A purjī from C-in-C General Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura to
the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā re bidding farewell to ascetics after Śivarātrī (VS 1962)
ID: K_0230_0035
Edited and
translated by Rajan Khatiwoda, Christof Zotter
Created: 2017-08-25;
Last modified: 2021-08-11
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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.
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Abstract
This note (
purjī) from Commander-in-Chief Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura to the chief
and staff of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā under His Majesty (
Śrī 5
Sarkāra) directs the addressees to make necessary arrangements for
taking leave of ascetics and other pilgrims who visited the Paśupatinātha temple
during Śivarātrī in VS 1962.
Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1श्री\
1श्री५सर्कार
2१
[Seal of Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura]
1श्रीकम्यांडरइनचिफजनरल
भिम
2सम्सेरजङ्गराणावहादुरवाट1 ¯ ¯१ ¯तर्फगुठीवंदोवस्तअडाकाहाकिम्कारींदालेपुर्जिहेरी•शिवरात्रीकामेलालाइ
नेपाल्आय़ाका
2फकिरफकेडादेसीपरदेसीमानीस्हरूलाइसिवरात्रीपछीफागुणसुदी२रोजकादिनसम्ममाफर्का
3इपठाउनुपर्न्येहुनालेअषडाअषडाकामहंतहरूलाइस्मेत्उर्दिदीनुविदालाइपनीवेलैमावंदोव
4स्तमिलाइदुरुस्तगरीराषीसोफागुणसुदी२रोजकादिनविदाइगराउनल्याइफर्काइपठाउनेकाम
5गर•इतीसम्वत्१९६२सालमितीफागुणगते४रोज•५शुभम्
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯[Unknown seal]
Translation
Śrī
Śrī 5 Sarkāra – 1
[Seal of Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura]
From the venerable Commander-in-Chief General Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura
Since ascetics1 and
(other) persons, [both] native [and] foreign, 2 who have come to Nepāl3 for the
Śivarātri festival are to be sent back after Śivarātrī by
the 2nd of the bright fortnight of Phālguṇa, the chief officer (hākima) and the clerks (kārindā) of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā under His Majesty (Śrī 5
Sarkāra), having read [this] purjī, shall send a
[corresponding] notice to the akhāḍās and the abbots (mahanta) of the akhāḍās. Make timely
arrangements, doing what is appropriate for the leave-taking, and having assembled
[the pilgrims] to have them take their leave on the 2nd of the bright fortnight of
Phālguṇa, send [them] back.
Thursday, the 4th solar day (gate) of Phālguṇa in the [Vikrama] year era 1962 (1906
CE). Auspiciousness.
[Unknown seal]
Commentary
Śivarātrī or Mahāśivarātrī on the 14th day of the dark fortnight of Phālguna4 is one the most important Hindu festivals,
especially for śaivas. At the Paśupatinātha temple in
Deopatan, the national sanctuary of Nepal since the
time of the Malla kings, huge crowds of pilgrims and ascetics gather on this annual
occasion. The Guṭhī Saṃsthāna keeps numerous other records relating to the treatment
of ascetics during the Śivarātrī festival of VS 1962 (and not just at Paśupatinātha):
sanadas and purjīs regarding the
contribution of alms and food (haṇḍī or sadābarta),5 the supply of firewood6 and gā̃jā7 , the repairing of resting places,8
the organization of banquets (bhaṇḍārā)9 etc.
The present document has to do with to the final phase of this administrative "labour
peak". Three days after the actual festival, the visitors receive a boon and are sent
away.
In later times, the distribution of firewood, food, etc. was done by the clerks of
the successor organization of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, the Guṭhī Saṃsthāna, and in
order to participation in the official farewell at Kālamocanaghāṭa one needed a special ticket (Michaels 1994: 272f. and Michaels 2008:
37).10
Notes
1. The document uses the words
phakira (fr. A.
faqīr, lit. "beggar") and
phakeḍā (for
phakaḍā, fr. H.
phakkaḍa, carefree, uninhibited), both—often, as here, in
combination—used as generic terms for ascetics of differerent orders. In more
detailed instructions about how ascetics should be dealt with during the festival
of Śivarātri at the
Paśupatinātha temple (cf. Commentary)
it is the
saṃnyāsī,
vairagī,
udāsī and
nātha orders that are
typically mentioned (
Michaels 1994: 368).
[⇑] 2. desī ...
mānīsharū could be also translated as "people of the plains" (see
Turner 1931: s.v.
desi), i.e. the
southern parts of the kingdom. On the importance of foreign (predominantly Indian)
visitors of the Śivarātrī festival at Paśupatinātha, see Michaels 1994:
275f.
[⇑] 4. On a smaller scale, Śivarātrī is celebrated on every 14th day of the
dark fortnight of a lunar month.
[⇑] 7. See e.g.
K_0668_0032 (Phālguna
gate ?).
According to
K_0668_0006 and
K_0668_0010 (both dated Thursday, Māgha
gate 12, VS 1962) beaten rice (
ciurā),
tobacco (
tamākhu,
surtī) etc. had also to be
provided to the ascetics.
[⇑] 9. See
e.g.
K_0668_0034 (Friday, Phālguna
gate 12) regarding the
feeding of one hundred ascetics (
sādhu saṃta mahaṃta phakīra
phakeraharu) at the
Śaṅkhamūla
Akhāḍā.
[⇑] 10. For an edition of such a
bidāīpatra, see
Michaels 1994: 371f.).
[⇑]