A letter from the king instructing a Guṭhī Bandobasta office in Pyuthana to check documents relating to money spent for the emancipation of slaves so that the officiating government agent can be provided with clearance (VS 1982)
ID: K_0188_0061
Edited and
translated by Manik Bajracharya
in collaboration with
Raju Rimal
Created: 2017-02-23;
Last modified: 2018-05-14
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Abstract
This royal directive instructs a local Guṭhī Bandobasta office in Pyuthana to check a ledger and other documents prepared by an official sent by the king to pay out money for the emancipation of slaves in that district so that he can eventually be provided clearance through the Slavery Emancipation Office.
Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1[?]•वाट2नकल¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯[seal reading 'śrī 5 guṭhi bandovasta aḍā 1977'][unknown seal][seal reading 'śrī 5 guṭhi bandovasta aḍā 1977']1गुठीवंदोवस्तअडाकाहाकीमकारीन्दालेपुर्जीहेरीनेपालगोर्षाराजभरमुलुककालगट्भये़
2काकरीय़ाकोमोलधनीलाईतीरीकरीयाअमलेषगर्नेगरीवक्स्येकोहुनालेमध्येसपाहाड्गोस्वारा
3जील्लागौडाईलाकाकोकरीय़ाकोमोलतीरीअमलेषगर्नेकाम्माषटीय़काअफीसरहरूलेगरेका
4काम्को व़ासलातवुझीफरफारषगरीदीनेकामलाईतपसील्काजील्लागौडागोस्वाराईलाका
5कोतपसीलकाअडाअडावाटगर्नेगरीवक्स्येकोछसोवमोजीम्व़ासलातजाचीफरफारषदी
6नालाईअडाअडाकानाउमाजोचाहीनेवेहोराकोसनदगरीदीनेकांगरभन्नेय़सअडाकानाउभय़को
7८२सालमार्ग११गते५काषड्गनीसानासनदमाप्यूठानाजील्लाईलाकाकोगुठीवंदोवस्तअडा
8वाटजचाउनुभन्येलेषीय़ाकोहुनालेसोप्यूठानाईलाकाकोलगतभये़काकरीय़ाकोमोलधनीलाई
9तीरीकरिय़ाअमलेषगर्नेकाम्मापाल्पागौडाकामे.क.वीरजङ्गसाहालाईपठाईवक्सीनी
10जलेसोजील्लामागैलेषीयावमोजीम्करीय़ाकोमोलधनीलाईदी•करीय़ाअमलेषगर्नेकाम
11[?]हुनालेसोकामखतम्भैसकेपछीनीजकानाउमाभय़कासव़ालसनदवमोजीम्नी
12जलेगरेकाकामकोव़ासीलवाकीकागजपत्रजाचीवुझीफरफारषगरीदीनालाईगुठीवंदोवस्त
13अडाकानाउमासनदगरीवक्सनुपर्नेथहराञ्यूंभनीदासत्वमोचनअडाकाहाकीमकारीन्दा
14लेहाम्राहजुरमावींतीपार्दाजाहेरभय़ोतसर्थसोप्यूठानाजील्लाईलाकाकोलगतभय़काकरी
15याकोमोलधनीलाईदीकरीयाअमलेषगर्नेकामकोवासीलवाकीरअरुजोभय़कोमीसी
16लकागजपत्रसव़ालसनदधनीरकरीय़ाकोसकललगत(क)फारामरुपैञावाडदाको(ष)(ग)
17फारामस्मेतवुझीलीजाचवुझगर्नालाईनीजकानाउमाभये़कासव़ालसनदवमोजीम्दासत्वमो
18चनअअडामादाखीलहुनेगरीदासत्वमोचनअडावाटरअरूसव़ालसनदकागजपत्रहरू
19सोकामखतम्भैसकेपछीनीज•मे.क.वीरजङ्गसाहासंगतेसअडालेवुझीलीऐंसव़ालव
20मोजीम्कामभय़ानभय़ाकोजाचीवुझीफारषदीनालाईदासत्वमोचनअडामार्फत्जाहेरग
21रीसदरभय़ापछी[?]षतवाटफरफारषगरीदीनुसोफरफारषकोकामषतम्भैसके
22 पछीयस वीसये़को[?]वुझीकागजपत्रदासत्वअडामावुझाईदीनेकांगरईतीसम्वत१९८२सालपौष२६गतेरोज७सुभ्म्¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯
Translation
[1r]
[Copied] by ...1
[seal reading 'śrī 5 guṭhi vandovasta aḍā 1977']2
[unknown seal]3
[seal reading 'śrī 5 guṭhi vandovasta aḍā 1977']4
[To] the administrative head (hākima) and officials (kārindā) of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, [who are requested to] read [the following] letter (pūrjī), a petition made by the administrative head and officials of the Dāsatvamocana Aḍḍā, [which] has come to our notice: "In the royal order (khaḍganiśānā sanada) of Thursday, the 11th solar day of Mārga in the [Vikrama] year [19]82 sent to this office, it is written: '[His Majesty] has arranged to manumit [slaves] by paying sums [as reimbursement] for the registered kariyā slaves of Nepāla (i.e., the Kathmandu Valley) and (indeed) the entire Gorkhā kingdom. Therefore, for the task of auditing balance sheets (vāsalāta) and providing clearance (pharaphārakha) to officials who have been despatched to the Madhesa [and] hills—[whethere] districts, gosvārās, gauḍā)s [or] īākās—to manumit kariyās, [His Majesty] has arranged to have the task performed on the basis of the listed (tapasila)5 offices of the listed districts, gauḍās, gosvārās [and] īlākās. Accordingly, give orders (sanada) regarding the required matters to the concerned offices in order to (for them) examine the balance sheets and to provide clearance.' It is written in the (quoted) sanada that (in the case) of Pyuthana district, the examination should be carried out by the īlāka's Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā. [His Majesty] dispatched Me. Ka.6 Vīrajaṅga Sāha of Pālpā Gauḍā for the task of paying the owners the [reimbursement] amount for [their] registered kariyā slaves within Pyuthana īlākā and manumitting the slaves. He went to this district and is (now), in accordance with the written [instructions], engaged in paying owners the [reimbursement] amount for their kariyā slaves and manumitting the latter. Therefore, in order to provide him with clearance once he finishes his task and after the ledger (vāsila bākī) and [other] documents concerning the work he has done in accordance with the [prior] savāla(s) and sanada(s) issued (to him) in his name are received, we think it advisable that [His Majesty] should issue a sanada to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā in its name."
For this reason, once the payments of the [reimbursement] amounts to the owners of the registered slaves within Pyuthana district are made, you (i.e., the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā) should obtain the ledger relating to the task of paying owners the [reimbursement] amount for their kariyā slaves and manumitting the latter, along with other available [records] including legal files (misila kāgajapatra), savāla(s), sanada(s), the ka forms containing the original list of owners and slaves, and the kha and ga forms [recording] payments made, and in order for the examination to be carried out, should, in accordance with the savāla(s) [and] sanada(s), obtain from the aforementioned Me. Ka. Vīrajaṅga Sāha the savālas, sanadas and other documents so that they can be submitted to the Dāsatvamocana Aḍḍā. In order to determine whether the task has been carried out in accordance with the Ain and savāla(s) and to provide clearance [to him], [I] should be informed through the Dāsatvamocana Aḍḍā. Upon approval provide [Vīrajaṅga Sāha] with clearance. After the matter of clearance is taken care of, submit the concerned documents to the Dāsatvamocana Aḍḍā.
Saturday, the 26th [solar] day of Pauṣa in the [Vikrama] era year 1982 (1926 CE). Auspiciousness.
Commentary
This document is a copy of a royal directive issued to a local Guṭhī Bandobasta office in Pyuthana area regarding manumission. It was written in response to an earlier petition made by the Dāsatvamocana Aḍḍā recommending the palace to issue separate orders to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā regarding the manumission process. As the document reveals, the Dāsatvamocana Aḍḍā had been granted royal permission to issue orders of its own to offices under it, but apparently in this case it felt for some reason that it needed the extra force provided by a royal order. This document provides the following further information:
- A royal order was issued on the 11th solar day of Mārga in VS 1982 which included a list of offices responsible for carrying out the task of manumission throughout Nepal. This list is, however, not included as part of the present document.
- Vīrajaṅga Sāha of the Pālpā Gauḍā frontier was appointed as the in-charge for manumission work in the Pyuthana area.
- The local Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, having been made responsible for checking the ledger submitted by Vīrajaṅga, is told by the king to send the documents to the Dāsatvamocana Aḍḍā for a backup check.
- The document further directs that the checked ledger and other documents should in the end be forwarded to the Dāsatvamocana Aḍḍā.
- There were apparently three kinds of forms, namely ka, kha and ga forms, used to administer the manumission. The first form contained information regarding the owners and their slaves, while the latter two recorded payments made to the owners.
This document thus provides some insight into administrative steps taken to carry out manumission after Candra Śamśera's speech of 28 November 1924 (cf. Rana 1925).