Documenta Nepalica

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

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A lālamohara from King Gīrvāṇayuddha endowing land to Cāmyā Damāī for a trust for the upkeep of musical instruments (VS 1869)

ID: DNA_0013_0023

Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter in collaboration with Pabitra Bajracharya
Created: 2021-07-14; Last modified: 2022-08-09
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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, 2022. 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

With this lālamohara, King Gīrvāṇayuddha endows land in Salyan for a trust (guṭhī) for the upkeep of musical instruments, including one nagarā drum and three bāṇās, that had previously been dedicated to Śrī Khãḍādevī of Salyankot. It lays out the details of the different tracts of land and appoints Cāmyā Damāī to be in charge. It directs him to play and maintain the instruments, worship them during both Dasaĩ festivals with the material stipulated in the appended particulars, enjoy the guṭhī and pass it on to his descendants.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1श्रीदुर्गा\

1श्रीषँडादेवि

1[Royal seal]

1स्वस्तिश्रीगिरिराजचक्रचूडामणिनरनाराय़णेत्यादिविविधविरुदावलीविराजमानमानोन्नत्‌श्रीमन्महाराजाधिराजश्रीश्री
2श्रीमहाराजगिर्व्वाणयुद्धविक्रमसाहवहादुरसम्सेरजँङ्देवानाँसदासमरविजय़ीनाँम्‌¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
3आगेचाम्य़ादमाईकेसल्ह्यानकोट¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯लाईनगारा१वाणा३चर्‍हाय़ाकोतस्कोगुठिनिमित्तवक्स्याकोसल्ह्यान
4[?]अम्वलमध्येषोलाषेतमुरिअठतिस३८तस्कोसाधपुर्ववघुव़ाषोलाकोढिकलुहुंकिल∙दषिनपश्चिमरैकर
5लुहुकिलऊत्तरफाप्प्राषोलाकोढिकलुहुंकिलदफेपातल्याषेतमुरिपन्द्रह१५तस्कोसाधपुर्वपध्याँराषोलसि
6कोलुहुकिल∙दषिनकुलाकोलुहुंकिलपश्चिमरैकर∙चिलाऊन्याकोरुष∙लुहुंकिल∙ऊत्तररैकरकाफ्‌लकारुषलु
7हुकिल∙दफेपातल्याविर्‍हौटोषेतये़क१।.मुरिसताईस२७पाषोरोपनिविस२०तस्कोसाधपुर्वठाडोषोलसिकटू
8जकारुषषेतकाआलिरैकरचिलाऊन्याकोरुष∙ठाडोवाटोषेतकाछेऊकोचौतारोचिलाऊन्याकोरुषलुहुकिल
9दषिनतेर्छोकाल्होलुहुकिल∙पश्चिमषोलसैषोल्साऊधोअर्चल्याकोलुहुकिलऊत्तरषोलोलुहुंकिल∙ये़तिचा
10रकिल्लाभित्रकंपनीकाषेतवाहिकदफेअर्चल्याषेतमुरिवार्‍ह१२तस्कोसाधपुर्वषोल्सीकोलुहुकिलदषि
11नषेतकाऊपल्लोआलिलुहुकिलपश्चीमरैकरकाआलिलुहुकिलऊत्तररैकरआलिलुहुकिलदफेकेव़
12र्‍यासुव़ारोपाषोरोपनिचौविस२४तस्कोसाधपुर्वडडाकोपानिढलोचिलाऊन्याकोरुषदषिनकेव़र्‍या
13पानीकोलुहुकिल∙पोषराकोकुलोपश्चिमजुक्यापानिकोषोल्सीलुहुकिलऊत्तरपैराकोतेर्छोवाटोलुहुकिल
14दफेपोषर्‍याषेतमुरिआठ८तस्कोसाधपुर्वदषिनरैकरकाल्होलुहुकिल∙पश्चिमआमवोट्याषोलासी
15कोलुहुकिल∙ऊत्तररैकरआलिलुहुंकिलदफेथपवक्स्याकोसल्ह्यानमापोषर्‍याषेतमुरिसात७पाषोरो
16पनि१॥।तस्कोसाधपुर्वरैकरषेतवाटोलुहुंकिलदषिनरैकरकाल्होलुहुकिलपश्चिमषोलसोलुहुकि
17लऊत्तरआफ्नैगुठलुहुकिलदफेआपडडाकोपुछारकालुषत्रीलेविर्‍ह्याकोषेतमुरिवाईस२२तस्को
18साधपुर्वकुल्लिषोलोकुलोलुहुकिलदषिनकुलोरैकरकाल्होलुहुकिलपश्चिमरैकर∙वाझोचिलाऊन्या
19कोरुषलुहुंकिलऊत्तररैकरपैरोषेतकाआलिलुहुकिल∙दफेचापवोट्याविर्‍हौटोषेतमुरिये़घारह११
20पाषोरोपनितिनि३पानिषेतहुनालेडेढोघटाईपानिषेतमुरिआठ८ज्मामुरिऊनैस१९तस्कोसाघपुर्वरैकर
21काल्होमुहानकोलुहुंकिलदषिनपाषोकाल्होवाटकोलुहुकिल∙पश्चिमरैकरवाझाकोलुहुंकिलऊत्तररैकरवाझो
22लुहुकिल∙दफेपाषोरोपनिसवा१।.तस्कोसाधपुर्वदषिनपश्चिमऊत्तररैकरलुहुंकिल∙ये़तिसिमानाकालु
23हुकिलभित्रषेतदुई२मुरिचालिस४०घरघड्यारिपाषोरोपनिपचास५०कोगादिममारषचुमाव़नगोडधो
24व़ादमाईकाजातवाहिककोधर्माअधिकार∙ये़तिचारकलमवाहिकसर्वकलमझारास्मेतमारिमेटिगुठि
25राषिहाम्रासँतानभर∙तेरासँतानलाईषोसमोसनगर्नुभनिवंधेजवाधिगुठिकोमोहरतामापत्रगरि
26वक्स्यौआफ्‌नाषातिरज्मासँगवमोजिमतपसिलकासरजाम∙अमालिछेऊलिवडादसैगर्नुचैत्यादसैकोर∙न
27गारावनाटूट्याफुट्याकोवनाऊनुसाटनुगुठिवाटवनाऊदैरहनु∙साजविहान¯ ¯ ¯ ¯काटहलमारुजुरहिगुठिजा
28निभोग्यगर∙य़ोगुठिवक्सदासाधलगाऊन्याथरघरभवानिसंकरषनालकासिरामपाँडे∙लिलाधरअर्ज्याल∙श्रीनाथ
29पंथविरुवहोरा∙वंसविररानाकिष्नानंन्दरिमालडगोलधनवँत∙चक्रसिंअमालिपुरनथापाद्वार्‍याजेठावुढाद
30लसिंराना∙थरिवलीपाध्यातिमीलसिना∙तिलैपाध्यासापकोटासंकरपाध्या∙सापकोटा∙जोतिषरसापकोटा∙म
31हेश्वरसिटौला∙दुर्गादाससिटौलासिरिपाध्यावसौला∙राधुगुनि∙श्रीकिष्नसुय़ाल∙पदमपाध्याअघिकारिमधु
32पाध्याढकालराधुपाडे∙श्रीधरषन्याल∙तुलारामसुसार्‍या∙मार्चु∙रन्त्यारानादेऊसिंकव़र∙जैभद्रअधीकारिविरुम
33हत∙जोषुषवास∙वंसुषडका∙रुप्याषत्रीधादिग्या∙जुर्‍यादमाई∙मोत्याकटूव़ाल∙स्वदत्ताम्परदत्ताम्वाय़ोहरेच्चवसुंधरा
34म्‌षष्ठिवर्षसहश्राणिविष्ठाय़ाम्‌जाय़तेकृमि¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
35तपसिल

[table1]

1	वडादसैनगारापुजाके
2	वोक्या	१
3	सिंदुरसुपारिधुपके	ऽ//
4	भेटिकेरूपैय़ा	१
5	जडाऊरकपराथान	१
6	¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

[table2]

1	चैत्यादसैनगारापुजाके
2	वोका	१
3	सिदुरसुपारिधुपके	ऽ//
4	भेटिकेरूपैय़ा	१
5	¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

[table3]

1	नगाराकेगुठिमध्येषेत	१।५०
2	पाषोरोपनिपचास	।५०
3	वना३केगुठिमध्येषेत	।५०
4	¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

36इतिसंम्वत१८६९सालमितीभाद्रवदि८रोज७शुभम्‌¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯

Translation

[1r]

Śrī Durgā

Śrī Khãḍādevi

[Royal seal]

Hail! [A decree] of him 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.

Āge: to Cāmyā Damāī

To [Śrī Khãḍādevi]1 [of] Salhyānakoṭa 1 nagarā drum [and] 3 bāṇās2 have been offered. For its guṭhi we have granted within the territory (ambala) of Salhyāna:3

– 38—[in words] thirty-eight—muris of bottomland (kholākheta), its borders: the bank (ḍhika for ḍhig) of the Baghuvā Kholā is the border marker to the east; raikara land is the border marker to the south and west; the rim of the Phāpprā Kholā is the border marker to the north;4

– 15—[in words] fifteen—muris of pātalyā kheta5 , its borders: the rivulet [serving as a source of] drinking water (padhyā̃rā for pãdhero?) is the border marker to the east; the irrigation channel is the border marker to the south; raikara land [with a] cilāune tree is the border marker to the west; raikara land [with] kāphala trees is the border marker to the north;

– 1—[in words] one—kheta and 27—[in words] twenty-seven—muris6 of thinly layered (pātalyā), newly cultivated land (birauṭo), [and?] 20—[in words] twenty—ropanīs of dry-crop land (pākho), its borders: the steep (?) (ṭhāḍo) rivulet; the rim of the kheta [with a] kuṭaja tree, raikara [land with a] cilāūnyā tree, the steep path, [and] the cilāūnyā tree [with a] sitting platform (cautāro) near a field are the border markers to the east; the slanting kālho7 is the border marker to the south; rivulets (kholasai kholsā), lower[-lying] (ūdho for ũdho) arcalyā [land]8 are the border markers to the west; the river is the border marker to the north—within these four borders, excluding the fields of the military company (kampanī);

– 12—[in words] twelve—muris of arcalyā kheta9 , its borders: the rivulet is the border marker to the east; the upper rim of the field is the border marker to the south; the rim of the raikara land is the border marker to the west; the rim of the raikara land is the border marker to the north;

– 24—[in words] twenty-four—ropanīs of kevaryā suvāro10 pākho, its borders: the water along the hill (ḍaḍā for ḍā̃ro?), the drainage (?, ḍhalo) [and] a cilāūnyā tree are to the east; the border marker [consisting] of the kevaryā (?)11 water [and?] the irrigation channel of the pond (pokharā) is to the south;12 the rivulet with worm-infested (jukyā) water is the border marker to the west; the slanting path along the landslip (pairā) is the border marker to the north;

– 8—[in words] eight—muris of pokharyā kheta,13 its borders: a kālho (for kānlo?) [in] the raikara land is the border marker to the east and south; the rivulet [fringed] with mango trees is the border marker to the west; the rim of the raikara land is the border marker to the north;

– added [later on] in Salhyāna 7—[in words] seven—muris of pokharyā kheta [and] 1¾ ropanīs of pākho, its borders: the raikara field [and] the path are the border markers to the east; a kālho (for kānlo?) [of] the raikara land is the border marker to the south; the rivulet is the border marker to the west; your own guṭha is the border marker to the north;

– 22—[in words] twenty-two—muris of kheta [at?] the bottom of the mango hill that was brought under cultivation by Kālu Khatrī, its borders: the irrigation channel of the Kulli Kholo is the border marker to the east; the irrigation channel, a kālho (for kānlo?) [of] the raikara land is the border marker to the south; barren (bājho for bā̃jho) raikara land and a cilāūnyā tree are the border markers to the west; raikara land, a landslip and the rim of a kheta are the border markers to the north;

– 11—[in words] eleven—muris of a newly cultivated kheta cleared of cāpa trees [and] 3—[in words] three—ropanīs of pākho, which, because there was paddy [irrigable by] water (pānī kheta) [available], was reduced [in size] by 1.5—8—[in words] eight—muris of paddy [irrigable by] water [were provided],14 [that is] altogether 19—[in words] nineteen—muris, its borders: a kālho (for kānlo?) [of] the raikara land [and] the water juncture (muhāna) are the border markers to the east; [interior] from the kālho (for kānlo?) [of] the pākho land is the border marker to the south; barren raikara land is the border marker to the west and barren raikara land is the border marker to the north;

– 1¼—1 and a quarter—ropanīs of pākho land, its borders: raikara land is the border marker to the east, south, west and north—within these borders we establish as guṭhi land 2—[in words] two—khetas, 40—[in words] forty—muris15 [of paddy land and] 50—[in words] fifty—ropanīs16 for houses [and] building plots (ghaḍerī) and pākho land exempting it from all taxes—except for four levies, [namely those] raised at the enthronement of a new king (gādīmamārakha), the initiation of a prince (cumāvana), the marriage of a princess (goḍadhuvā) and the fees for the dharmādhikāra (the Damāī̃ caste excluded)—together with [an exemption from] forced labor (jhārā), and we issue a mohara [and] copperplate that fixes the rule (bandeja) that our descendants must not encroach on [this land of] your descendants. Conscious of you duties, perform the Baḍā Dasaĩ [rituals], fetching the material given in the particulars (tapasila) [below] at the amāli['s office]. Keep on covering [the expenses] of the Caite Dasaĩ [from the guṭhi revenue] and fixing and changing the nagarā and bāṇās when they break or wear out. Be present for service of [Śrī Khãḍādevi] 17 mornings and evenings, conceive the guṭhi [as yours] and enjoy [the attendant fruits].

When the guṭhi was granted, [the representatives of] the tharaghara [families] that fixed the boundaries were: Bhavānisaṃkara Khanāla, Kāsirāma Pā̃ḍe, Lilādhara Arjyāla, Śrīnātha Pantha, Viru Bahorā, Vaṃsavira Rānā [and] Kiṣnānaṃnda Rimāla; the land measurers (ḍaṅgola) were Dhanavãta [and] Cakrasiṃ; the amāliPurana Thāpā, the dvāre and jeṭhābuḍhā Dala Siṃ Rānā, the clan elders (tharī) Balī Pādhyā Timīlsinā, Tilai Pādhyā Sāpakoṭā, Saṃkara Pādhyā Sāpakoṭā, Jotikhara Sāpakoṭā, Maheśvara Siṭaulā, Durgādāsa Siṭaulā, Siri Pādhyā Basaulā, Rādhuguni Śrīkiṣna Suyāla, Padama Pādhyā Adhikāri, Madhu Pādhyā Ḍhakāla, Rādhu Pāḍe, Śrīdhara Khanyāla, Tulārāma Susaryā, Mārcurantyā (?) Rānā, Deūsiṃ Kavara, Jaibhadra Adhīkāri, Biru Mahata, Joṣu Khavāsa, Baṃsu Khaḍakā [and] Rupyā Khatrī; from Dhading,18 Juryā Damāī 19 [and] Motyā Kaṭūvāla.

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

Particulars (tapasila)

[table1]

1	for the worship of the nagārā drum [during] Baḍā Dasai
2	he-goat	1
3	for sindūra, areca nuts and incense	2 [ānās]
4	for bheṭī, Re.	1
5	set of second-hand (jaḍāurī) clothes	1
6	---

[table2]

1	for the worship of the nagārā drum [during] Caityā Dasai
2	he-goat	1
3	for sindūra, areca nuts and incense	2 [ānās]
4	for bheṭī, Re.	1
5	---

[table3]

1	among the guṭhi [lands] for the nagarā, paddy (kheta)	1 [kheta], 50 [muris]
2	pākho land, fifty ropanīs	50 [ropanīs]
3	among the guṭhi [lands] for the 3 bānās, paddy (kheta)	0 [kheta], 50 [muris]
4	---

Saturday, the 8th of the dark lunar fortnight of the month of Bhādra in the [Vikrama] era year 1869 (1812 CE). Auspiciousness.

Commentary

The document concerns the establishment of a guṭhī for the service and upkeep of musical instruments that were dedicated to a goddess called Śrī Khãḍādevī of Salyankot and the appointment of Cāmyā Damāī and his descendants as its caretakers.

A copperplate that contains exactly the same text, found in the collection of Ratnavīra Nagārcī of Salyankot, Dhading, was published and discussed by G. Vajrācārya and Ṭ. Śreṣṭha (Vajrācārya and Śreṣtha VS 2037: 552–558). The two authors recorded a related inscription found on the nagarā drum. This inscription attests to the offering of the drum to the goddess by King Gīrvāṇayuddha on Monday, the 2nd of the dark fortnight of Bhādra in VS 1865 (1808 CE) and appoints Cāmyā Damāī and his descendants to play it and operate the guṭhi (ibid. 557–558). Thus the present lālamohara fixes the details of the land endowments that had been promised by the king when he offered the drum four years prior to the present document. It is unknown if the three bānās that are mentioned along with the nagarā here were dedicated on the same occasion or later. The overall extent of the guṭhī lands in Table 3, which accounts for the lands endowed for the nagarā and those for the bānās separately, seems to suggest that offerings were made at different times. Moreover, this table accounts for 2 khetas of irrigated land only, while the text above (l. 22–23) stipulates a total sum of 2 khetas, 40 muris of irrigated land, the additional 40 muris designated further up (l. 15) having been "added" (thapa baksyāko). It therefore seems that the lālamohara, which was concomitantly issued as a copperplate, represents the final step of a fairly long process that started with separate offerings of the musical instruments, involved different endowments of land for their playing and upkeep, and ended in summarizing and authorizing Cāmyā Damāī's caretakership of the guṭhi and its lands. Some details and terms in the descriptions of the borders of the different land plots granted for the guṭhi are hard, and at times impossible, to understand without knowledge of local realities. But at least the overall calculation is comprehensible.

The deity to whom the musical instruments were offered is identified by Vajrācārya and Śreṣṭha as the main goddess of Salyankot, but they do not explain why she is called Śrī Khãḍādevi in the present document. The goddess, residing on a hilltop in north-western Dhading, is known as Tripurasundarī on the one hand, and by more general names, such as Bhagavatī, Māī or simply Salyānakoṭī Devī on the other.20 The available descriptions of the temple (Ḍhakāla VS 2062: 368–370; Thapaliya 2012) report that the strictly secretive nature of her worship—only the Timalsinā and Sāpakoṭā Brahmin purohitas21 and the Magara pūjārīs being allowed inside the temple and to see or touch her icon—effectively blocks access to more concrete information about her icon and worship. The goddess resides in three different temples during three different periods of the year: at her main temple on the hilltop for most of the year, in the dasaĩghara, also located on the hilltop, over the Dasaĩ period and for four months in a temple on the bank of the river to where she is taken in procession in the month of Mārga.

The goddess is very famous for her powers to grant boons, is closely associated with the Rānā Magaras and also plays an important role in the lives of the Śāha kings and their history of conquest. Tingey speaks of this temple as being part of "a chain of Mother Goddess shrines from Lamjuṅg to Kathmandu, including Lamjuṅg Darbār, Sallyānkoṭ and Nuwākoṭ, each having its own local family of sister shrines" (Tingey 1990: 13). P. Ḍhakāla (VS 2062: 370) reports a local story of Dravya Śāha's wife having taken the form of the goddess of Salyankot.22 A more widely-known story, however, is that found in the Divyopadeśa of King Pṛthvīnārāyaṇa having received a vision of the goddess as an eight-year-old girl in a dream (Ācārya and Naraharinātha VS 2070: 39–41). When asked by the king who she was, she answered that she was the daughter of the Rana Magar priest and went on to give him two swords. When referring to this story, P. Ḍhakāla at one point calls the goddess "Sword Goddess", Khaḍgadevī (Ḍhakāla VS 2062: 369) and also says that after Pṛthivīnārāyaṇa had conquered Nuwakot he offered a sword (khaḍga) to her (ibid.: 370). Thus there is little doubt that Khãḍādevi23 in the present document refers to the main goddess of Salyankot who is called "Sword Goddess" probably because King Pṛthvīnārāyaṇa received swords from her. Apart from that there may be a sword which is worshipped as one of her forms, as is done in many other Nepalese goddesses’ temples.24

Notes

1. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

2. A number of natural trumpets are called bānās, including the bijuli bānā or the dhop bānā (Tingey 1990: 24). C. Tingey, referring to the text of the published copperplate (see Commentary), interprets the term as denoting "'instruments', presumably natural trumpets" (ibid.: 22). [⇑]

3. This denotes the territory around Salyankot in Dhading, not Salyan in Western Nepal. This is confirmed by the mention of the Baghuvā Kholā below, which is a river in Dhading. That there is a larger region known as Salyan/Sallyan or, here, Salhyāna is not only evident from a place neighbouring Salyankot called Salyānaṭāra, but also from a story in a chronicle (vaṃśāvalī) that tells of the conquest of Salyan and the defeat of its king by Rāma Śāha after crossing the Gaṇḍakī River (Unbescheid 1996: 133). The Buḍhī Gaṇḍakī separates the districts of Gorkha and Dhading. [⇑]

4. Here and in the following the different pieces of land are separated by the word daphe, as in other documents conveying land (e.g. DNA_0013_0031). Amongst others, daphā, Arabic daf’a, means "article, clause (of a law, an edict); section (of a document)" (McGregor 1993: s.v.). In my translation it is reflected by the start of different paragraphs. [⇑]

5. pātalyā kheta, lit. "thin field", must be a category of land, maybe one in which the fertile layer of soil is only thin (pātalo). [⇑]

6. Thus this birauṭo land measures 127 khetamuris. [⇑]

7. Probably, this is a variant spelling of kānlo, "a boundary line of stones or earth (less frequently of bamboo or shrubs) dividing two fields" (Turner 1931: s.v.). [⇑]

8. Arcalyā or arcale denotes land on which arcala trees are grown (Parājuli et al. VS 2067: s.v.). These are fodder trees. [⇑]

9. This must denote land on which arcala trees are grown for fodder (see previous note). [⇑]

10. These terms remain unclear. Do they denote a type of pākho land or do they represent a place name? [⇑]

11. The term is unclear. [⇑]

12. This passage deviates from the usual structure of framing the bordering landscape elements by the mentioning of the direction at the beginning and the term luhakila (var. of lohakila) at the end, so that it is not altogether clear whether the pokharāko kulo belongs to the western or to the southern marker. [⇑]

13. This must denote land directly adjacent to a lake or pond. [⇑]

14. It seems that it had previously been intended to dedicate 3 ropanīs of pākho land, but as better-quality land, namely paddy field, was available, the 3 ropanīs (= 12 muris) were reduced by a factor of 1.5, so that 8 muris of irrigable paddy were added. [⇑]

15. These 2 khetas, 40 muris is the sum of all plots of paddy field, i.e. 38 muris, 15 muris, 1 kheta and 27 muris, 12 muris, 8 muris, 7 muris, 22 muris and 11 muris. [⇑]

16. These 50 ropanīs is the sum up of all measurements in ropanīs mentioned before, i.e. 20, 24, 1¾, 3 and 1¼. [⇑]

17. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

18. The locality is given as an adjectival attribute, lit. "the Dhadingese". [⇑]

19. A person named Juryā Damāī was appointed for the nagarā of the Śrīdevī Bhairavī of Dhading in VS 1863 (copy of a lālamohara, microfilmed twice as K_0030_0008B and K_0341_0053). This is probably the same person. [⇑]

20. For more on the temple and evidence for its support by the kings of Gorkha, see K_0294_0018. [⇑]

21. In this connection it seems noteworthy that in the list of witnesses directly after the representatives of the tharaghara, the land measurers, the amāli and the dvāre it is Timalsinā and Sāpakoṭā Brahmins who are mentioned, probably both groups containing persons in charge of the local administration. [⇑]

22. This story of a queen of a Gorkhālī king taking the form of a goddess parallels that of King Rāma Śāha's wife turning into the goddess Manakāmanā. [⇑]

23. Khãḍā may be a variant of Nepali khā̃ḍo (Parājuli et al. VS 2067: s.v.) or from Newari khaṇḍa (Malla et al. 2000: s.v. khaṃḍa), both derived from Sanskrit khaḍga. [⇑]

24. Swords and sword gods and goddesses play a big role in Nepalese religious life, particularly so during Dasaĩ (Lecomte-Tilouine 1996, Zotter 2016). [⇑]

Word	Notes
āge	[fr. S. agre] adv. lit. "henceforeward" (Riccardi 1976: 150 n. 6), especially used in administrative and legal documents to mark the beginning of a text or paragraph. In its function it is similar to uprānta.
amāli / amālī	[fr. A.] var. amāli, ambāli, amvalī, aṃvalī; also amālidāra; n. a revenue official or functionary of a regional administrative unit (Pant and Pierce 1989: 93, M.R. Pant 2002: 131). According to Krauskopff and Meyer he had only "minor judicial powers" (Krauskopff and Meyer 2000: 183). Kumar further notes that he was a "subordinate civil functionary in the tehsil" (Kumar 1967: 164). His office was called amala (cf. Adhikari 1984: 344, M.C. Regmi 1978: 853).
ambala	var. aṃbala, amala, ammala; n. 1) territory, administrative unit, district. 2) office, position, term of office, honour, respect (Turner 1931: s.v. amal); "territory in Gorkhali official discourse; land occupied by force, land from which the state has acquired right to collect revenue; generally conveys the same meaning as the term amal" (Michael 2012: 129).
ānā	[fr. S. āṇvaka- ?] n. 1) monetary unit worth one sixteenth of a rupee with four ānā*s constituting one sukā, equivalent to one ganḍā; in documents usually represented by one to three diagonal dashes, sometimes as a loop with two or three jags. 2) sixteenth part of land, property etc. (cf. Parājulī et al 1995: s.v. ānā).
arcala	n. shrub or small tree with small black eatable fruits (Antidesma acidum Retz.), grown in central and eastern Nepal for fodder (Manandhar 2002: 92).
baḍā dasaĩ	var. baḍā dasai; also mahā dasaĩ; n. festival to worship the goddess Durgā as slayer of the buffalo demon, held over the bright half of the autumn month of Āśvina. Cf. dasaĩ / daśaĩ.
bandeja	[from H. bhandheja] var. bandheja, bāndeja; n. order, arrangement, rule, regulation.
bheṭī	var. bheṭa, bheṭi; n. money, often in the form of coins, offered to deities or revered persons.
birauṭo	var. birhāuṭo; n. land that has been newly brought under cultivation having it e.g. cleared of trees, stones and the like.
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.
cautāro	n. platform for sitting on, usually erected under a tree or at crossroads.
cilāune	var. cilāūnyā; n. the needle wood tree (Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth.); see Manandhar 2002: 415; Shrestha 1998: 17.
cuvāna / cumāvana	var. cumāuna, cumāūnī; n. levy imposed on occasion of the life-cyclic initiation (vratabandha) of the King or the Crown Prince (M.C. Regmi 1978: 856; cf.: M.C. Regmi 1970 (No. 5): 125 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 225 ; M.C. Regmi 1988: 266; M.C. Regmi 1995: 76; Adhikari 1984: 346p.; Michael 2012: 130); collected in 1779 for Raṇabahādura, in 1808 for Gīrvāṇayuddha (M.C. Regmi 1995: 28), in 1863 for the son of Surendra, probably Crown Prince Trailokya (1847-1878) who died during his father's life-time (Tsum_0001_0052).
damāī̃	var. ḍamāī, damāi, damāī, damai; also nagarcī or darjī; n. 1) sub-caste traditionally working as tailors and musicians at temples and in life-cyclic rituals of the Indo-Parbatiya. 2) 5th lowest caste (superior to Cyāmes, Poḍhes, Vādīs and Gāines) among the Untouchables in the Mulukī Ain’s caste hierarchy (MA-54.160.5).
ḍaṅgola	var. ḍagola, ḍogola; n. 1) a measurer of land, houses etc. 2) a particular Newar caste.
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).
dasaĩghara	var. dasaighara; n. lit. "house for dasaĩ;" ritual arena for worshipping the goddess Durgā on the occasion of dasaĩ, either in a room or building exclusively used for this purpose (see K_0625_0039), or temporarily erected within another building.
dharmādhikāra / dharmādhikārī	[S. dharmādhikārin] n. chief judge in religious jurisdiction whose main duties are to grant expiation and rehabilitation to polluted individuals. The term is exclusively used for Brahmins.
ḍhig	[fr. P.] var. ḍhika; bank, embankment (Turner 1931: s.v.).
dvāre	var. dvāryā, duvāryā; n. 1) a local revenue collection official (e.g. M.R. Pant 2002: 132; M.C. Regmi 1970: 149) who can arrest offenders and try petty cases (Stiller 1981: 379). 2) a gatekeeper at the royal palace who collects certain levies (Edwards 1975: 106; M.C. Regmi 1978: 226); 3) a village headman in the Kathmandu Valley (M.C. Regmi 1970: 149).
gādīmamārakha	var. gādimamārakha, gādimumārakha; n. 1) present in cash or kind offered to the king upon the first time of a subject having darśana after the rājyābhiṣeka. 2) "levy collected on a country-wide basis to finance the expenses of a royal coronation“ (M.C. Regmi 1970 (No. 6): 149); collected in 1794 for Raṇa Bahādura and in 1799 for Gīrvāṇayuddha (M.C. Regmi 1995: 28).
ghaḍerī	var. ghaḍyāri, gharyāḍī; n. a plot of land for erecting a building, category of land suitable for bulding houses.
goḍadhuvā	var. goḍadhovā; n. 1) presents in cash and kind offered to bride and groom by the bride's side during their washing of the couple's feet. 2) tax levied to finance the wedding and dowry of the reigning king's eldest daughter (Adhikari 1984: 348; M.C. Regmi 1988: 267); imposed in 1804 when Gīrvāṇayuddha's elder sister, Raṇabahādura's daughter was married (M.C. Regmi 1995: 28); in 1898/1899 (VS 1955/1956) when Princess Prāṇa Lakṣmī was married (E_3372_0037, Tsum_0001).
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).
jaḍāurī	var. jaḍāūra; n. 1) second-hand cloth or other used things. 2) cast-off clothes given to servants.
jeṭhā-buḍhā	n. lit. "knowledge elder"; 1) a village headman responsible for local affairs such as the maintenance of law and order (M.R. Pant 2002: 133; Shaha 1982: 29). 2) an official at the royal palace, royal messenger and investigator (Whelpton 1991: 283). At an earlier time the jeṭhā-buḍhās, "elder statesmen, held intermittent positions as emissaries to district officials or to the courts of foreign states". By 1843 only one remained, described by Hodgson as the "personal attendant of (the) Rajah". A few years later, we find the jetha-budha under the Kadel Chowk with three sipahis under him; his name also is linked with the "chaya kotha" or tea room. By then his days of glory obviously were over“ (Edwards 1975: 107 ).
jhārā	n. forced labor, unpaid work or assistance exacted from the people by the government or a landlord for the cause of the state or public welfare; can also be commuted into cash payment (M.R. Pant 2002: 133; M.C. Regmi 1988: 267).
kampanī	[fr. Engl. company] var. kampani; 1) n. a limited company; 2) n. a military company (cf. discussion under kampu); 3) adj. belonging to the government; 4) n. an Indian rupee (see also kampanī rupaiyā).
kānlo	var. kā̃llo; n. "a boundary line of stones or earth (less frequently of bamboo or shrubs) dividing two fields" (Turner 1931: s.v.). Is kālho (DNA_0013_0023) a variant spelling?
kāphala	var. kāphlā; n. box myrtle (Myrica esculenta Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don), evergreen tree with edible fruits (Manandhar 2002: 328).
kheta	[fr. S. kṣetra] var. khet, kheṭ; n. 1) irrigated land in the hill region suitable for the cultivation of rice and wheat. 2) a measure of land in the hill region equal to 25 ropanīs or 100 murīs (ca. 1.25 hectares) (M.C. Regmi 1999: 136-137 ; cf. M.C. Regmi 1999: 234 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 162 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 227 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 860 ; M.C. Regmi 1995: 77; Adhikari 1984: 351; M.R. Pant 2002: 133; Whelpton 1991: 284 ).
khetamuri	var. ṣetamuri, ṣetamurī; n. unit of land measurement in the hill region, comprising 1/4 ropanī with 100 khetamuris 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. see muri / murī 1).
kholākheta	n. 1) wet-rice field on the banks of a river or irrigated by river water. 2) wet-rice field of alluvial soil, bottomland.
lālamohara	var. lālmohara, lālamohar, lālmohora; abbreviated mohara; n. royal document bearing the red seal.
lohakila	var. luhakila; n. boundary peg, a boundary demarcation.
Magara	n. ethnic group in the central hills.
mohara	[P.] n. 1) a seal. 2) a document bearing royal seal; often an abbreviated reference to a lālamohara. 3) a coin having the value of eight ānās or half a mohararupaiyā̃.
muhāna	n. 1) source of a river. 2) juncture of two bodies of water.
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).
nagarā	var. nagārā; n. large kettledrum played with two sticks, traditionally in ritual and military contexts (Tingey 1997: 96 n. 12), lead instrument of the nagarā bānā musical ensemble.
pākho	n. unirrigated high or hillside land on which only dry crops can be grown (M.R. Pant 2002: 135). See also khuvā.
pãdhero / panero	n. publicly accessible source of drinking water.
pūjārī / pūjāhārī	var. pujārī, pujāhārī; n. person formally appointed to conduct the worship (pūjā) of a deity and therewith earning one's livelyhood, temple priest.
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.
raikara	n. state-owned, taxable land.
ropanī	[fr. S.] var. ropani; n. unit of land measurement in the hill region, including the Kathmandu Valley, comprising four murīs. The area may vary according to the grade, but current standard area for a ropanī comprises 5,476 square feet (cf. M.C. Regmi 1999: 235 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 864; Whelpton 1991: 286; M.C. Regmi 1995: 77; M.C. Regmi 1978: 163; M.C. Regmi 1988: 270).
sindūra	[S.] var. sindura, sīṃdura, sīṃdhura; n. red powder used in rituals and applied to the parting of a married woman.
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.
tapasila	[fr. A.] var. tapasīl, tapasīlā, tapsīl; n. particulars, details; can be a self-sustained document, but is more often appended as a list after the narratio of documents.
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).
tharī	var. thari; n. 1) head of a clan (thara), elder; 2) "nonofficial tax collection functionary (in the hill districts)" (M.C. Regmi 1978: 867).