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A copy of a royal order appointing three former biṣeṭs as diṭṭhās in the service of Matsyendranātha (VS 1862)

ID: K_0341_0018

Edited and translated by Manik Bajracarya and Rajendra Shakya
Created: 2020-11-02; Last modified: 2023-03-30
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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, 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

The royal order of which this is a copy reappoints three biseṭs of Patan to manage the affairs of Buṅgadyo, Matsyendranātha.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

[?]नं¯¯¯¯

1आगेश्रीमछीन्द्रनाथकोथीतीचाजोपाजो∙आलमालकोसहीय़ारनय़ा
2विसेट्‌पर्दाहुन्दोहुदोरहेनछतसर्थपुरापर्ववंसदेषीकोपुरानोविसेट्‌
3इषालषुकेरतनवुढाइषालषुकोसिवनर्सिंतौझ्यालकोभाजुनर्सिंटूसुलाईडीठ्ठा
4राषीईतिनजनालाईश्रीमछीन्द्रनाथकोटहलषजानाकोसहीआरघरषेतवनव़ा
5रीगाऊगुवादामकोपंजनीचिताईबक्स्यौंअनाजलहनागहनाधनमालोभ
6लालचनगर्नुलोभलालचगर्‍यादवाईछपाईषायाश्रीमछींद्रकोकुदृष्टी
7होलापरापुर्वदेषीकोषानगीतिनैजनाकोज्माचामलमुरीबाह्र१२धान
8मुरी२५गहुमुरीबाह्र१२कचावीसेट्‌जना१२टहलमारूजुराषीपरापु
9र्वकोषानगीचामलमुरीचौवीस२४धानमुरीपचीस२५गहुमुरीबाह्र१२
10दीनुटहलमारूजुरहीन्यालाईराषनुवेरुजुवीराऊन्यालाईपरसार्नुदेवताको
11षेतमाभारादारअमालीदाररकमीलेतकरारटंटानगर्नुथिचोमीचोगरी
12षेतनकमाऊनुवालीनषानुषलगर्‍याहाम्राहजुर्माविंतीगर्नुदेवताकोवीधी
13पुजापरापुर्वदेषीभैआयाकोचलाऊनुअर्घ्यालोरह्याकोषजानादाषील
14गर्नुदेवताकोषजानामाहीनावीनागर्‍यालोभानीपापानीगर्‍याजिऊ
15धनसर्वस्वहोलासुलीहालौलासोबुझीधर्मराषीदेवताकोटहलचलाईहा
16म्रोजैमनाईआफ्नाआफ्नासन्तानस्यभोग्यगरय़ोथीतीजोनाघलापंच
17महापातकलागलाईतिसम्वत्‌१८६२सालमितीभाद्रसुदी७रोज७शुभम्‌१

[Seal of Jaisīkoṭhā]

[Unknown seal]

Translation

[1r]

Āge: It turns out that new[ly appointed] biseṭs have failed to make customary arrangements for the glorious Matsyendranātha (text: Machīndranātha) and to take proper care of his property. For this reason, we have [re]appointed the earlier biseṭs—[namely] Ratana Buḍhā of Ikhālakhu (text: Īṣālaṣu), Śiva Narasiṃ of Iṣālaṣu 1 [and] Bhāju Narasiṃ Ṭūsu of Taujhyāla—who inherited [the responsibility] from the past, as ḍiṭṭhās. We have decided to appoint (pajanī) these three persons to serve the glorious Matsyendranātha and to take care of the [deity's] treasury, houses, plots, forests, gardens, villages and guvādāma2 .

Do not be greedy for the grains, money (lahanā), ornaments and valuables [belonging to the deity]. If you become greedy or misappropriate [such property], the evil eye of glorious Matsyendra (text: Machīṃdra) will befall you.

Remuneration (khānagī) for the three [ḍiṭṭhās], as in the past, includes a total of 12 ([in words,] twelve) murīs of [husked] rice, 25 (twenty-five) murīs of unhusked rice and 12 (twelve) murīs of wheat. Have 12 kacā biseṭs3 be present in the service [of Matsyendranātha]. As in the past, provide them with 24 (twenty-four) murīs of rice, 25 (twenty-five) murīs of unhusked rice and 12 (twelve) murīs of wheat as their remuneration. Keep [only] those who are regularly present in the service. Dismiss those who remain absent or make mistakes. Bhāradāras, amālidāras [or] rakamīs must not engage in obstructive activities [or] in disputes over the land belonging to the deity. Neither encroach upon [such] land nor cultivate it and enjoy its harvests. Inform us in cases of misappropriation. Carry out [all] the customs and rituals of the deity, following what has been performed traditionally. Deposit unused valuables [in the treasury]. Misappropriation of the deity's treasury or greedy or sinful acts [towards the deity] may result in capital punishment or confiscation of property. We will hang [such a person]. Having understood this, keep to the dharma, serve the deity, celebrate our triumphs and enjoy [the fruits] together with your own families. Whoever disobeys this rule will come under the five grave sins (pañcamahāpātaka).

Saturday, the 7th of the bright fortnight of Bhādra in the [Vikrama] era year 1862 (1805 CE). Auspiciousness.

[Seal of Jaisīkoṭhā]4

[Unknown seal; only the letters "śrī medinī" are legible.]

Commentary

This copy of a lālamohara officializes the [re]appointment of three biseṭs in the service of Matsyendranātha. The usual eulogy (praśasti), and hence the name of the king, is missing. From the date, however, the issuing king can be confirmed as Gīrvāṇayuddha Vikrama Śāha (r. 1799-1816). The names of the addressees, usually followed by the beginning marker āge, are missing as well. The editors assume that the document is addressed to the three biseṭs.

During the Malla period, the biseṭs of Matsyendranātha were the court officials entrusted with the management of guṭhī lands belonging to the deity. Additionally, they were responsible for organizing the deity's festival and ensuring that all tasks were completed on time. The biseṭs also had the responsibility of supervising crowd control throughout the festival, and two of them would wave yak tail fans in front of the deity during the chariot procession (Locke 1980: 267). Their duties are outlined in an inscription installed by King Śrīnivāsa Malla in NS 793 (1673 CE) (for details, see NHDP_0001_0138). The biseṭs continued to serve in their roles until the Śāha kings relieved them of their duties and replaced them with state officials.

The document identifies the aforementioned three persons as belonging to the clans who traditionally held the post of biseṭs, and that they had to be reappointed after some newly hired biseṭs failed to fulfil their duties. Interestingly, the reappointed persons were given the post of diṭṭhā, one generally held by civil servants. It is not yet known when the functions assumed by traditional biseṭs were taken over by diṭṭhās. Other documents, RRC_0005_0159 5 issued in 1806 and DNA_0014_0106 issued in 1839, also appoint diṭṭhās to do the tasks traditionally carried out by biseṭs.

The current document also instructs that 12 subordinate biseṭs be appointed without specifying their tasks. Remunerations for the three diṭṭhās and their subordinates are specified in terms of rice and wheat.

Another copy of this document can be found in the Regmi Research Collection vol. 6, pp. 394-6. For Regmi's translation of it, see Regmi 1972: 80.

Notes

1. First two letters of this place name are unclear in the original. [⇑]

2. This term is probably a misspelling of godāma, meaning a storehouse. [⇑]

3. Kacā biseṭ probably was a person assigned to assist a biseṭ in a subordinate role. The Newari term kacā means a branch or a supplementary position. [⇑]

4. The seal at the bottom of the text contains a legend that appears to read ‘Śrī Jaisīkoṭhā’ in the first two lines. The third line has four digits of which the second one is illegible. [⇑]

5. On this document, see also See also Locke 1980: 267 and Regmi 1974: 129. [⇑]

Glossary

Word	Notes
āge	[fr. S. agre] adv. lit. "henceforeward" (Riccardi 1976: 150 n. 6), especially used in administrative and legal documents to mark the beginning of a text or paragraph. In its function it is similar to uprānta.
amālidāra	var. amālīdāra; see amāli (Pant and Pierce 1989: 93).
bhāradāra / bhārādāra	n. lit. "burden bearer"; a generic term for high-level functionaries (M.R. Pant 2002: 131); courtiers (cf. Adhikari 1984: 346; cf.: Kumar 1967: 164 ; Krauskopff and Meyer 2000: 183 ; M.C. Regmi 1978: 854 ; M.C. Regmi 1999: 136; M.C. Regmi 2002: 297; M.C. Regmi 1978: 225; Whelpton 2005: 25). According to Michael 2012: 130 the term denotes "top ranking posts such as chautariya, kaji, sardar, khardar, karpardar and khanjanchi". See also bhāibhārādāra.
biseṭa	var. biseṭ, viseṭ, viseṭa, besata; n. 1) a temple steward (cf. M.C. Regmi 1978: 855) or a person responsible for administering a religious institution. 2) an official responsible for accountancy of temple trusts, as e.g. of the Paśupatinātha Bhaṇḍāra (Michaels 1994: 158-161). Michaels renders the term as "viśeṣ" and relates the different spellings attested to Skt. viśeṣa (ibd.: 160 n. 138). As the earliest reference quoted goes back to the Malla period (NS 794) and renders the term as beseta (G. Vajrācārya 1966: 23) it seems more likely that the term comes from Newari and is a variant of New. besata/byaṣṭa, "messenger" (cp. Malla et al. 2000: s.v.).
ḍiṭṭhā	var. ḍīṭṭhā, ḍiṭhā; a civil servant ranking above a mukhiyā and lower than a subbā (cf. Stiller 1981: 379). According to Edwards 1975: 107, ḍiṭṭhās originally had been the judges who presided over the courts in Kathmandu but later could serve in a number of other offices (such as the kausī, the hāttīsāra or the sadara daphtarakhānā; see also Kumar 1967: 165; M.C. Regmi 1978: 226). The Mulukī Ain distinguishes three categories of the ḍiṭṭhās; the jaṅgī kote ḍiṭṭhā (probably, combatant personnel), the lājimā ḍiṭṭhā and the ḍiṭṭhā in charge of Elephant or horse stable or cowshed (MA-54.31.11).
jaisīkoṭhā	n. an office usually considered to be a branch of the office treating with foreign affairs (Munsīkhānā) dealing with the foreign correspondencies to Tibet (see e.g. Kumar 1967: 166; Parājulī et al. 1995: s.v.). Adhikari, however, argues that the terms Munsīkhānā and Jaisīkoṭhā were used simultaneously to denote the same office (Adhikari 1984: 83-84). He assumes that the former refered to a location within Basantapur Palace while the latter denoted the office operated from there. That the Jaisīkoṭhā did not exclusively handle paper work related to the north is also evinced in a book of copies of 303 lālamoharas documented from K_0028_0032 (front cover and index) up to K_0031_0014B. These royal orders concern affairs of different guṭhīs both within the Kathmandu Valley and outside.
khānagī / khānkī / khāngī	n. 1) salary, wages, or an annual emolument. 2) emoluments of government employees and functionaries, generally in the form of land assignments (M.C. Regmi 1978: 227; cf. M.C. Regmi 1978: 860; Adhikari 1984: 351). 3) rents accruing from the lands assigned to jāgiradāras (cf. M.C. Regmi 1965: 18-19).
lālamohara	var. lālmohara, lālamohar, lālmohora; abbreviated mohara; n. royal document bearing the red seal.
muri / murī	n. 1) also khetamuri; unit of land measurement in the hill region, comprising 1/4 ropanī with 100 muris in 1 kheta. The area varied according to the grade: 1190 sq. ft. for lands of the best grade, and 1339 sq. ft., 1487 sq. ft., and 1785 sq. ft. for lands of inferior grades. 2) volumetric unit comprising 20 pāthis (with 8 mānas to a pāthi), equivalent to 90.919 (M.R. Pant 2002: 134 ) or 87.23 (Pant and Pierce 1989: 93) liters. (M.C. Regmi 1978: 163; M.C. Regmi 1999: 235 ; M.C. Regmi 1978a: 228 ; M.C. Regmi 1978b: 862 ; Adhikari 1984: 354; M.C. Regmi 1988: 269).
pajanī	n. annual reassignment of offices and contracts, such as by a king.
pañcamahāpātaka	[S.] n. five grave sins or offenses causing loss of caste, enumerated as: killing a Brahmin, drinking intoxicating liquor, theft, committing adultery with the wife of one's teacher or elder, and associating with anyone guilty of these crimes (Manusmṛti 11.257) (Olivelle 2015: 315).
praśasti	[S.] n. poetic eulogy, often functions as intitulatio in documents.
rakamī	adj./n. a holder of rakama land.

Bibliography

Locke, John K. 1980. Karunamaya. The Cult of Avalokitesvara Matsyendranath in the Valley of Nepal. Kathmandu. Kathmandu: Sahayogi Prakashan/Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University.
Regmi, Mahesh C. 1974. "Guthi Administration." Regmi Research Series 6 (7): 128–133.
Regmi, Mahesh C.. 1972. "Arrangements for Management of Machchhindranath Temple." Regmi Research Series 4 (4): 80.