A bintīpatra re the health of royals and the arrest of money counterfeiters in Banepā (VS 1914)
ID: DNA_0002_0029
Edited and
translated by Rajan Khatiwoda
in collaboration with
Manik Bajracharya, Simon Cubelic and Axel Michaels
Created: 2014-12-14;
Last modified: 2021-08-11
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 bintīpatra written from Kathmandu reports on the health of the royal family and the arrest, by Ḍiṭṭhā Khaḍānanda Pādhyā, of persons accused of minting fake coins in Banepā.
Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1श्रीः⟪1नं१४६⟫1श्री५सर्कार2१1श्री५साहिलावडामहारानी
2२श्री1पुतलीरानीभाउज्यू
2३1विंतिपत्रः ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
2उप्रांत•दर्वारमा¯ ¯१¯ ¯ ¯हरूसवैका•गाथमा•आरामछ• ¯ ¯ ¯२¯ ¯
3का•गाथमा•जरोविशेषहुँदैआयाकोछ•थापाथली ¯ ¯ ¯३¯ ¯लाई
4थोरोजरोछ•अरुर•हामिभाईहरूका•घरमासवैलाई•आराम्
5छ•हिजोवसंतपंचमीकादिन•आधादिनउप्रांतदेषिरातिसम्म•
6अलिअलिपानिपर्यो•स्युपुरीचंदागिरिमा•थोरोहिउपनिपर्यो
7सहरमा•पनीथोरो•असिनाहिउसमेत्पर्यो•वनेपामा•मोहरका
8टक्मार्न्यामानिसहरू•डिठाषडानन्दपाध्या•माघ्यासंक्रांतिमापू
9जागर्नघरगयामा•तेहिवाटोआई•वनेपामा•१।२दिनमुकामग
10रि•त्योकुराकोनिस्तुकगरिआउनुभनिपठायामा२कामिप
11क्री•ञाहाषवरपठाउदा•कपतान्सन्मान्सींषत्रीलाइ•समेत्
12पठाई•वाहाकेरकारगर्दा•येसमुद्दामा•कामिर•नेवारगैह्रज
13ना१७पक्रीनेलहालील्याईपुर्याया•इ•कामिहरूसँगसो
14द्धायोकामगर्याको१५।१६वर्षभयोभंन्या•विंतिगर्या•अ
15वकेरकार्गर्दा•जोठहर्ला•विस्तारविंतिचह्रापठाउला•कि
16मधिकंविज्ञचरणेषुइतिसंवत्१९१४सालमितिमाघशु
17दि६रोज५मुकामकांतिपुरशुभम्¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Translation
[1r]
Śrī 5 Sarkāra1 – 1
The Fivefold Venerable Second Eldest Baḍāmahārānī2 – 2
[My] sister-in-Law Putalī Rānī3 – 3
Uprānta: at the palace, the health (gātha, lit. "body") of [Śrī 5 Sarkāra]4 and all others is fine. The health of the [Fivefold Venerable Second Eldest Queen]5 has been affected by fever. [My sister-in-law, Venerable Putalī Rānī]6 at Thāpāthalī has a slight fever. In the houses of others including us [your] younger brothers, everyone is fine. Yesterday, on the day of Vasantapañcamī, there was a bit of rain from midday until night. There was light snowfall on Śivapurī (text: Syupurī) and Candrāgiri (text: Caṃdāgiri). There was some hail and snowfall in the city too. Regarding the persons [who are suspected of] minting [fake] coins, when ḌiṭṭhāKhaḍānanda Pādhyā went home for worship during [the festival] of Makarasaṅkrānti, he was ordered thus: “Come back along the same route, stay for 1 or 2 days at Banepa and confirm this matter.” He arrested 2 Kāmīs and informed us here. [Afterwards] Captain Sanmān Siṃ Khatrī was also sent there, and when enquiries were made, a total of 17 people—the Kāmīs, [some] Newars and others—were arrested [as suspects] in this case, put in chains and brought [here]. When the Kāmīs were interrogated, they said that they had been doing this for the past 15 or 16 years. I shall inform you in due course about whatever is ascertained from the enquiry.
What more to say at the feet of a knowledgeable one?
Thursday, the 6th of the bright fortnight of Māgha in the [Vikrama] era year 1914 (1857 CE). Station: Kathmandu (text: Kāṃtipura). Auspiciousness.
Commentary
This anonymous report was probably written to Prime Minister Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā by one of his brothers. It describes the health of the king, the second queen and Putalī Rānī, the wife of Jaṅga Bahādura. It also reports a case involving Kāmīs and Newars minting fake coins in Banepa.
The minting of fake coins is listed as a punishable offence in the Mulukī Ain, according to which anyone living in the king’s territory caught minting such coins bearing the king’s name will have his property confiscated and be put in prison for six years. However, if he agrees to pay double the fine, at the rate of at least 60 rupees every month, he will be let off. If someone does the minting in a foreign territory (i.e., British India), he is to be extradited with the assistance of the British resident and be punished on a case-by-case basis. Finally, if someone, whether in or outside his own territory, mints fake coins bearing the name of a foreign king, his property will be confiscated and he will be put in prison for one year, but again if he pays a stipulated fine, he will be let off (cf. KM-MA 1854/30 §§15-16 [N.A. VS 2022: 152f.]).