Documenta Nepalica

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

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A copy of a purjī from C-in-C General Bhīma Śamśera instructing the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā to disburse funds to ascetic institutions on the occasion of Baḍā Dasaĩ (VS 1970)

ID: K_0395_0066

Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter
Created: 2022-07-21; Last modified: 2022-10-26
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, 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

Abstract

The purjī from Commander-in-Chief General Bhīma Śamśera of which this is a copy directs officers of the Gūṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā to disburse a customary sum for rituals to be performed during the Baḍā Dasaĩ festival in VS 1970 to Sādhu Nārāṃ Dās and Mahanta Gaṃgā Gīrī of the akhāḍās of Vairāgī and Daśanāmī ascetics, respectively.

Diplomatic edition

[1v]

1श्री\

1श्री३सर्कार
2१

1श्रीजगनन्द•प्रकासेश्वर
2२

1⟪65⟫

1स्वस्तिश्रीमद्राजकुमारकुमारात्मजश्रीकम्याण्डरईनचिफ्‌जनरलसरेसरभिमसम्सेरजङ्गवहा
2दुरराणाकेसिभिओ⟪कस्य⟫¯ ¯१¯तर्फगुठीषर्चषडाकाहाकींकारीन्दाहरुकेपुर्जिउप्रांतवैरागीद
3सनामीअषडालाई६९सालकावडादसैलाईमादेवदेवताकापुजापाठगर्नकेमोहरु१२५|
4वक्सवक्स्येकोहुनालेयो७०सालकावडावडादसैलाईपनिपाउभनिदसनामीअषडाकाम
5हंतगंगागीरीवैरागीअषडाकामहंतकोसत्ताकांगर्ने•साधुनारांदासहरुलेहाम्राहजुर्माविंति
6चढायाकोहुनालेतपसिलकाअषडालाईयो७०सालकावदादसैलाईमोहरु५०व
7क्सवक्स्येकोछतेसअडालाईभयाकाअैनसव़ालकोरीटपुर्‍याई¯ ¯२¯गुठीस्याहामाषर्चले
8षीसोमोहरु५०।पचासरुपैञा•तपसिलकामानिसहरुहस्तेदीनुवहीवुझदानिजहरुकास
9हिछापपरेकास्याहाभर्पाईवमोजींमोजराहोला¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
10तपसील

[table1]

1	वैरागीअषडाकोमहंतकोसट्टाकांगर्नेसाधुनारांदासहस्तेदीनेमोहरुपचिस[?]	२५।
2	दसनामीअषडाकोमहंतगंगागीरीहस्तेदीनेमोहरुपचिसरुपैञा	२५।

11ईतीसम्वत्‌१९७०सालआश्वीं१२गतेरोज७शुभ्म्‌¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
12सकलवमोजिमनकलदुरुस्तछभनिसहिछापगर्ने

[table2]

1	षरीदारभवप्रसादपाध्या	१
2	स्हीलेषन्‌गोपाल्‌उपाध्या	१
3		२

1[Seal with the legend: भवप्रसाद]

Translation

[1r]

Śrī

Śrī 3 Sarkāra – 1

Śrī Jaganandaprakāseśvara – 2

651

Hail! A purjī of the venerable Commander-in-Chief General Sir Bhima Samsera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā, KCVO, a venerable prince born of a prince, to the chief and clerks of the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā under [Śrī 3 Sarkāra]2

Uprānta: The abbot (mahanta) of the Daśanāmī akhāḍā, Gaṃgā Gīrī, [and] the sādhu Nārāṃ Dāsa, who acts on behalf of the mahanta of the Vairāgīakhaḍā, submitted a petition to us stating: "Since for performing worship for deities and recitations during the Baḍā Dasaĩ of the year [VS 19]69 in the Daśanāmī and Vairāgī akhaḍās 125 moha[ra]ru[paiyā]̃s was allocated [by you], may we receive [funding] for the Baḍā Dasai of the current year, [VS 19]70, too". Therefore for the current year, [VS 19]70, 50 moharus have been allocated. Follow the customs in accordance with the law and administrative directives (savāla) of your office: write down the expenses in the account book of the [Śrī Jaganandaprakāseśvara]3 Guṭhī and place these 50 moharus—[in words] fifty rupees—into the hands of the persons [mentioned in the] particulars (tapasila). It will be deducted when accounts are cleared according to the account books and receipts that bear the signatures and seals of the said [persons].

Particulars:

[table1]

	To be handed over to Sādhu Nārāṃ Dāsa, who acts on behalf of the mahanta of the Vairāgīakhaḍā, twenty-five rupees [in] moharu [currency]	25
	To be handed over to the mahanta of the Daśanāmī akhaḍā, Gaṃgā Gīrī, twenty-five rupees [in] moharu [currency]	25

Saturday, the 12th solar day (gate) of Āśvina in the [Vikrama] era year 1970 (1913 CE). Auspiciousness.

Certifying that the copy is true to the original:

[table]

	[Seal]Kharidāra Bhavaprasāda Pādhyā	1
	Signature, Lekhan[adāsa]Gopāl Upādhyā	1
		2

Commentary

For copies of the same order issued in the preceding years, see K_0382_0036 (VS 1968) and K_0384_0065 (VS 1969). The present order diverges from the earlier ones in that it reduces the amount granted to the Vairāgī akhāḍā from 100 to 25 moharus. Even if this change is apparent from the present order, no explanation is given why the funds were reduced so drastically.

Notes

1. This number was added by a later hand using Arabic numerals. It refers to the position of the document in the bundle (pokā) number 9 of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā. For more on this number, see note 1 in the edition of K_0395_0049. [⇑]

2. Inserted from the space numbered 1 above. [⇑]

3. Inserted from the space numbered 2 above. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
akhāḍā	[fr. S. akṣavāṭa-] var. akhaḍā. n. lit. "wrestling ground", military station of ascetics; organised group of fighting ascetics. akhāḍās are found e.g. in the traditions of the Śaiva Daśanāmī, the Vaiṣṇava Vairāgī and the Sikh affiliated Udāsī (Clark 2012).
baḍā dasaĩ	var. baḍā dasai; also mahā dasaĩ; n. festival to worship the goddess Durgā as slayer of the buffalo demon, held over the bright half of the autumn month of Āśvina. Cf. dasaĩ / daśaĩ.
daśanāmī	[S.] n. an order of Śaiva ascetics said to be founded by Śaṅkarācharya.
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; 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 Kharca Aḍḍā	n. office responsible for managing the expenses of the guṭhīs working under the head of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā; two separate Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍās managed the śrī 5 sarkāra guṭhīs and the śrī 3 sarkāra guṭhīs.
KCVO	title of a member of the second class (Knight Commander) of the "Royal Victorian Order", founded in 1896 by Queen Victoria; another class is: GCVO. The title was bestowed on Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā (24 December 1911).
kharadāra / kharidāra	[fr. P.] var. kharīdāra, ṣaridāra; n. secretary, official scribe, office superintendent (cf. Kumar 1967: 166).
lekhanadāsa	[S.] n. person or officer who scribes documents for private or official transactions.
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.
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.
purjī	[fr. P. purja] var. purji, pūrjī; n. 1) slip of paper, note. 2) formal letter written by a government institution or an official to another institution or to a person.
sādhu	[S.] n. lit. "the good one", a holy man, an ascetic.
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 3 sarkāra	lit. "three-times venerable ruler"; title used by the Rāṇā prime ministers (cp. Whelpton 2005: 266).
tapasila	[fr. A.] var. tapasīl, tapasīlā, tapsīl; n. particulars, details; can be a self-sustained document, but is more often appended as a list after the narratio of documents.
uprānta	var. uprāṃta, ūprāṃnta, ūprā̃nta, prāṃta; also yathocita uprānta; conj. after that, besides, in addition to, hereafter. In earlier prose and official documents, this word marked the beginning of a text or paragraph. It has no equivalent in English (Clark 1989: 231). In some (mostly Rāṇā period?) documents, it takes the form of yathocita uprānta.
vairāgī / bairāgī	[S. vairāgin] var. bairagi; a vaiṣṇava ascetic, religious devotee (cf. Turner 1931: s.v. bairagi); specific. a member of the Rāmānandī order