrī Mahākālī Devī (K_0003_0036C) or Śrī Māī (K_0093_0004B). [⇑]

6. The same plot seems to be referred to as lākuri boṭyā kharaka in a later document issued in VS 1890 (K_0524_0027, see Commentary below). There the borders are specified, but, as in the present document, no figure is given for its size. In his partial translation of this later document, Ramirez (1996: 214) interprets Lākurīboṭ as a place name rather than as referring to the type of land use. [⇑]

7. This and the following seem to be the names of concrete plots of land. Canauṭyā could be related to canauṭo, a stone on which sandalwood paste is prepared. As the present plot of land seems to lie along a river and so to include the alluvial sand along the shore, it is conceivable that it was indeed a place from where such stones were collected. The term kheta, however, implies that it was irrigated land used for wheat or rice production. K_0524_0027 specifies the canauṭyā kheta as measuring 50 murīs and the canauṭyā bagara—whose borders are specified, with the Mordī Kholā to its north—as measuring 35 murīs. [⇑]

8. This designation of the field is confirmed in K_0524_0027. It may refer to the first holder or first cultivator of the land, in this case a Brahmin lady named Palu. The term ghocaka may derive from ghocnu, "to pierce, to perforate", but also "to plant". [⇑]