Documenta Nepalica

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

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A bakapatra supplied by Kālu Jogī Kavara re Mahanta Chetranātha's abbatial succession in Rānagāũ (VS 1964)

ID: K_0469_0038

Edited and translated by Christof Zotter
Created: 2018-09-14; Last modified: 2018-12-04
For the metadata of the document, click here

Published by Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities: Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal, Heidelberg, Germany, 2018. 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

In this statement, made in front of Lieutenant Colonel Vīra Bahādūra Basynāt Kṣetrī of the Salyan district office (gauḍā), Kālu Jogī Kavara answers questions regarding the abbotship of Mahanta Chetranātha in Rānagāũ, Salyan.

Diplomatic edition

[1r-part1]

1श्री•ले•कर्णेलरणवीक्रंराणावहादुर
2\

⟪139⟫

[seal]

1दःलेःकवीरवहादूर
2वस्न्यात्‌क्षत्री¯ ¯¯

1जील्ल्यैसल्ल्याना•मौज्येरानागाऊकामहंत•छेत्रनाथ•प्र
2लोकभयाकोहुनालेस्वमहंत्याञीमामेरोहकहो•
3भंन्यालोकनाथका•वीन्तीपत्र•मालेषीयाका•साछी
4रानागाऊवस्न्या•कालुजोगीकव़रलेसल्ल्यानागौ
5डाका•ले•कर्णैलवीरवाहादुरवस्न्यात•छेत्रीका
6सामुन्यमा•धर्मसम्झीवकेकोवक्‌पत्र¯¯ ¯¯¯¯

[table1-part1]

1	सव़ालमामुली¯¯¯¯¯¯¯	ज्वाफमेरोनाऊकालु•मेरावावुकोना ऊवीश्वनाथ•जातकव़रजोगी•घर रानागाऊ•पेसा•षेतीगर्छु•दर्ताके हीछैनवर्ष४९कोभञा•निजम हन्तहरूसंगलीनदीन•ईवीलागस्मे तकेहीछैन¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
2	सव़ालस्वमौजे•रानगाऊका महन्तछेत्रनाथलाईची• न्छौकी¯¯¯¯¯¯¯	ज्वाफरानगाऊकामहन्तछेत्रना थथीयोनिजछेत्रनाथ•येही६४साल ज्येष्टमैन्हाका१७गतेका• दीनप्रलोकभयाछैनं¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
3	सवालनिजप्रलोकहुन्या• महन्तछेत्रनाथकोचे ला•पनीकोहीछंकी¯¯¯¯	ज्वाफ्‌नीजमहन्तछेत्रनाथको चेलालोकनाथछन्‌¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
4	सवालनीजलोकनाथकती वर्षकाछं¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯	ज्वाफ्‌नीजलोकनाथजन्मेकोसाल मैन्हाकोथाहाछैनअंदाजीलेवर्ष १२कोनीजलोकनाथकोउमेरभ याकोछ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

[1r-part2]

[table1-part2]

1	सव़ालनीजमहन्तछेत्रना थलेनीजलोकनाथलाईकैल्हेदेषीचेलोवनाया कोहो¯¯¯¯	ज्वाफ्‌सालमजान्दीन•अंदाजीवर्ष ६भयोनिजछत्रनाथ•दाङ्‌चौघेरा मापीरवस्दानीजलोकनाथकावा वुआमावाटत्याग•चुकाई•नीजछ त्रनाथलेनीजलोकनाथलाई चे लावनायाकोहो•¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
2	सव़ाल•नीजमहन्तछेत्रना थप्रलोकभयाकोहुँना ले•सोमहंत्याञीकोहक्‌ कस्कोहो¯¯ ¯¯¯¯	ज्वाफमहंन्तछेत्रनाथ•पर्लोकभया कोहुँनाले•सोमहंत्याञीकोहक नीजलोकनाथ•कोहो¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
3	सव़ाल•नीजमहन्तछेत्र नाथकोअरुचेलापनी• कोहीछंकी¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯	ज्वाफ्‌निजमहन्तछेत्रनाथको अरुचेलाछैनंलोकनाथमात्रहुं
4	सव़ालमहंत्याञीहुन्दा• सावीकदरसावीकमा• केकेकस्वगरीआयाकोछ	ज्वाफ्‌नीजमहंतकोप्रलोकहुने अवस्ताभयापछी•चेलालोकनाथ लेसोद्धानिजछेत्रनाथलेचेलाको पाषुरासमाई•पीठ्‌माधाधाप्‌ल गाई•दी•मेरोसेषपछीमहंतभै वस्नु•भनीभंन्या•काहुन्‌तेती भै•निजमहंन्तप्रलोकभयाका हुन्‌•प्रलोकभयापछी•गरीआया वमोजींकाजकृया•गरी•चेलाले महंन्तभै•गद्दीमा•वस्नागरीआ याकाछन्‌¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
5	सव़ालमहंतछेत्रनाथला ई•कस्लेचेलावनाईमहं त्याञीदीयाकोहों•¯¯¯	ज्वाफनीजमहंत•छेत्रनाथको गुरुमहंतहीरानाथलेनीजछेत्र नाथलाईचेलावनाई•महंत्या ञीपाऊनेगरी•राषेकाहुन्‌¯¯
6	सव़ालमहंतहुनेले•सकार• मावक्साई•गद्दीमावस्ने गरीआयाकोछकीआफैव सीआयाकोछ¯¯¯	ज्वाफसोमहंत्याञी•गद्दीमावस्ता अघीदेषी•सल्ल्यांगौडाका•भारा दारसंग•वक्साई•गद्दीमावस्न्या गरीआयाकाछन्‌¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
7	सव़ाल•महंतछेत्रनाथ• प्रलोकहुन्यावषत्मासो मठ्‌कोकांतीमीलेगर्नु भनी•नीजछेत्रनाथले मलाईअषत्यार•गरीदी याकोछभनी•देवीनाथ जीलेऊजुरगरेकोछसो कुराहोकीकस्वहो ¯¯¯¯	ज्वाफ्‌निजमहंतछेत्रनाथप्रलो कहुन्यावषत्मानीजदेवीनाथ लाई•अषत्यारी•दीयाकोहोई ननिजचेलालोकनाथलाई• दीयाकाहुंन्‌¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

[1r-part3]

[table1-part3]

1	सव़ाल•महंतछेत्रनाथला ई•महंत्याञी•दीयापछी नीजछेत्रनाथ•गद्दीमा वस्नालाई•सल्ल्यांगौडा काभारादारसंग•वक्सा याकोथीयोथीयेन ¯ ¯¯	ज्वाफ्‌महंतहीरानाथ•प्रलोक भयापछीनिजकोचेलामहंतछे त्रनाथ•गद्दीमावस्नालाई•ऊस वषत•कासल्ल्यांगौडाका•भा रादार¯ \ ¯कोपनीसव़ारीभै गद्दीमानिजछेत्रनाथलाईव साई•सर्कारमाजाहेरगरी•ला ल्मोहरहुनगयाकोहो¯¯
2	सव़ाल•नीजमहंतछेत्र• नाथका•मठ्‌कोआ म्दानीलगत्‌कतीछ वयांगर¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯	ज्वाफमहंतछेत्रनाथकामठ कोआम्दानीलगत्‌मलाईयै तीभंन्यामलाईथाहाछैन
3	सव़ाल•योमाथीलेषी याकोवयांतीम्रोदुरुस्तभोकी¯¯¯	ज्वाफ्‌•मेरोयोमाथीलेषीयाको वयांदुरुस्तभो
4	सव़ाल•फरकपारीलेषी दीयाकोठहरेतीम्रोकस्वहो	ज्वाफ्‌फरकछैनफरकपारीले षीदीयाकोठहरेऐनवमो जींवुझाऊला¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

7[?]जकालुकभरजोगी¯¯¯¯¯१
8ईतीसम्वत्‌१९६४साल्‌श्रावणगते१०रोज५शुभ्म्‌¯¯

1 [fingerprint]

1दःले•कः
2सही

Translation

[1r-part1]

Venerable L[ieutenant] Colonel Raṇavīkraṃ Rāṇā Bahādura

391

[seal]

[signature of] Da.2 L[ieutenant] C[olonel] Vīra Bahādūra Basynāt Kṣatrī - - -

Testimony (bakapatra) given, keeping the dharma in mind, in front of L[ieutenant] Colonel Vīra Bahādura Basynāta Kṣetrī of the Salyan district office (gauḍā) by Kālu Jogī Kavara, a resident of Rānāgāũ [and] witness mentioned (lekhīyāko) in the petition (bintīpatra) from Lokanātha which states "inasmuch as Chetranātha,3 the abbot (mahanta) of Rānāgāũ maujā, Salyan district (jillā), has passed away, the right to the abbotship is [now] mine."4

[table]

	Question: general [introduction]	Answer: My name [is] Kālu; my father's name [is] Vīśvanātha. Caste (jāta): Kavara Jogī. Home: Rānāgāũ. Profession: I do fieldwork. [I] have no registration (dartā). [Age:] 49 years old. I have no business dealings5 with [and also] no ill will towards the said mahantas.
	Question: You knew Mahanta Chetranātha of that6 maujā, Rānāgāũ, or not?	Answer: The mahanta of Rānāgāũ was Chetranātha. The said Chetranātha passed away on the 17th solar day (gate) of the month of Jyeṣṭha this year, [VS 19]64. [He is] no more.
	Question: Was there also some disciple of the said late Mahanta Chetranātha, or not?	Answer: There was a disciple of the said Mahanta Chetranātha: Lokanātha.
	Question: How old is the said Lokanātha?	Answer: The year [and] month of birth of the said Lokanātha I do not know. The said Lokanātha is approximately 12 years old. 7

[1r-part2]

[table]

	Question: When did the said Mahanta Chetranātha make the said Lokanātha [his] disciple?	Answer: The year I do not know. It was approximately six years ago.8 When the said Mahanta Chetranātha was residing as head of the monastery (pīra) in Dang Caugherā 9 [and] the said Lokanātha had already left [his] father [and] mother, the said Chetranātha made the said Lokanātha [his] disciple.
	Question: Now that the said Mahanta Chetranātha has passed away, who has the right to the abbotship?	Answer: Now that the the said Mahanta Chetranātha has passed away, the right to the abbotship is Lokanātha's.
	Question: There are other disciples of the said Mahanta Chetranātha, or not?	Answer: There are no other disciples of the said Mahanta Chetranātha. There is only Lokanātha.
	Question: What all is traditionally done [and] how [is it done] in the customary practice when on one accedes to the abbotship (mahantyāñī hundā)?	Answer: When the said mahanta was about to die, the disciple Lokanātha asked [him a question].10 The said Chetranātha seized the disciple's upper arm, slapped the [disciple's] back [and] said: "After my death be the mahanta [and] occupy [the throne]." That was the extent of it, and the said mahanta passed away. After [he] passed away, the disciple performed the kājakṛyā11 according to what is traditionally practised, became mahanta [and now] occupies the throne. [This is what] is traditionally done.
	Question: Who made Mahanta Chetranātha [his] disciple [and] gave [him] the abbotship?	Answer: The guru of the said Mahanta Chetranātha, Mahanta Hīrānātha, made the said Mahanta Chetranātha [his] disciple and appointed him [his successor] so that he would receive the abbotship.
	Question: Is it the tradition that a mahanta-to-be occupies the throne after being authorized by the government, or is it rather the tradition that he occupies [it] on his own?	Answer: Once the [one who one who is selected for] the abbotship [is set to] occupy the throne, it is the tradition from earlier times to do so [only] after being authorized by the bhārādāra of the Salyan district office.
	Question: Devīnāthajī has submitted a complaint, saying: "When Mahanta Chetranātha was passing away, the said Chetranātha gave me the authority, saying 'You do the work of [overseeing] the maṭha'."12 Is it so, or how is it?	Answer: When the said Mahanta Chetranātha was passing away, the authority was not given to the said Devīnātha. [It] was given to the said disciple Lokanātha.

[1r-part3]

[table]

	Question: After Chetranātha was given the abbotship (by his guru), was the said Chetranātha authorized to occupy the throne by the bhārādāra of the Salyan district office, or not?	Answer: After Mahanta Hīrānātha passed away, in order for his (nījako) disciple Chetranātha to [be able to] occupy the throne, the then bhārādāra of the Salyan district office, [venerable L[ieutenant] Colonel Raṇavīkraṃ Rāṇā Bahādūra], 13 came (savārī bhai), installed the said Chetranātha (on the throne), informed the government [and the process of issuing] a lālamohara was initiated.
	Question: How much was the said Mahanta Chetranātha's assessment of maṭha's revenue? Declare [the amount].	Answer: I canot say how much the said Mahanta Chetranātha's assessment of the maṭha's revenue was.
	Question: The declaration of yours written above is14 the exact truth, or not?	Answer: This declaration of mine written above is15 the exact truth.
	Question: If it is proven that [your statement] deviates [from the truth], what will be your [response]?	Answer: There is no deviation. If it is proven that [the statement] was deviates [from the truth], I will pay the price according to the law.

[The said] Kālu Kavara Jogī16 - - - 1

fingerprint

signature Da.17 L[ieutenant] C[olonel]

Thursday, the 10th solar day (gate) of Śrāvaṇa in the [Vikrama] era year 1964 (1907 CE). Auspiciousness.

Commentary

The document is one of the witness statements18 that were sent from Salyan to Kathmandu in support of a petition by Lokanātha to be recognized as successor to the throne (see K_0469_0033).

Notes

1. This archival notation indicates the card number (of bundle 15 of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā records). [⇑]

2. The meaning of this abbreviation remains unclear. Perhaps it stands for darabāriyā or darabārī, that is, a courtier. [⇑]

3. The name, here written Chatranātha, occurs everywhere else in the document as Chetranātha. Therefore the latter spelling is used in the translation. [⇑]

4. For this bintīpatra, see K_0469_0033. [⇑]

5. Lit."no giving [and] taking". [⇑]

6. I understand sva as graphic variant of so (cf. kasva for kaso below). [⇑]

7. Cf. K_0469_0039, K_0469_0040 and K_0469_0041. Other witnesses give the age as "12 or 13 years" (K_0469_0043) or "13 years" (K_0469_0044). For the importance of this issue, see Commentary on K_0469_0033. [⇑]

8. See also K_0469_0039. In other bakapatras the time of Lokanātha's initiation as disciple is given as "approximately 4 or 5 years ago" (see K_0469_0039), "5 or 6 years ago" (see K_0469_0041, cf. K_0469_0044) or "6 or 7 years ago" (see K_0469_0042). [⇑]

9. Although the title of pīra is commonly given to monastic heads in the Nātha tradition, the yogīs in Caugherā consider the title as specific to their place and claim that it was granted to Saint Ratannātha by the Muslim emperor (Bouillier 2017: 192). Unlike Rānāgāũ, Caugherā is not a "personal" (nijī) but a "collective" (pañcāyatī) maṭha, and at least some of the officiants (such as the pīra himself, the pūjārī who assists the pīra in the worship at Ratannātha's sanctuary, the treasurer (bhaṇḍārī) and his assistant, the sirāne), who are in charge of Bhairava's cult, are appointed to serve only for one year (ibid.: 192f.). [⇑]

10. While the present document (like K_0469_0040) has only the verb form soddhā, other bakapatras also report that Lokanātha asked his guru what to do (guru maile ke garnyā ho K_0469_0039, maile ke garane ho K_0469_0044). [⇑]

11. Kājakṛyā (mod. Nep. kājakiriyā) denotes the ritual actions performed during the first thirteen days after a death. [⇑]

12. For Devīnātha's petition, see K_0469_0015; for his bakapatra, see K_0469_0045. [⇑]

13. Inserted from the upper margin. [⇑]

14. The past tense "became" (bho for bhayo) is used. [⇑]

15. Again, the past tense "became" (bho for bhayo) is used. [⇑]

16. The name is here written Kālu Kabhara Jogī. [⇑]

17. Cf. note 2. [⇑]

18. For the other bakapatras, see K_0469_0039, K_0469_0040, K_0469_0041, K_0469_0042, K_0469_0043 and K_0469_0044. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
bakapatra	[baka+patra] var. vakapatra; n. testimony, witness statement.
bhaṇḍārī	[bhaṇḍāgarika-] var. bhaṃḍārī; n. 1) supervisor of a storehouse; 2) treasurer; 3) cook.
bhāradāra / bhārādāra	var. bhārā n. lit. "burden bearer"; a generic term for high-level functionaries and courtiers.
bintīpatra	[fr. S.] var. bintipatra, biṃtipatra, bīntīpatram; n. formal letter written to an authority; more specifically, a petition or request letter. Cf. bintī.
gaũḍā / gauḍā	var. gaurā; n. 1) a fortification, fortress (see Parājulī et al. 2052: s.v. gaũḍā and gauḍā); 2) certain districts were known as gauḍā, according to Adhikari (describing the situation after 1850): Doti, Salyan, and Palpa in the West and Dhankuta in the east (Adhikari 1979: 16); 3) a district office for maintaining law and order (cf. Karmacharya 2001: 91) established in the districts known as gauḍā. According to Adhikari this judicial offices were placed under responsible military officials—at first under kājīs or sardāras, and later on, under generals (janarala) and colonels (karṇela). In the Ain the chief officer of a gauḍā is referred to as hākima or mālika. Gauḍās decided original cases and served as appellate courts. They had jurisdiction regarding pañcakhata cases but could order a death sentence only after receiving a lālamohara from the kausala (Adhikari 1979: 16). The other levels of courts in the disctricts besides gauḍās or gaũḍā adālatas (cf. Adhikari 1984: 310) were: adālata (sometimes also called aḍḍās) and amāla (Adhikari 1979: 14). According to Kumar there were three "first courts of appeal" known as gauḍās covering twelve lower courts after the reorganisiation of the country's judiciary by Vīra Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā in 1887: I. Palpa gauḍā (covering 1. Salyan, 2. Piuthan, 3. Pokhara, 4. Doti, 6. Bhagwanpur, 6. Taulihawa), II. Doti gauḍā (covering 7. Jumla, 8. Dailekh, 9. Banke, 10. Kanchanpur), III. Dhankuta gauḍā (covering 11. Morang, 12. Saptari) (Kumar 1967: 129f.).
Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā	var. Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍā, Guṭhi Bandobasta Aḍā; n. "Guthi Administration Office", office responsible for the management of guṭhīs; established under Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā in 1852-1853 as replacement of the former Guṭhī Kacaharī. Its foundation marks the change from the guṭhīyāri system of the guṭhī management to the contractor based system; remained the central office to coordinate all offices subsequently established for handling different aspects of guṭhī management, including the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā and others. Separate Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍās managed the śrī 5 sarkāra guṭhīs and the śrī 3 sarkāra guṭhīs (cf. M.C. Regmi 1978: 713-715).
jāta	[S.] n. lit. "species"; a caste or ethnic group, see also jāti.
jillā	var. jillai, jīllā; n. a major administrative district.
lālamohara	var. lālmohara, lālamohar, lālmohora; abbreviated mohara; n. royal document bearing the red seal.
mahanta	[S.] var. mahaṃta; n. the temporal and spiritual head of a centre (āśrama, maṭha, sthāna, akhāḍā) or wandering group (khālsā) of an ascetic order (cf. Burghart 1976: 100); an abbot.
maujā	[fr. A. mauja] var. mauje, maujye; n. 1) unit of land revenue administration in the Tarai (cf. Krauskopff and Deuel Meyer 2000: 184). 2) revenue subdivision constituted by a group of villages in some hill districts and the Kathmandu Valley (cf. Michael 2012: 132).
pīra	[P.] n. 1) a venerable old man, a spiritual guide. 2) a Muslim saint. 3) (esp. in the Nātha tradition) used as title for the head of important maṭha (Bouillier 2017: 60 and passim).
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.
sirāne	n. name of the assistant of the treasurer (bhaṇḍārī) in the monastery of Caugherā who carries the 'throne' of the pātradevatā on his head during processions (Bouillier 2017: 193).

Bibliography

Bouillier, Véronique. 2017. Monastic Wanderers. Nāth Yogī Ascetics in Modern South Asia. Delhi: Manohar.