A letter from Dhīra Śamśera renewing the annual lokābhāra contract for contractors from Chāvā Gāũ (VS 1924)
ID: L_0923_0004
Edited and
translated by Rajendra Shakya
in collaboration with
Yogesh Budathoki and Nadine Plachta
Created: 2018-08-13;
Last modified: 2020-01-22
For the metadata of the document, click here
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 letter from Dhīra Śamśera formalizes the renewal of annual lokābhāra contract in the name of contractors from Chāvā Gāũ of Ruī Bhoṭ, and strictly orders them not to sell such local products like wax and musk elsewhere, but to send them to government treasury as part of the lokābhāra payment.Diplomatic edition
[1r]
[Seal of Dhīra Śamśera][Unknown seal][Unknown seal]1स्वस्तिश्रीमद्राजकुमारकुमारात्मजपुर्वतर्फकाकम्यांडिङ्जनरलश्रीधीरसम्सेरजङ्ग2[?]णाकस्यपत्रम्¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
3आगेहाम्राजनरलीषान्गीमादरियाकोअठारसैषोलामध्येरुइभोट्छाव़ागाउ
4कामुषियासितानुरवुतांदुलघ्यापोरैतिगैह्रकेनिजछाव़ागाउ१को१९२५
5सालमितिआसुनसुदि१रोजदेषीसालवसालआफ्नाआफ्नागाउघरमादरिया
6कोव़ाजविसेर्मास्याफलसिर्तिदरिचलिआयाकोरकमकलमडड्कुंण्डमर्योअपुता[?][...]
7इअमालीलेषान्यारकमकलममारीमेतिसिवाये¯ ¯१¯अंककल्यानधनधर्माधिकारपंचषत
8रहतावहतावाहेक्व़ाजविसाविक्ज्मावेमौजरैमोहररुपैया२४७मध्येहामिलेतेसगाउलाइसि
9किस्तिमिन्हावक्स्याकोमोहररुपैया२५कटागरिवाकीमोहर्रुपैया२२२वर्ष१कोदाषिलगर्नुतिमी
10हरुलेआफ्नागाउघरमामुषियामुषियाकाझगडापर्योभन्यारअरुठुलाज्यूजमिनकाकुरापरिआया
11मामुषियाहरुकानाउमाफिर्यादपर्यामाहेरचाहगर्नालाइद्वार्यावक्स्याहाम्रापटावेदर्ताभयाकारकम
12कलमस्मेतअसुलतहसिलगर्ननभनीतिमिहरुलेविन्तिगर्यामाफिकद्वार्यापठाइवक्सौलासोवमोजिम
13परिआयाकाकाममातिमिहरुस्मेतसवैसामेलभैमद्दतदिनुफर्मायेसीजिन्सीमालहेरुचाहियामा
14लेषिगयामुताविक्गाउकादरभाउलेदिनुभंन्यागरीलोकाभारगरीवक्स्याकोछगाउघरवसीरस्ती
15चलाइवस्तिवसाइअवादगुलजारगरीरैतीराजिराषिजाञीगर्नुविजाइविदुत्नगर्नुअंन्यायगरि
16रकमकलमवढाइदुषनदिनुडड्कुंड्गर्दामुषियागाउघरसवैवसिषतमाषतअनुसार
17अैनवमोजिम्गर्नुअंन्यायमारकमकलमवढाइदुषदि[?]भनीकोहिरैतिकराउनआयो
18भन्याजसलेअंन्यायगर्याकोठहर्लाउसलाइअैनवमोजिम्येतावाटगयाकाद्वार्यालेसजायगर्ला
19आफुआफुलेठेककवोलिलियाकोदामकाममुषियारैयत्लेषसोषासउठाइमुषियामा
20र्फततपसिलवमोजिमकाकिस्ताकिस्तामाहाम्रातहविलमावुझाइरसिदलिनुसालतमामभया[...]
21छिरसिदकव़जल्याइव़ासिलवाकिवुझाइफारषतीलिजानुकिस्तामारुपैयानवुझाइफारक
22लिनसकेनौभन्याकिस्ताषिलापिसुतस्मेतवुझाउनुपर्लाषतअनुसारआम्दानीगर्याकोज्माराषी
23ज्मालेभर्नादिदानपुग्न्याभयामामुषियारैतानसवैलेदामासाहिकाहिसावलेउठाइसालवसाल
24कवुलवमोजिमचुक्तिगरीवुझाउनुहामिवाटजिन्सीमालफर्मायसिभैआयाकोमालचलानगर्दा
25अघिचलिआयाकाअडावाटचलाइदिनुसोहामिसंगदाषिलभयाकाजिन्सीमालकामोलमोज
26रापाउलाआफ्नाआफ्नागाउमाभयाकामैनकस्तुरिअनेत्रनवेचनुजोभयाकोञाहादाषिल
27गरीमिन्हालिनुञाहादाषिलनगरीअनेत्रवेच्याकोठहर्योभन्यातिमिहरुलेअैनवमोजिम्
28ववुझाउनुपर्लाभनीलोकाभारकोपट्टागरीवक्स्यौआफ्नाषातिरज्मासंगलोकाभारजानीवस्न्या
29कामगर¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
30किस्तावन्दीतपसिल
[table1]
| 1 | मुहुदाकिस्ता | x |
| 2 | चुक्तीकिस्तामाघमैन्हामा | २२२ |
33इतिसम्वत१९२४सालमितिचैत्रसुदि३रोज५शुभ्म्¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯
Translation
[1r]
[Seal of Dhīra Śamśera]
Hail! A letter from Commanding General of the Eastern Front Venerable Dhīra Śamśera Jaṅga Rāṇā, a prince born of a prince
Āge: To the mukhiyāSitā Nurbu Tāṃdula Ghyāpo1 and the ryots and so forth of Chāvā Gāũ of Ruibhoṭa within the Aṭhāra Saya Kholā region, which [village] has been registered as khānagī of [my] generalship.
We have formalized a lokābhāra [lease contract] under the following terms:
“Except for rāja-aṅka2 , kalyānadhana, dharmādhikāra, pañcakhata and arrearages (rahatā bahatā)3 , [all other liabilities]—the scheduled (vājabī) sermā, syāphala4 and sirto [revenue], [and also] registered customary taxes and levies, and daṇḍakuṇḍa, maryo aputālī and cākacakui, along with rakamakalama enjoyed by amāli, [all of which] have been imposed on each individual locality of Chāvā Gāũ on a yearly basis—shall [now] receive a complete exemption from the first of the bright fortnight of Āśvina in the [Vikrama] era year 1925 (1868 CE) [onwards]. You shall [therefore] submit a sum of 222 mohararupaiyā̃s, which is the remainder of [the regular contractual amount of] 247 mohararupaiyā̃s that has received a deduction of 25 mohararupaiyā̃s exempted by us as sikistī mināhā5 for that village for [a period of] one year.
"We shall send a dvāre in accordance with your request, since you made supplication to us with the following details:
“If you send a dvāre [to our seat of authority,] he can adjudicate (lit. take care of) disputes between or among mukhiyās that arise in our villages and households, and [also] cases concerning other serious issues regarding life and land, along with cases involving lawsuits against mukhiyās, not to mention collecting and receiving amounts due that are not included (lit. registered) in our paṭṭā.”
"Accordingly, all of you shall participate in and assist any work that needs to be carried out. When [there are orders] in writing for certain items, make the purchase at the current rate in the village and dispatch (lit. give) them.
"Inhabit the [surrounding] countryside and keep the ryots well disposed by overseeing affairs, founding settlements and making crops flourish (ābāda guljāra garī). Do not cause injury and oppression. Do not cause suffering by imposing excess levies. Sit together, [you] the mukhiyā and all [the people] from individual localities, and rule on fines and penalties in accordance with the (Ain), depending upon the crime committed. If any ryot comes to complain that [they] have suffered due to imposition of excess levies, then the dvāre who has gone [to your village] from here (i.e. the capital) shall punish, in accordance with the Ain, anyone who is proven to have caused injustice.
"The mukhiyās and ryots must scrupulously collect [revenue] that each one of you has promised to submit in accordance with the lease contract; as mentioned in the details [below], each village’s instalment is to be submitted by the mukhiyās to our treasury, and a receipt [for it] obtained. Once the [fiscal] year ends, bring [all] the receipts and kabacas, submit the ledger (vāsila bā̃kī) and leave [only] after obtaining a phārakhatī. If [any of you] is unable to obtain a phārakha[tī] due to the non-submission of an instalment, you will have to pay interest on the installment as well.
"If, when [the contractual amount] is submitted, the combined revenue from fines imposed [on offenders] according to the faults [they] have committed represents a shortfall [in the total amount agreed to be paid in the contract], then everyone, the mukhiyā [and] ryots, must contribute proportionally [to make up for the shortfall] and pay [the amount due] according to the annual contract.
"When dispatching items required by us, do so from the government office (aḍḍā) that was previously used. The price of the items deposited into our [treasury] shall be deducted [from the contractual amount due]. Do not sell elsewhere the wax and musk available in your village. Deposit all available [wax and musk] here [into our treasury] and get the reduction. If they are proven to have been sold elsewhere instead of being delivered to our treasury, then you [all] shall have to pay in accordance with the Ain.”
[Tend the land] with content, considering [it] as lokābhāra [lease contract].
Tapasila of the installments
[table]
| Muhuḍā6 installment | X | |
| Clearance installment in the month of Māgha | 222 mohararupaiyā̃s |
Thursday, the 3rd of the bright fortnight of Caitra in the [Vikrama] era year 1924 (1868 CE). Auspiciousness.
Commentary
This document officializes the renewal of an annual lokābhāra contract so as to take effect immediately, and for certain exemptions to kick in from the first of the bright fortnight of Āśvina in the [Vikrama] era year 1925 (1868 CE), six months after it was issued. The contract probably took effect immediately, since then the village would have one year to raise the needed revenue. The topmost part of this document appears to be missing, as the main text of the document has a blank space referring to a name mentioned at the top below what would normally have been the invocation, but the name is not seen in the document. It probably got left out during the microfilming of the document.
Dhīra Śamśera (ca. 1828-1884), the youngest of the seven brothers of Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā, was very influential among all the brothers and was a staunch supporter of the prime minister throughout his life. He matched Jaṅga Bahādura in energy and fearlessness, though he lacked his brother’s vision. He was in the group that accompanied Jaṅga Bahādura to Europe in 1850. There he made a most favorable impression on his British hosts, who described him as thoroughly English in manner and disposition. He must therefore have been a man of considerable personal charm and tact, but under his ever jovial exterior he was, in fact, anti-British to the core (Sever 2014: 78).
Dhīra Śamśera is also known for his 17 sons, who conspired against and assassinated Prime Minister Raṇa Uddīpa Siṃha (Rāṇā) and restricted the Roll of Succession to themselves. After the assassination, five of Dhīra Śamśera’s sons and two of his grandsons became prime ministers before the Rāṇā regime fell in 1951.