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A copy of a purjī from C-in-C General Deva Śamśera to Biseṭ Ḍiṭṭhā Jotirāja Śreṣṭha re the Dasaĩ rituals at the Pāñcāyana temple (VS 1944)

ID: K_0476_0060


Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter in collaboration with Raju Rimal
Created: 2019-08-12; Last modified: 2020-12-01
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, 2020. 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 CCby-SA.

Abstract

The purjī from C-in-C General Deva Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā of which this is a copy directs Biseṭ Ḍiṭṭhā Jotirāja Śreṣṭha to settle the accounts for expenses incurred in connection with worship during the autumnal Dasaĩ festival at the site of the Rāṇā family's chosen deity (iṣṭadevatā) at the Thāpāthalī Pāñcāyana temple in the year VS 1944 (1888 CE), and amounting to 21.2.0.2 mohararūpaiyā̃s in cash and 5 mānās of husked rice and 4 mānās of unhusked rice in kind, as detailed in the appended list.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1⟪87­⟫

1⟪लं­८५­⟫

1सही­हस्ते­भुवनराज­जोसि­

1स्वस्ति­श्रीमद्राजकुमारकुमारात्मजश्रीकम्यांडरइनचीफजनरलदेवसम्सेरजंङ्गराणावाहा
2दुरकस्य­विसेट्‌­डिठा­जोतिराज­श्रेष्टके­पुर्जि­उप्रांत­थापाथली­पाचायणका­श्री­इष्टदेवता
3का­स्थानमा­१९४३­सालका­घटस्थापना­र­दसै­पुजा­गर्नालाई­गुठि­वंन्दोवस्त­अडाका­ज्मा
4दार­हर्षनर्सिं­साछि­वसि­षर्च­भयाको­नगद­मोहर्रु­३०।।•।।­जिन्सी­चाव़ल­।•।५­धान­।•।४­स्या
5हामा­षर्च­लेषनु­भंन्या­साविक्‌­वीसेट्‌­डीठा­दसनाराका­नाउमा­सनद­भयाको­रहेछ­सो­पां
6चायणमा­सावीक्‌­वमोजीम्‌­४४­सालका­घटस्थापना­र­दसै­पुजामा­गुठि­वन्दोवस्त­अ
7डाका­जाचकि­डिठा­चीगढि­साछि­वसि­षर्च­गर्दा­लाग्याको­तपसिल­वमोजिम्‌का­नगद­
8मोहर्रु­२१।।•२­जिन्सी­चाव़ल­।•।५­धान्‌­।•।४­मेरा­जिम्मा­जिम्माव़ारि­वक्स्या­आम्दानी­
9षर्च­गर्दा­हुं­जो­मर्जि­भनि­विसेट्‌­डिठा­जोतिराजले­यस­अदामा­रपोट्‌­दियाको­हुनाले­
10सा[...]­[...]३­वुझ्दा­साविक्‌का­डिठा­डिठा­दसनारान्‌का­नाउमा­४३­सालका­दसैपुजाको­षर्च­
11भयाका­[?]हस्तेवारिको­सहिछाप­गराई­स्याहामा­षर्च­लेषनु­भं
12न्या­पुर्जि­भयाको­देषिनाले­सो­साविक्‌­वमोजिम्‌­४४­सालका­घटस्थापना­र­दसै­पु
13जामा­गुठि­वन्दोवस्त­अडाका­जाचकि­डिठा­चिगढि­साछि­वसि­षर्च­भयाको­तपसिल­
14वमोजिम्‌का­कानगद­मोहर्रु­२१।।•२­जिन्सि­चाव़ल­।•।५­धान­।•।४­तिमीलाई­भया
15का­उर्दि­सव़ालको­रित­पुर्याई­षर्च­लेषनु­साछिको­र­हस्तेवारिको­सहिछाप­भयाका­स्या
16हा­भर्पाइ­वमोजिम्‌­तिम्रा­वहि­वुझदा­मिन्हा­होला­भंन्या­निज­विसेट्‌­डिठा­जोतिराज­श्रे
17ष्टका­नाउमा­हजुरको­पुर्जि­गरिवक्सनु­पर्न्या­ठहराञ्यूं­जो­मर्जि­भनी­षरीदार­मेहेर­सिंले­
18हाम्रा­हजुरमा­विंति­पार्दा­जाहेर­भयो­तसर्थ­सो­ठहराया­वमोजीम्‌­हामिवाट­पनि­मुना
19सिव­ठहराई­सदर­गरीवक्स्याको­छ­सो­वमोजीम्‌­गर्न्या­काम­गर­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
20तपसिल­

[table1]

1नगडी­ज्मा­मोहर्रु­२१॥ऽ२­
2पै­१६­गंडा­रू­१०।।। ///। ­को­२५­गंडीका­दर्ले­मोहर्रु­७ऽ२­
3जौ­पाथी­१­के­।।।•।।­नरिव़ल­पगरी­जोर­३­के­।।।•­
4गणेशके­लाल­वस्त्रके­/।­सुपारिके ­ऽ॥­
5व्राह्मणके­धोति­उपर्नाके­नैन­
 किलाट्‌­गज­९­के­
२।।//।।।­रेषिके­चाव़ल­पिठो­माना­
 २­के­
//।।­
6सेतो­वस्त्र­गज­।।­के­//­पंचरत्नके­ऽ।­
7⟪सर्व­औषधिके­⟫⟪ऽ।­⟫
8ऐना­वट्टा­धागो­पोटे­चुरा­स्मेतके­///।।।­वाटे­धुपके­
9तोरन­कपडा­पाउ­२­के­//­गोकुलधुपके­//­
10सेतो­पाउ­१­के­रातो­पाउ­१­के­/वतिके­घ्यूके­१///­
11¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯पंचपल्लव­ऽ।­
12घटस्थापना­गर्‍याको­टाउ­पुजाके­।।•­वती­धागोके­।•।।।­
13विसर्जन्‌­पुजाके­।•­तेल्‌­कुर्वा­१­के­१­
14निसान्‌­पुजाके­।•­अक्षेता­चाव़ल्‌­।१­के­।।/­
15घडाके­र­दियोके­कलस्‌के­मोहरू­१।।।//­माटाका­गाग्रो­१­के­/।।।­
16¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
17मोहर्रु­१४।।­
18मौलामा­काट्‌नाके­८­वोका­२­के­दर­२।।­ले­५­
19रागा­१­के­रू­५।।­कुभिडो­४­के­।।•­
20वोका­१­के­रू­२।।­षरूव़ा­गज­३­के­१­
21¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

[table2]

1जिन्सी­।१।१­
2धान्‌­।•।४­चावल्‌­।•।५­
3¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

21इति­संवत्‌­१९४४­साल­मिती­माघ­वदी­३­रोज­२­शुभ्म्­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Translation

[1r]

871

no. 852

Signature: In the hand of Bhuvanarāja Josi3

Hail! A purjī of the venerable Commander-in-Chief General Deva Samsera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura, a venerable prince born of a prince, to BiseṭḌiṭṭhā4 Jotirāja Śreṣṭha

Uprānta: "[Firstly,] Biseṭ Ḍiṭṭhā Jotirāja has given a report to our (lit. "this") office (i.e. the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā) stating: 'It appears that there is an order (sanada) in the name of the earlier Biseṭ Ḍiṭṭhā Dasanārā stating: "Appoint Harṣanarsiṃ, jamādāra5 of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, as witness and write the expenses incurred for performing the worship (pūjā) for ghaṭasthāpanā and [the other] Dasaĩ [rituals] of the year [VS] 1943 at the site of the śrīiṣṭadevatā in the Pāñcāyana (text: pācāyaṇa) temple [at] Thāpāthalī—[namely] 30.2.0.2 mohararūpaiyā̃s in cash and 5 [mānās] of husked rice and 4 [mānās] of unhusked rice in kind—as expenses into the account book." If I were assigned the responsibility [by the C-in-C general] I would do the accountancy (āmdānī kharca) according to [what has been done] before, having incurred the expenses in [connection with] ghaṭasthāpanā and Dasaĩ worship for the year [VS 19]44 at this Pāñcāyana—with Cigaḍhī, the inspecting ḍiṭṭhā of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, as witness—according to the appended details (tapasila), [namely] 21.2.0.2 moharrus in cash and 5 [mānās] of husked rice and 4 [mānās] of unhusked rice in kind. Whatever [is your] wish [I shall obey].' [Secondly,] when the year [19]43 was cleared there was a purjī in the name of the previous ḍiṭṭhā, Ḍiṭṭhā6 Dasanārān stating: 'Write the expenses for the Dasaĩ worship of the year [19]43 into the account book, having [the receipts]7 sealed and signed by [the witness and] those involved in the transactions.' In view of [all] this we have determined that a purjī from Your Highness needs to be issued in the name of the said Biseṭ Ḍiṭṭhā Jotirāja Śreṣṭha, stating: 'In accordance with this earlier [practice], record the expenses incurred in [connection with] the ghaṭasthāpanā and Dasaĩ worship for the year [VS 19]44—with Cigaḍhī, the inspecting ḍiṭṭhā of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, as witness—according to the details [below, namely] 21.2.0.2 moharrus in cash and 5 [mānās] of husked rice and 4 [mānās] of unhusked rice in kind [thereby] adhering to the customs stated in the orders and directives (savāla) that have been issued to you. A reimbursement will be made when your accounts are cleared according to the account book and receipts that bear the signatures and seals of the witness and those involved in the transactions.' Whatever [is your] wish [we shall obey]."

[All this] came to our notice when KharidāraMehera Sīṃ [of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā]8 made the [above] petition to us. Therefore, in line with what has been determined [needs to be done,] we too have determined that it is proper, and [hereby] endorse it. Perform the task accordingly.

Details

[table1]

1 cash, in total moharru21 [morus], 2 [sukās], 0 [ānā], 2 [paisās]
2 for the sum [according to] the sohraganḍī [system]: 10 ru[pees], 3 [sukās], 3 [ānās], 1 [paisā]9 [=] in terms of paccīsaganḍīmorus 7 [morus], 2 [paisās]
3 for 1 pāthī of barley 3 [sukās], 2 [paisās] for 3 pairs of coconuts and turbans 3 [sukās]
4 for Gaṇeśa's red cloth 1 [ānā], 1 [paisā] for areca nuts 2 [paisās]
5 for 9 gajas of muslin [for] robes of honour (kilāṭ for khillāta?) for Brahmins' lower (dhotī) and upper garments (uparnā) 2 [morus], 2 [sukās], 2 [ānās], 3 [paisās] for 2 mānās of husked rice and wheat flour (pīṭho) for lines (rekhī) 2 [ānās], 2 [paisās]
6for ½ gaja of white cloth2 [ānās]for the five jewels (pañcaratna)1 [paisā]
7for sarvauṣadhi10 1 [paisā]
8for the set of consisting of mirror, beauty box (baṭṭā), (red) ribbons (dhāgo)11 , necklace (pote) [and] bangles (curā)3 [ānās], 3 [paisās]for twisted incense sticks1 [ānā]
9for 2 pāus of cloth [for the] torana12 2 [ānās]for bdellium incense (gokuladhūpa)2 [ānās]
10for 1 pāu of white [cloth and] 1 pāu of red [cloth]for ghee for lamps1 [moru], 3 [ānās]
11---[for] pañcapallava13 1 [paisā]
12for worship [at] the site where the ghaṭasthāpanā is performed2 [sukās]for wicks for lamps1 [sukā], 3 [paisās]
13for the dismissal (visarjana) worship1 [sukā]for 1 kuruvā of oil1 [moru]
14for the banner (nisānā) worship1 [sukā]for 1 [mānā] of husked rice for akṣatā2 [sukās], 1 [ānā]
15for big water vessel(s) (ghaḍā) and for lamps and for small water vessels (kalaśa)1 moharru, 3 [sukās], 2 [ānās]for 1 earthen jar (gāgro)1 [ānā], 3 [paisās]
16------
17[for blood sacrifice], moharru14 [morus], 2 [sukās]
18for slaying at the sacrificial post (maulo)8 [morus]for 2 goats at the rate of 2 [morus], 2 [sukās]5 [morus]
19for 1 buffalo,14 Rs.5 [morus], 2 [sukās]for 4 ash-gourds (kubhiṇḍo)2 [sukās]
20for 1 goat, Rs.2 [morus], 2 [sukās]for 3 gajas of red cotton cloth (kharuvā) 1 [moru]
21---

[table]

1[expenses] in kind (jinsī)1 [pāthi], 1 [mānā]
2unhusked rice4 [mānās]husked rice 5 [mānās]
3---

Monday, the 3rd of the dark fortnight of Māgha in the [Vikrama] era year 1944 (2 January 1888). Auspiciousness.


Commentary

The document concerns the rituals performed during the autumnal Dasaĩ festival at the Pāñcāyana temple in Thāpāthalī. It is the first in a series of similar documents (see K_0636_0036, K_0640_0019, K_0379_0073, K_0625_0006, K_0614_0029). The place where the worship is to be performed is referred to as "at the site of the śrī iṣṭadevatā of the Thāpāthalī Pāñcāyana" (thāpāthalī pācāyayaṇakā śrī iṣṭadevatākā sthānamā). Once, in K_0636_0036, kuladevatā occurs instead of iṣṭadevatā. The website of the temple informs us that it houses both the Kũvara Rāṇā family's lineage deity (kuladevatā), "Mahākālī residing in India's Vindhyācala range" (bhāratakā vindhyācala nivāsī mahākālī), and their iṣṭadevatā, Bālātripurasundarī, in the form of a yantra (http://www.panchayanranakunwar.org.np/pages/panchayan-parichaye). Apart from these there are other deities at the temple, five of whom are conceived as the pañcāyana group from which the name of the temple derives.15 The Rāṇās' Pāñcāyana temple seems to be in the tradition of the Parbatīya worship of kuladevatās, as a compulsory part of nityapūjā, and to be combined with worshipping the pañcāyana deities (Kropf 2005: 287 n. 12). The temple's homepage notes that the main worship at the temple falls on Caṇḍīpurṇimā, the full moon day of the month Vaiśākha, in every uneven year, when all members (kulabandhu) of the Kũvara Rāṇā family convene for devālīpūjā to worship the kuladevatā and offer blood sacrifices (http://www.panchayanranakunwar.org.np/yspujas/dewali-puja). According to the homepage, after the conquest of the Kathmandu Valley, the family, which traces its ancestry back to Ahirāma Kũvara, first performed this pūjā at the Guhyeśvarī temple at Deopatan, but moved to its present venue after Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā built the temple between VS 1900 and 1911 (1843–1854 CE).16 Nowadays worship at the temple is coordinated by the Śrī Jagananda Prakāśeśvara tathā Pāñcāyaṇa Saṃrakṣaṇa Samiti, founded in VS 2048 (1990 CE). From historical documents it is apparent that earlier, too, the temple was operated in concert with the Jaṅgānandaprakaśeśvara temple founded by Jaṅga Bahādura in VS 1903 (K_0054_0006). It fell under the Jaṅganandaprākāśeśvara Sadābarta Guṭhī, which administered different temples and institutions for ascetics and sadābarta17 at the ghāṭs of the Bāgmatī between Thāpāthalī and Ṭeku as well as at Deopatan.

From the present document it is not clear which office its addressee, Jotirāja Śreṣṭha, belonged to. His title biseṭ ḍiṭṭhā hints at his having been in charge of the temple accounts. As the appointment letter of a person named Siddhimāna (K_0476_0027) and a corresponding dismissal letter to Jotirāja (K_0476_0028) show, Jotirāja had indeed been in charge of managing the Jaṅgānandaprākāśeśvara Guṭhī's expenses. His tenure had ended in the month of Kārttika in VS 1944. The present document shows that some months after his tenure had expired he was still being ordered to make an accounting of expenses incurred during his term of office under the eyes of an officer of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā, which is here cited as the office initiating and coordinating the process of issuing the present purjī.

This purjī—which qualifies as a sanada,18 having been issued by the C-in-C general, the second in the Rāṇā hierarchy and head of the civil administration (Kumar 1967: 97)—merely confirms the correctness and validity of what it reports in the form of nested quotations. The Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā in the person of its secretary (kharidāra), Mehera Sīṃ, had apparently written the text—quoted verbatim before the final endorsement phrases—to the C-in-C general and ended with a plea to issue this endorsement. For one thing, the present document quotes a report by the concerned biseṭ ḍiṭṭhā on what had been done the previous year, VS 1943, and on what had been expended in the current year, VS 1944. The Guṭhī Bandobasta for their part added a reference to a purjī that had been issued the previous year ordering the previous holder of the post to do the accounts. Citing all these earlier documents, the present order from the highest level of power to the addressee, authorizes the latter to account for the expenses in early January 1888, several months after the budgeted money had been spent during the Dasaĩ festival in autumn 1887 and after the termination of his tenure, possibly as part of his final settling of accounts.


Notes

1. This Arabic numeral by a second hand was probably added when documents were either sorted or microfilmed. The count starts with 1 in K_0475_0044 and continues up to 126 in K_0477_0032. The documents in this series were all issued in VS 1944, and most, if not all, concern proceedings of the Jaṅgānandaprākāśeśvara Guṭhī. []

2. This number in the Nagari script added by a second hand seems to represent an earlier count of documents (see previous note). []

3. This marginal note probably represents the signature of the scribe who wrote or copied the document. []

4. It is unclear whether biseṭ ḍiṭṭhā is a single or a double title. Is it a type of ḍiṭṭhā who was assigned the task of a biseṭ, or is it someone who is doing two different tasks? Both biseṭ and ḍiṭṭhā were titles held by persons involved in temple management. Whereas the title biseṭ, which goes back to the Malla period and is a Newari word, seems to be limited to administrating religious institutions, ḍiṭṭhās served in different functions and institutions. Addressing someone by two different titles and not putting and between them would be strange, though. Moreover, different kinds of ḍiṭṭhās are known and distinguished in the Mulukī Ain (§31.11). Thus it is conceivable that biseṭ ḍiṭṭhā is a post specifically related to temple management and accountancy. Jotirāja Śreṣṭha was not the only person who held this title. Both his predecessor mentioned in the present document and his successor Siddhimāna (e.g. in K_0037_0011) were addressed as biseṭ ḍiṭṭhās, too. In other guṭhīs, however, such as the ones serving Matsyendranātha, biseṭs and ḍiṭṭhās were different posts (see note 1 in E_2253_0015B). []

5. Due to unclear writing and photo quality the first akṣara of the word is not clearly recognizable, jmā being the most likely reading. []

6. The doubling of ḍiṭṭhā is likely to be the result of a copying mistake. One would rather expect the reading biseṭ ḍiṭṭhā in its place. The same person is mentioned above as biseṭ ḍiṭṭhā, as also is his successor, the addressee of the present document. []

7. Due to breakage some words are missing between bhayāko and ra hastevari. They must have ended in sāchiko, but what exactly was before that is hard to guess. Here additions to the translation have been made on the basis of the parallel sentence below. []

8. That Mehera Sīṃ was the secretary (kharidāra) of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā is apparent from other documents, including K_0636_0036 (issued three years after the present one). []

9. This number gives the total sum spent on the items listed in the two columns below, where their prices are given in the sohraganḍī coinage system. Only the overall sum has been converted to the paccīsaganḍī system. Thus the final tally of 7.0.0.1 rupees for the worship material added to the 14.2 rupees for the sacrificial animals, yielding the total sum of 21.2.0.1 rupees, seems to be a figure in the paccīsaganḍī system. For the two systems, see Walsh 1908: 693–694. []

10. This item has been slotted in in between two items in the right-hand column of list of pūjā material, apparently by the same scribe. It would add one paisā to the general sum given above of 10.3.3.1 morus and is also absent from later versions of the list (see K_0636_0036 etc.). []

11. In the context of these items, which go to make up the saubhāgyasāmāna, the threads or ribbons would usually be red (Zotter 2018: 127). []

12. Later versions of the list calculate two and a half pāus in this place, but do not provide a further breakdown. []

13. This item is absent from later versions of the list (see K_0636_0036 etc.). []

14. The words rāgā and bokā denote the uncastrated male representatives of their species in the plural. For the sake of brevity, here and in the following, these terms are translated as "buffaloes" and "goats" respectively. []

15. The homepage mentions that images of Gaṇeśa, Bhīmasena, Bhagavatī, Bhairava, Sūrya, Rādhākṛṣṇa, Śiva, Hanumān and Narasiṃha are worshipped at the temple, and that the pañcāyana group comprises Gaṇeśa, Devī, Sūrya, Viṣṇu and Śiva. Probably Narasiṃha is meant to represent Viṣṇu in this group. Further, the temple houses mūrtis of Kāmadeva and Sarasvatī, while the kuladevī is surrounded by the Mothers of the eight directions (aṣṭadiṅmātṛkā). A document dated VS 1905 mentions that images of the deities Gaṇeśa, Kuladevatā, Iṣṭadevatā, Bhagavatī, Jaṅgānandaprakāśeśvara and Jaṅganandabhogeśvara, Jaṅgānandabhakteśvara, Rādhākṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Narasiṃha, Sūrya, Hanumān, Bhairava and Bhīmasena were erected after a ghāṭ was built at the Mṛtyuvañcanatīrtha on the banks of the Bāgmatī (K_0031_0030A). A record of the Jaṅgānandaprakāśeśvara Guṭhī's activities from the year VS 1925 mentions Gaṇeśa, Rādhākṛṣṇa, Sūrya, Narasiṃha, Bhagavatī, Hanumān, Kālikā and Bhairava as being a group (K_0040_0008C). []

16. The temple compound must have been built, or at least the concerned images of deities erected by VS 1905, as a document from that year shows (see previous note and K_0031_0030A). []

17. See this guṭhī's catalogue prepared in VS 1925 (see K_0491_0008, K_0040_0008A to K_0040_0008E). One of these institutions was the Pūrṇeśvarapākaśālā (see K_0614_0041, K_0608_0055, K_0488_0009, K_0488_0012, K_0382_0029, K_0395_0041). []

18. Such documents usually call themselves purjīs. Only occasionally are they referred to as sanadapurjīs (e.g. in K_0640_0019). []