Documenta Nepalica

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

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An official opinion rendered by the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā in a case involving Dasanārāṃ Kusale, who was relieved of his duties at the Ranipokharī temple (VS 1973)

ID: K_0166_0010

Edited and translated by Ramhari Timalsina in collaboration with Pabitra Bajracharya
Created: ; Last modified: 2023-12-10
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, 2023. 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

This is a considered opinion reached by the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā regarding Dasanārāṃ Kusale’s dismissal from his post at the Ranipokharī temple by its priest. The office suggests that he register a complaint in court against the priest.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1श्री\

[unknown seal]

[unknown signature]

1श्री५सर्कारतर्फगुठीवंदोवस्तअडावाट

1रानीपोषरी∙मापुजागर्नेपुजाहारीलाईर∙भींद्योकुसलेलाईर∙मस्मेत्‌लाईजनै२५।२५रोपनीषेतलाल
2मोहरवमोजींकोजगाषाईआयाकोमा५६साल्मासर्कारवाटसोजगाझीकीवक्सी∙हामीलाईमैन्हाको
3मोरु४काहीसावले६।६मैन्हाकोकीस्ताठेकदारवेषासींसंगलीषाईआयाकोमामेराघरसंगवस्नेजंवे
4लेफटेंलेपोली∙मेराद्वारावाटलालमोहरकोजगाझीकी∙दी∙मैन्हाव़ारीषानुपर्‍य़ोभंनेईवीलेनीजपुजा
5हारीभींद्योचा२जनामीली∙येस्‌लाईजागीरनषोसी∙छोड्‌दीनभनी२जनाकोमतगरीनीजपु
6जाहारीकाछेडीमावस्नेमांकाजीचाकुसलेलाईअघीसारी∙गुठीवंदोवस्तमागैदसनारांकुसलेले
7रानीपोषरीकोदेव़ल्माकाम्‌काजगर्नआयेनभनी∙जाहेरगरी∙मलाईजागीरवाटषारेजगरीदी
8य़ाकोहुनालेवींतीचढाउनआयाकोछु∙मैलेकांगरेनगरेकोदेषनेथाहापाउनेमेराघरदेषीरानीपोष
9री∙संमकापसलेहरुषदैछवीनाकसुरमामेरोजागीरजानुपर्नेहोईन∙भंनेदसनारांकुसलेकोवीं
10तीपत्रमायेस्माअैंसव़ालवमोजींगर्नु∙भंनेहुकुंमोतावीक्‌कोप्रमांगीभैआयाकोहुनालेवुझदा
11दसमीनारां१६दींगैरषालीभनीपुजाहारीलेफारीदीयाकोअरुमानीस्‌वुझदाजाचदास्मेत्‌दसमी
12नारां१६दींगैरषालीभैसोकाम्‌भानुराममांकाजीकुसलेलेगरीआयाकोरहेछभंनेस्मेत्‌गुठीजाचकोलेषौ
13[?]वमोजींनीजदसमीनारांकाठाउमाभानुरामकुसलेलाईश्रीकम्यांडरईनचीफसाहेवकाह
14जुर्मादर्सनगरी∙भर्नास्मेत्‌भैसकेकोर∙⟪[?]माथीपनि∙अैंनसव़ालवमोजिंगर्नुभंने∙ सम्मभये़काले⟫∙पुजाहारीलेवेही[?]गरेकोभयावेहीसावगर्नेकानाउमा
15अदालत्‌मानालेस्‌गर्नुपर्ने∙हुनालेपुजाहारीस्मेतलेअंन्यायगरेकाभया⟪जोजसलेअन्यायगरेकोछ⟫सोअन्यायगर्नेकानाउ
16माअैंन्‌वमोजींको[?]नामाउजूरगर्नु⟪रीतपुर्‍याई∙अदालत्‌मानालेसदीनु⟫भनी∙सुनाईयोवींतीपत्रवाटकेहीकारव़ाईगर्नुनपरे
17कोहुनालेअडैवाटफैसलागरीदीञ्यूं¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
18[?]सुवाभगवत्‌लाल्‌¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯१
19रेव़ंतमान्सीं¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯१
20ईतीसम्वत्‌१९७३सालश्राव़ण⟪भाद्र⟫गते१०रोज६शुभम्‌
21[?]फैसलावाचीसुनाउदासुन्योभनीस्हीछापगर्नेमासंगल्लवस्नेदस्मीरांकुस्ले

Translation

[1r]

Śrī

[Unknown seal]

[Unknown signature]

From the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā of Śrī 5 Sarkāra

“The priest who worships [in the temple located] at Rānīpokharī, Bhīṃdyo Kusale and I each have been enjoying 25 ropanīs of irrigated land [as an emolument] allocated in a lālamohara. However, in the year [VS 19]56 the government took the land from us and we started to get 4 morus as our monthly salary in instalments every 6 months from the contractor Bekhā Siṃ. The priest and Bhīṃdyocā both out of spite thought that Lieutenant Jaṃbe, a person who lives near my house, was provoked by me into making a complaint [to the government], and because of that the land allocated by the lālamohara was withdrawn and we are now compelled to accept the monthly salary. They both jointly planned to dismiss me from my job and to advance Māṃkājīcā Kusale, who lives on the ground floor of the priest's house, [in my place]. They went to the Guṭhī Bandobasta [Aḍḍā] and proclaimed that [I], Daśanārāṃ Kusale, had not been coming to the Ranipokhari temple to work, and [so] they dismissed me from my post. I have therefore come to submit a petition. There are shopkeepers [with shops on the street which goes] from my home to the temple who have seen [me every day going there] and who know whether I was doing my work or not. My post should not be taken from me when I am not at fault.”

Regarding Daśanārāṃ Kusale’s above petition, which came to [our office] with an order (pramāṅgī) following a directive [from the Prime Minister?] to proceed in accordance with the law code and regulations (ain-savāla), we made an investigation. It has been disclosed that the priest dismissed Daśanārāṃ [from his post] on the claim that he was absent for 16 days. When we inquired with other people, it turns out that when Daśanārāṃ was absent for 16 days Bhānurāma Kusale was doing the job [for him]. A written document from the Guṭhī Jā̃ca [Aḍḍā] shows that after Bhānurāma Kusale got a chance to meet [our] venerable Commander-in-Chief, he was appointed to the [vacant] position of the said Daśanārāṃ. [It has been ordered that] the aforementioned Bhānurāma Kusale also needs to act in accordance with the law code and regulations. We have informed [Daśanārāṃ Kusale] that if the priest acted unjustly, a complaint needs to be registered in court against the person who acted unjustly—that even if a priest has acted unlawfully, a complaint needs to be registered in court against whoever acted unlawfully, stating who did what wrong [and] following the procedures in the law code and regulations. Regarding the petition, no action needs to be taken—thus the decision we would make from the [Guṭhī Bandobasta] Aḍḍā.

Subā Bhagavat Lāl

Revaṃtamān Sīṃ

Friday, the 10th day (gate) of Bhādra in the [Vikrama] era year 1973 (1916 CE). Auspiciousness.

Daśanārāṃ Kusale, a resident of Māsaṃ Gallī, who signed [the document], confirmed that he has listened to it when it was imparted to him.

Commentary

The temple referred to in this document is located at the centre of the Rānīpokharī pond in Kathmandu. There are many documents in the NAK (K_0135_0026, K_0166_0010, K_0200_0069, K_0201_0025 etc.) which relate to the Gaurīśaṅkara temple located at Ranipokhari and its guṭhī. On the basis of these documents it can be surmised that the temple mentioned in this document is this same Gaurīśaṅkara temple which, nowadays, is known as Bālagopāleśvara or Yamaleśvara. Historical accounts (Tevārī VS 2040: 24) say that King Pratāpa Malla created the pond and temple in Nepal Sambat 790 (1670 CE).

Notes

Glossary

Word	Notes
ain	var. āin, aina; n. 1) laws, statutes, rules, regulations enacted by authority 2) law-code of Nepal, first promulgated in 1854 during the rule of Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā and amended several times before it was completely revised in VS 2022. The revised law-code was renamed as Mulukī Ain.
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).
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).
Guṭhī Jā̃ca Aḍḍā	n. an institution serving an oversight function within the state’s supervision of local guṭhī management, for example in matters relating to tender arrangements.
lālamohara	var. lālmohara, lālamohar, lālmohora; abbreviated mohara; n. royal document bearing the red seal.
mohararupaiyā̃	var. mohararupaiyām, mohararūpaiyā, moharaṭaṃkā (New.); often abbreviated as moru, morū, moharu, moharū, moharru, mohorru; n. monetary unit based on and equivalent to two eight-anna silver coins (moharas); in calculations usually broken down into four sukās, 16 ānās or 64 paisās (cf. Pant and Pierce 1989: 93) or 256 dāmas; the exchange ratio with paisās was calculated differently at different times and in different parts of the kingdom, depending on the relative values of silver and copper, ranging between 52 and 80 paisās (Regmi 1982: 73). In documents sums are represented in four numerical fractions, with the rupaiyā represented by numbers; the sukās by one to three daṇḍas or the avagraha sign representing zero; the ānās by one to three diagonal dashes, sometimes as a loop with two or three jags; the paisās again by daṇḍas or numbers; the dāmas by numbers or horizontal dashes.
pramāṅgī	[fr. P. farmān?] var. pramānagī, pramāṃnagī; n. permission, order; specifically an order or authorization letter from the king or a high-ranking government official such as the prime minister that have to be in written form and approved, often issued when existing legal norms are to be overruled.
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).
savāla	n. 1) an enquiry. 2) a set of directives issued especially for the administrative purposes. Contrary to a sanada which is applicable to general public, a savāla refers to rules within a particular organization or an administrative unit (see Siṃha 1981 sv svāla. 3) rules and regulations enacted based on an existing law; administrative regulations (Adhikari 1984: 356; Karmacharya 2001: 328).
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.
śrī 5 sarkāra	lit. "five-times venerable ruler"; commonly used to refer to the Śāha king (cp. Whelpton 2005: 266) and often indistinctively to his government (Lecomte-Tilouine 2015).

Bibliography

Tevārī, Rāmajī. VS 2040. "Nhuḥpukhu vā rānīpokharī." Pūrṇimā (56): 22-25.