A document re acquisition of Muslim cementary near Nārāyaṇahiṭī road and granting exchange land below Svayambhū (VS 1948)
ID: RRC_0009_0514
Edited by
Shobhit Sakya
in collaboration with
Yogesh Budathoki
Created: 2026-02-02;
Last modified: 2026-11-12
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 lālamohar of VS 1948 orders that a Muslim burial ground near the Narayanhiti palace be moved below Svayambhū, east of the Sindhumati River. In compensation, a 3-ropani guthi birtā field of the Naradevi Tol guthiyārs was exchanged for about 15 ropanis of land from the estate of Colonel Jagat Bahādur.Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1१नं1५नं१ग1सिनं२१६७को1पो.नं१५1को1स्वस्तिश्रीगीरीराजचक्रचुडामनीनरनारायणात्यादीविविधवीरु2दवलीवीराजमानमानोनतश्रीमनमाहाराजधिराजश्रीश्रीश्रीमाहा
3राजपृथिविरविक्रंजंगवहादुरसम्सेरजङ्गदेवानामसदासमरवि
4जयेनाम
5आगेनरदेविटोलवस्न्यागुठियारथुलविलमान्सस्मेतजना३के
[1v]
1सर्कारकानारांहीटीमारहेकोहुनालेरमुलसडककानजीकमुर्दागाड्नेजगा2परेकाहुनाले∙तकीयामामुसलामानहरु∙कोमुड्नागाड्नालाईवनाईराषे
3को∙कवर∙मीसीनुभनीपुर्वतिर∙सिमाचा∙गालभंन्याठाउमासारि∙वक्सी
4स्वकवरवनीतयारभैसकेकोहुनाले∙सोकवरमा∙१९४७सालका∙बालीदे
5षी∙पर्नगयाको∙हामीहरुकोगुठीविर्ता∙सिमाचागालषेत∙रोपनी३मद्दे
6षेतमुरी∙।९।१७।४केऊठतिरू∙९S।२कोसट्टाकर्णेल∙जगत्वहादुर∙समरवहादुर∙
7काजायेजातमाआयेको∙कपताननी∙मानकुमारी∙काअंसभागको∙वा∙
8सु⟪दोल⟫मोही∙वालाचन्द्र∙पराजुलिरोपनी१५मध्दे∙षेतमुरी/७/१५/३/७कोउठ्
9ति९S॥भयाकोजगा१९४७सालकावालीदेषीसट्टावक्सीजोचाहीनेसनद
10भैसाधसिवानामेठवंदीस्मेतभैसकेकोछहामिहरुकानाउमासट्टागुठीवि
11विर्ताकोलालमोहरभयाकोछैनलालमोहरगरीवक्स्याहुदोहोभनीतिमिहरु
12लेश्रीमदतिपरचण्डभुजडण्डेत्यादीश्रीश्रीश्रीमाहाराजविरसमसेरजंङ्गराणा
13वहादुरथोङ्लिङ्पिम्माकोकाङ्वानस्यानप्राइममिनीष्टरयाण्डकम्यांडर
14इनचीफरश्रीमद्राजकुमारकुमारात्मजश्रीकम्यांडरइनचीफजनरल
15देवसमसेरजंङ्गराणावाहादुरमार्फतहाम्राहजुरमाविन्तीपार्दाहामरा
16दरवारनारांहिटीमारहेकोहुनालेरमुलसडककानजिकमुड्दागाडनेकवर
17षन्यकोहुनालेटकियामामुसलमानहरुकामुडदागाडनालाईवनाई
[2r]
1राषेकोकवरश्रीसिंधुमतीपुर्वतर्फसिमाचागालभंन्याठाउमासारीव2क्सीसोकवरवनीतयारभैसक्याकोहुनालेसोकवरमा१९४७सा
3ल्कावालीदेषीपर्नगयकोतिमीहरुकागुठीविर्तासिमाचागालषेत
4रोपनी३मद्देषेतमुरी।९।१७।४केऊठ्ति९S।२कोसट्टाकर्णेलजगत
5वहादुरसमरवहादुरकाजीयजातमाआफ्नोकपतांनीमानकुमारी
6काअंसभागकोवासुदुलमोहीवालानंदपराजुलिरोपनि१५मध्दे
7षेतमुरी।७।१५।३।७कोऊठ्ति९S॥३भयाकोजगा१९४७सालकावा
8लिदेषीसट्टावक्सीहामरावर्ष१६काउमेरहुदातिमीहरुकानाऊमास
9ट्टागुठीविर्ताकोलालमोहरगरीवक्स्यौसोजगासाधसिवानागर्न्या
10थरघरप्राननाथपाध्यालेस्हीछापगरिदिन्याका१९४७सालमार्गसुदी
11२।७कामेठवंदीवमोजिंकोसांधपुर्वबाझोरैकरजगालुहकिलदषीन
12कर्णेलजगतवहादुरसमरवहादुरमानकुमारीसुवेतीदिव्यलक्ष्मी
13कासर्वस्वभैआयाकोरैकरषेतकोसाधलुहकिलपछींश्रीमछींद्रना
14थकागुठीषेतकोआलीसाधलुहकिलउत्तरविर्मानकोगुठीविर्ताको
15साधलुहकिलयतिचौतर्फीसिमानाभित्रकोउठ्तिधानमुरी४।१।२
16केद्रर.।९लेमोहररुपैया९S॥२काषेतकोनापीऔलकिसिंलेअर्दलगा
17८तुललगा१४ताकेषेतमुरी।७दफेअर्दलगा१तुल१२।//ताकेषेत
[2v]
1षेतमुरी.।.।१५।३।७दुवैनापीकोज्माखेतमुरी।७।१५।३।७साधसिवानागर्न्याथ2रघरप्राननाथपाध्याघिमिरेडंगोलव्रम्हटोलकोश्रीमानदेवनर्सिङ्मजा
3कदेवलकोराजमानस्रहरकोसिपाहीज्यूनपुरवस्नेबद्रीनाथपाध्यापौडेल
4पाटंतर्फकंपुतर्फकामोईतोकेकाजितमानसहरदफदरखानाकासुवेदार
5जयेवहादुरथापाछेत्रीथरीफैकुवाहालवस्नेकृष्णविररायाछेत्रीसुंचो
6गाऊवस्न्यामुषीयाचन्द्रसेषरपराजुलिसधीयाररामचन्द्रपंडीतऊपाध्या
7ढकालजगतमुनीपराजुलीइछारामपराजुलीमुक्तीनाथपराजुलीरामना
8थपराजुलीभलाआदमिईन्द्रमनीपराजुलीरामनिधीपराजुलीमोही
9गोपीलालगजुर्यालविर्तावारतर्फकोविलवरज्यापुआफ्नाषातिरज्मा
10संगसट्टागुठीविर्ताजानीभोग्यगरईतिसम्वत१९४८सालमितिजे
11ष्ठसुदी१२रोज६शुभ्म्
12मार्फत
13¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
[table1]
| 1 | श्री ३ मा विरसमसेर १ | क. ज. देव संसेर १ | पुकज∙ चन्द्र संसेर१ |
| 2 | पुक भीम संसेर¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯१ | दकज. फत्तेसम १ | ऊकज ललीत संसेर १ |
| 3 | धर्माधी∙कार∙ विजयेराज¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ १ | ष. ज्ञानेश्वर चु १ | क. कुल विक्रं |
| 4 | चो. चित्र ध्वज साहा १ |
12¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯
Synopsis
[1r]
This is a lālamohara dated Saturday, the 12th day of the bright fortnight of Jyeṣṭha, VS 1948 (1891 CE), issued by King Pṛthvī Vīra Vikrama Śāha through Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Vīra Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā in response to a bintī made through Deva Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā. The document addresses a land exchange (saṭṭā) arrangement involving a Muslim burial ground (kabara/takiyā). Since the original burial ground was located near the Narayanhiti palace and close to a main road, the authorities had it relocated to a new site east of the Sindhumati River, near a place called Simāchāgāl. In compensation for the land lost to the Muslim community's relocated burial ground, a guthibirtā belonging to guthiyārs from Naradevi Tol—originally a field of 3 ropanis—was exchanged for agricultural land previously belonging to the estate of Colonel Jagat Bahādur and family, totalling approximately 15 ropanis, with an assessed yield recorded in detail.
Commentary
This document is a notable example of state management of Muslim communal space in 19th-century Nepal, reflecting both the legal mechanisms of the Rana-era administration and the accommodation of minority religious needs within that period’s land tenure system. It is consistent with the information in RRC_0005_0226 regarding the takiyā of Kashmiri Muslims east of Rani Pokhari and south of the Narayanhiti palace. However, in this case the land used as burial grounds by the Muslim community was exchanged for a plot of guthi land under guthiyārs from Naradevi Tol, who, in turn, were compensated by way of another plot, one belonging to one Colonel Jagat Bahadur. While the grievance had been heard and compensation provided, the document bespeaks a level of mismanagement in connection with transactions undertaken at the whims of rulers, without proper planning. There was clear discomfort with the Muslim burial ground being too close to the royal palace and the main road. The relocated burial ground provided to the Muslims aligns with the kabara and mosque currently located to the east of Svayambhū, which as of 2024 remains the only burial ground for Muslims in the Kathmandu Valley (Shakya 2025). The grant of 15 ropanis of land to the mentioned guthiyārs in compensation for the 3 ropanis given for the Muslim kabara also testifies to how variable land value was assessed based on location under Rana rule.
