Edited and
translated by Manik Bajracharya
in collaboration with
Pabitra Bajracharya
Created: 2018--09-27;
Last modified: 2019-04-01
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[1r]
1श्री\1श्री३सर्कार[table1]
1 | वर्ष४५कोहर्षेक∙मोरा१केमोहरू¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | ४५ |
2 | वर्ष४२कोजमुनीकमारी१केऐरू¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | ६० |
3 | वर्ष२१कोस्यतीकमारी१केऐ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | १२० |
4 | वर्ष१७कोकासीकमारी१केऐ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | १२० |
5 | वर्ष२कोस्येतीकोछोरीवुधलक्ष्मीकमारी१केऐ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | २५ |
6 | वर्ष१२कोकालेकमारो१केऐ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | ४१। |
7 | वर्ष८कोस्येत्येकमारो१केऐ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | ४१। |
[1r]
Śrī 3 Sarkāra - 1
Śrī Āryā[ghāṭa]1 - 2
812
Hail! A purjī of the venerable Commander-in-Chief General Deva Śamśera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura, a venerable prince born of a prince, to the chief and clerk(s) of the Guṭhī Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍā of Thāpāthalī, [which operates] under [Śrī 3 Sarkāra]3 .
Uprānta: [The following] became known [to us] when Lieutenant Jyedu Kumāra Paṇḍita made petition to us, stating: "I am standing surety (dhana jamānī) for Balabhadra Khatrī Chetrī [of Kāgati Gāũ] who obtained a contract to collect revenue (ṭheka ijārā) for the years [VS 19]52/53 from the 3 villages including Kāgati Gāũ that are registered under the Dāurā Guṭhī4 which cremates of the bodies of satīs [at the place] located opposite of [Āryaghāṭa]5 , but he could not pay [the revenue] in full, leaving 812 mohararupaiyās outstanding, and since he has been unable to pay the money, I am obliged (havālā) by the Guṭhī Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍā to do so. In order to come up with the amount due—if [Your Majesty] could issue a sanada in the name of the Bakyautā Tahasīla Aḍḍā of West number 1 to auction the slave men and women of my house listed below, turning them into cash and sending on (the amount due), then the suffering of this helpless Brahmin would go away. My Lord, your wish is my command."
Even though [the money that could be raised] from the property of the aforementioned bondsman lieutenant would suffice, [the amount obtained] from the property of the contractor in accordance with the Ain being insufficient, nevertheless after examining the bondsman's slaves when the aforementioned office6 produced them [in front of us], [we issue here an order that] the total price of the listed 7 slaves—452 mohararupaiyās 2 sukās according to [Section] 16 of the [article on] Enslaved Castes (jyū māsiyākā jātakā) in the Ain—should be cancelled for the bondsman Lieutenant Jyedu Kumāra from the amount due on the contractual payment (ṭheka). Take the remaining balance, having urged him (to accept this solution). Since we have signed the emancipation of the aforementioned slaves7 , the price of the 7 slaves, 452 mohararupaiyās 2 sukās, should be noted in the ledger (ḍhapoṭa) as an exemption from the contractual payment to be received from the aforementioned contractor Balabhadra Khatrī Chetrī. [The exempted amount] will be deducted at the time of the [annual] submission of accounts (bāhi bujhdā).
Particulars
[table]
For 1 male slave, Harṣe, aged 45 | 45 mohararupaiyās | |
For 1 female slave, Jamunī, aged 42 | 60 mohararupaiyās | |
For 1 female slave, Syatī, aged 21 | 120 mohararupaiyās | |
For 1 female slave, Kāsī, aged 17 | 120 mohararupaiyās | |
For 1 female slave, Budha Lakṣmī, the daughter of Syetī8 , aged 2 | 25 mohararupaiyās | |
For 1 male slave, Kāle, aged 12 | 41 mohararupaiyās 1 sukā | |
For 1 male slave, Syetye, aged 8 | 41 mohararupaiyās 1 sukā |
1st of the bright fortnight of Āśvina in the [Vikrama] era year 1955 (1898 CE). Auspiciousness.
This purjī document is an order issued by Deva Śamśera to the guṭhī revenue department to endorse the emancipation of seven slaves belonging to Jyedu Kumāra Paṇḍita. As the document states, Jyedu Kumāra intended to hand those slaves over to fulfil part of the compensation he was obliged to pay to the department. Instead, Deva Śamśera freed the slaves and deducted their value from the amount owed by Jyedu Kumāra.
Deva Śamśera issued this document as the commander-in-chief. He ruled as the prime minister of Nepal for 114 days from 5 March to 27 June 1901. Prior to that, he had served under Prime Minister Bīra Śamśera for thirteen years as commanding general, senior commanding general and commander-in-chief (R. Shaha 1990: 29-30). Historians have described him as a liberal and progressive ruler (Ḍaṅgola et al. VS 2014: 119, R. Shaha 1990: 29-30, Whelpton 2005: 62). He made some attempt to abolish slavery in Nepal in the short period of his prime ministership, emancipating a total of 767 slaves alone during his enthronement ceremony. The slaves emancipated during the ceremony are listed in Ḍaṅgola et al. VS 2014: 115-20. Afterwards the prime minister attempted to emancipate all female slaves in Kaski and Lamjung, districts over which he had direct authority. Perceval Landon (Landon 1928/II: 81) mentions that he planned to emancipate slaves in Kathmandu as well. Given the opposition of slave owners, however, he did not succeed in either of these undertakings. He did manage, though, to issue an order on the 10th day of the dark fortnight of Āṣāḍha in VS 19589 banning the buying, selling, pledging as security and donating slaves (C. Nepālī VS 2021: 16-17).
The document mentions a certain Section 16 of the Ain for determining the price of slaves. It is not clear which edition of the Ain this refers to. In the Ain of 1854, the prices of slaves are found in Section 4 of Article 82, which is entitled Jyū Māsnyā Becanyā (see Fezas 2000/I: 409-10 and MA-KM 1854/82 §4). The prices remained unchanged in the amended Ain of 1870 (see MA 1870: 224).
For the actual emancipatory declaration issued to the slaves mentioned in this document, see K_0614_0023.