Documenta Nepalica

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

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A copy of a purjī from Bhīma Śamśera to the East no. 2 Bakyautā Aḍḍā ordering the purchase of cannabis for the ascetics at Kālamocanaghāṭa (VS 1960)

ID: K_0661_0003

Edited and translated by Christof Zotter
Created: 2024-07-18; Last modified: 2024-10-29
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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, 2024. 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

In this purjī Commander-in-Chief General Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā instructs the officials of the East no. 1 Bakyautā Aḍḍā to purchase up to 50 mohararupaiyā̃s of good-quality cannabis for the ascetics of the akhāḍās at the Kālamocanaghāṭa and visiting ascetics coming for the Śivarātrī festival of VS 1960.

Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1श्री

1श्री३सर्कार
2\

1⟪88⟫

1८७

1स्वस्तिश्रीमद्राज•कुमार•कुमारात्मजश्रीकम्यांडरइनचीफ्‌जनरल्•भीमसम्सेरजंङ्गराणावहादुरकस्यपुर्व२लम्वर•वक्यौतात[...]
2सिल•अडाकाहाकीम्‌•कारींन्दाहरूके•पुर्जीउप्रांन्त•६०सालकाशिवरात्रीकामेलामाका•लमोचं•४अषडामारहकास[...]
3धुसंतमहंत•लाई•र•सोशिवरात्रीका•मेलामा•आउनेदेषीपरदेसी•साधुसंतमहंत•हरूस्मेत्‌लाईषुव़ाउनाक•तेस
4अडाका•आम्दानीमध्ये•मोरू•५०पचाससम्मको•असल•गाजाषरिदगरी•तौल्‌दरषोली¯ \ ¯ ¯तर्फगु•ठीवन्दोवस्[...]
5अडामार्फत्‌¯ \ ¯ ¯तर्फगुठीषर्चअडापुग्नेगरी•माघसुदी१५रोज•भीत्रचुक्तीगरीपठाईदीने•कामगरमालको
6मोल्‌•नीज•अडावाटपाउनेछ•सोगाजा•लेहर्जानहवस•सोनपठाईहर्जागरायौभने•हामीनाराज•होइवक्[...]
7न्याछौ•इतिसम्वत्‌१९६०•सालमीतीपौष•३०गतेरोज४शुभ्म्‌¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯
8पुर्व१लंम्वर•वक्यौता•तहसिलअडाकानाउको⟪जागामोरू३०को⟫पुर्व३लंम्वर•वक्यौतातहसिलअड[?]सनदवमोजीं
9सदरवेहोरासदर¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Translation

[Invocatio:]

Śrī

[In the space above the main text:]

Śrī 3 Sarkāra

[In the left margin:]

871

Hail! [This is] a purjī of the venerable Commander-in-Chief General Bhīma Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā (text: Bhīma Samsera Jaṅga Rāṇā Bahādura), a venerable prince born of a prince, to the hākima and kārindās of the East no. 2 Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍā.

Uprānta: For Śivarātrī of the [Vikrama era] year [19]60, in order to supply the ascetics (sādhu santa mahanta)2 living in the 4 akhāḍās [at] Kālamocana[ghāṭa] (text: Kālamocaṃ),3 and the native and foreign ascetics (sādhu santa mahantaharū) coming for that Śivarātrī festival (melā) purchase, using4 [as close as possible] up to 50—[in words,] fifty—morus (for mohararupaiyā̃s) of your (lit. that) office's revenue, good quality (asal) cannabis (gājā for gā̃jā), disclose weights and rates,5 clear [the amount] in full [and] send [the goods] so that [they] reach through the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā under [Śrī 3 Sarkāra]6 the Guṭhī Kharca Aḍḍā under [Śrī 3 Sarkāra]7 by [Mon]day, the 15th of the bright half of Māgha. The cost of the goods will be reimbursed through the said [Guṭhī Kharca?] Aḍḍā. Let there be no scarcity of cannabis (during the festival).8 If you create a scarcity by not sending the cannabis, we will be (hoibaksanyāchau for °caũ) displeased.

Wednesday, the 30th solar day (gate) of Pauṣa in the [Vikrama] era year 1959 (1904 CE).9 Auspiciousness.

The (above?) details [are] valid, in line with an order (sanada) [to] the East no. 3 Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍā [and one sent] in the name of the East no. 1 Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍā regarding 30 morus of cannabis.10

Commentary

For documents relating to the akhāḍās' cannabis supply for VS 1958, see K_0642_0024 and K_0642_0025. For similar orders sent in VS 1959, see K_0655_0026 and K_0655_0026. For details on the quantities of cannabis sent in VS 1959, 1960 and 1961, the purchase rates and the amounts refunded, see the Commentary to K_0655_0026. While the three western Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍās had regularly contributed cannabis for the Śivarātrī festivals, there was only one rather small consignment of 1 dhārnī 2 seras 1 pāu (approx. 4.3 kg) from an eastern (namely the East no. 1) Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍā during these three years. This may be the background to the warning at the end of the present document, which is also found in a later purjī to the revenue office (māla) in Gorkha (see K_0382_0039).

Notes

1. Concerning these two registration numbers, cf. K_0655_0026 notes 1 and 2. [⇑]

2. The clustering of the terms sādhu, santa and mahanta suggests that all kinds of ascetics and mendicants are meant here in a general sense. Cf also sādhu santa and santa mahanta. [⇑]

3. For these four so-called "wrestling grounds" (akhāḍās) at Kālamocanaghāṭa, see also K_0655_0026 note 3). [⇑]

4. The phrase "with [an eye to] frugality" (kīphāyet sāth) found in other documents ordering cannabis for the said purpose (for references, see Commentary below) is missing in the present document. [⇑]

5. The phrase "write a note (calānī)" found in similar documents (see Commentary) is missing in the present document. [⇑]

6. Inserted from the space above the main text.. [⇑]

7. Inserted from the space above the main text.. [⇑]

8. For an alternative translation, see among others K_0655_0026. [⇑]

9. The date corresponds to 13 January 1904. [⇑]

10. This short note added at the end is somewhat cryptic. [⇑]

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).
Bakyautā Tahasila Aḍḍā	var. Vakyautā Tahasīla Aḍa, Vakyautā Aḍā; n. offices established to collect revenue on taxable lands. Prior to their establishment in 1860s, collection of such revenue was done traditionally by village headmen and other non-official functionaries (cf. Regmi RRS 11 (2): 18-19).
calānī	var. calāni; n. a note or letter pertaining to an order or consignment (calāna); an invoice, a letter of dispatch; committal.
dhārnī	[fr. Skt. dhāraṇī] var. dhārni; n. measure of weight equal to 12 pāus, “equivalent to 2.393 kg“ (cf. M.R. Pant 2002: 132 ).
gā̃jā	[gañjā-] var. gāṃjā, gājā; dried buds of the female hemp plant (Cannabis sattiva L., Cannabis indica Lam.); Marijuana.
Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā	var. Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍā, Guṭhi 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.
hākima	[H. fr. A.] var. hākim, hākīm; n. chief of an administrative unit, government office or court (Adhikari 1984: 349; Kumar 1967: 165; Michael 2012: 131; M.C. Regmi 2002: 299).
kārindā	[fr. P. kāranda] var. kārīṃdā, kārīndā; n. clerk or low-ranking official.
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.
māla	n. an office for collecting revenues (M.L. Karmacharya 1996: 63; M.C. Regmi 1978: 862). Cf. māla aḍḍā
melā	n. 1. a large crowd (esp. for festivals); 2. fair, festival; 3. market; bazar.
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.
pāu	var. pāva; n. 1) measurement of weight, equal to 20 (in some lists between 17 and 19) tolās, 1/4th of a sera, 1/12th of a dhārnī. 2) measurement of length (25cm).
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; a righteous person. See also sādhu santa
sādhu santa	[sādhu + santa] n. generic term for holy men, ascetics.
sanada	var. sanad; n. a regulation, order, decree or certificate of appointment, esp. from the prime minister (prāimaminisṭara yaṇḍa kamyāṇḍara ina cipha) or the commander-in-chief general (kamyāṇḍara ina cipha janarala); "government orders" (Karmacharya 2001: 327).
santa	[S.] var. saṃta; a righteous person; an ascetic. See also sādhu santa
santa mahanta	[santa + mahanta] n. generic term for holy men, ascetics.
sera	n. measure of weight (approx. 933 grams) with one sera comprising 80 tolās
śivarātri	[S.] var. śivarātrī; also mahāśivarātri; n. lit. "Śiva's night", festival in honour of Śiva celebrated in the night of the 14th of the dark fortnight, on a bigger scale (then called mahāśivarātri) in the night of the 14th of the dark fortnight of the month of Phālguna.
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).
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.