Documenta Nepalica

Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal
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A copy of a rukkā from King Rājendra reconfirming Pratāpanātha as priest of Śrī Ratannātha at Phalabang (VS 1884)

ID: K_0636_0013


Edited and translated by Christof Zotter
Created: 2021-10-22; Last modified: 2022-07-01
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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 CCby-SA.

Abstract

In the rukkā of which the present document is a copy, the king, who according to the date must have been Rājendra, reconfirms Pratāpanātha as pūjārī of Śrī Ratannātha at Phalabang.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1श्री­\

1श्री­रतन्नाथ­

1स्वस्ति­श्रीमन्माहाराजाधिराजकस्य­रुक्का­•¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯
2आग्‍ये­प्रतापनाथ­जोगिके­फलावाङ्‌का­¯ ¯ ¯ का­पुजाहारि­अघीदेखिका­पनि­तिमि­रह्या­
3छौ­•पछि­वीचमा­पर्देसिजोगी­र­अमाली­मीली­वर्ष­प्रती­पजनी­गर्दा­थान­विग्रन­
4उज्रन­गएछ­•आज­•उप्रांत­¯ ¯ ¯ को­विधि­पूर्वक­नीत्य­नैमित्यक­पूजा­गरंज्याल­सम्म­षो
5स्‌­मोस्‌­नगर्नु­भनि­वन्देज­वाँधीवक्स्यौ़­आफ्ना­षातीरज्मासंग­•तेस­थांका­गुठीमा­द
6रिया़का­जगाको­आम्दानी­पैदाव़ार­मुलुकमा­लाग्‍याको­दैदस्तुर­षसोषास­
7ली­¯ ¯ ¯ को­नीत्य­नैमित्तिक­पूजा­चलाई­थानको­मर्मत­गरि­हाम्रो­जये़­मनाई­•सेष­
8रह्याको­भोग्‍ये­गर­•इति­संवत­१८८४­साल­कार्त्तिक­वदि­१३­रोज­५­सुभम­¯ ¯ ¯¯ ¯¯

Translation

[1r]

Śrī

Śrī Ratannātha

Hail. [This is] an executive order (rukkā) of the supreme king of great kings.

Āge: to Pratāpanātha Jogī

You resided as the pūjāhārī of [Śrī Ratannātha]1 of Phalabang (text: Phalābāṅ) also in an earlier time.2 Later, in the interim, foreign yogī(s?) together with amālī(s?) apparently spoiled and ruined the shrine by annually conducting a pajanī. We [hereby] fix the rule (bandeja) stating, "From today on, as long as [you] perform the regular and occasional worship according to the rules of [Śrī Ratannātha],3 [no one] shall seize [this privilege from you]." Take without reserve, conscious of your duty, the revenue [and] crop yield of the land registered under the guṭhī of that shrine [along with] the customary fees (daidastura) that accrue in [your] realm, manage the regular and occasional worship of [Śrī Ratannātha]4 , repair the shrine, celebrate our triumphs, [and] enjoy what remains [after covering the worship expenditures].

Thursday, the 13th of the dark fortnight of Kārttika, in the [Vikrama] era year 1884 (1827 CE).5 Auspiciousness.


Commentary

According to Naraharinātha's edition, the present rukkā was channelled through (mārphata) Prasāda Siṃha Basnyāt, Bhīmasena Thāpā, Dalabhañjana Pā̃ḍe, Bhaktavīra Thāpā and Raṇadhīra [Siṃha Basnyāt] (Naraharinātha VS 2022: 494).6 Pratāpanātha was succeeded in VS 1891 as pūjārī by his disciple (cf. Naraharinātha n.d.: 69) Brahmanātha (K_0013_0048A and K_0636_0012), who later on faced problems similar to ones his guru had with the foreign yogīs (see K_0008_0032A and K_0636_0010).7

Notes

1. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

2. For Pratāpanātha's first appointment as pūjārī of Śrī Ratannātha at Phalabang, see K_0014_0009A. [⇑]

3. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

4. Inserted from the space above. [⇑]

5. The date corresponds to 18 October 1827. Thus the reigning king in whose name the rukkā must have been issued was King Rājendra. [⇑]

6. As letters filtering through at the left margin indicate, the names of the intermediaries were seemingly also written on the verso of the copy edited here. Unfortunately, no image of the backside is available. [⇑]

7. The above phrase regarding the pardesī jogīs occurs also in a document issued on the same day as the present rukkā and appointing Gopīnātha as pūjārī of Ratannātha in Caughera (see Naraharinātha VS 2022: 494), and in later documents regarding Caughera as well (see e.g. ibid.: 501, cf. Bouillier 1997: 158). [⇑]