An inscription, composed by Hemarāja Śākya and affixed to the right-hand side railling of the balcony of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot, recording the history of donations for the various parts of the sanctum of the chariot (NS 1111)
ID: NHDP_0001_0158
Edited and
translated by Simon Cubelic
in collaboration with
Manik Bajracharya
Created: 2023-07-05;
Last modified: 2023-12-19
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Abstract
The inscription affixed on the right-side railing of the balcony of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot composed by the historian Hemarāja Śākya records three events in the history of the sanctum of the chariot: 1) The manufacture and gilding of various parts of the sanctum such as doors, tympanon and windows from the gold given by the King of Sikkim as dakṣiṇā in NS 774; 2) The construction of the balcony by King Jayarājyaprakāśa Malla in NS 866; and 3) the complete restoration of various parts of the sanctum by Sundaramāna Khaḍgī and his family in NS 1111.Diplomatic edition
[1]
[An embossed floral pattern]1श्रीआर्यावलोकितेश्वरकरुणामयश्रीबुङ्गमलोकश्वरयातनमस्कार।थौहर्षवगौरवया:विषयथ्वख:किसकललोकयानाथधर्मस्वामि-महाकारूणिक-अमिताभमौलिमणिपद्मधर-वृष्टिदेव-मत्स्येन्द्रनाथ-गोरखनाथगुरु-नेपालपाल-ललितपुरमहानगरसविराजमानजुयाःविज्याम्हवसपोलश्रीकरुणामय.बुङ्गमलोकेश्वरयासप्तत्रिंशद्वोधि2पाक्षिकलक्षणयुक्तगुसुवर्णविमानप्रस्थानकूटागाररथयालुँसाहावखःजलायाइतिहासपरिलोपमजुईमाधैगु.हेतुंप्रसङ्गवसथनछत्वाचान्ह्यथनाच्वना-बौद्धाचार्यपण्डितअभयराजशाक्यजुयाविशुद्धधर्मकीर्तिविश्वप्रसिद्धयलमहाबुद्धमन्दिरनिर्माणकार्यसुसम्पन्नजूगुप्रतिष्ठासमारोहयास्वाँप्रसादज्वनासंस्थापकजुया
3छय्छुईजीवराज,जयमुनिपिंसंसिक्किमजुजुयातप्रसादचह्रेयात।उगूप्रसादग्रहणयानाअत्यन्तप्रसन्नजुया.बभुँछथलसुवर्णराशिदक्षिणाबियाहल।वहेसुवर्णदक्षिणायाआयस्तांथुगुबुङ्गद्योयारथसधातुयालुखा,तोरण,भगिं,थाँ,किंकिणीजाल,हरिञ्चक्रवधर्मछत्रआदिन्हुगुदयकालुँसियाअतिशोभायमानयानाजुजु
4सिद्धिनरसिंहमल्लयापर्यायने.सं.७७४वैशाखशुक्लचतुर्थिबुधवारयादिनससमर्पणयागुजुल।थनंलि९२बर्षलीपाने.स.८४६वैशाखशुक्लअक्षयतृतीयाशनिश्चरवारखुन्हुमणिगलाधिपतिमहाराजाजयराज्यप्रकाशमल्लजुनंकौशियाप्यखेरसँलुँसियाप्राकारदयकाउपयुक्तशोभाबृद्धियानाबिज्यात।थुगुधर्मकीर्तिकालान्तर
5३३७दँलीपामानवीयतथाप्राकृतिकप्रकोपद्वाराउगुसुवर्णविमानलुँसाहाजीर्णशीर्णजूगुलिंसारैअशोभनीयजूगुमहसूसयानाराष्ट्रनायकश्री५महाराजाधिराजवीरेन्द्रवीरविक्रमशाहदेवयाशासनसललितपुरयितिटोल१३\१०३निवासिसिद्धिलालयाछयसिद्धिवहादुरवदिलकुमारीयासुपुत्रसुन्दरमानखड्गीयाथव
6श्रीमतिगीतादेवीतथाककाप्रेमलालदाजुरुपलाल,किजापिंराजभाई,कविदास,नविन,सानुभाईआदिसकलपरिवारयासद्धर्मचित्तंउत्पतिजुयावश्रीकरुणामययाकूटागारसुवर्णविमानलुँसाहापुननिर्माणयानाश्रीशोभाअभिबृद्धियानाब्यूगुजुल।थुगुधर्मकीर्त्तिलुँसाहानवनिर्माणयानाद्वहलप्यूगुशुभदिनने.सं.
7११११चैत्रकृष्णत्रयोदशितदनुसारवि.सं.२०४७चैत्र२९गतेशुक्रवारयादिनसशास्त्रोक्त्तविधिपूर्वकप्रतिष्ठाकर्मसुसम्पन्नजुल।थुगुधर्मकीर्तिसुवर्णविमानलुँसाहाब्याक्वसामाग्रिपरन्तुतकसुरक्षानिम्तिश्री५यासरकारमच्छेन्द्रगुथिल.पु.गुठीतहसिलतथाखर्चअदायातविधिपूर्वकल:ल्हागुजुल।थुगुपुण्यानुभावंदिशा
8झिगुबखतस्वंगुमङ्गलसुखप्राप्तजुईमा।सकलदिवङ्गतआत्मासुखावतिवासलायेमा।देशनरेशजनतायासद्धर्मचित्तउत्पतिजुयानेपालससधांसुखसुभिक्षसहकालजुयाच्वनेमालिसेअन्तससर्वसत्वप्राणिसम्बोधिज्ञानलाभजुईमाथुगुधर्मकीर्ति.चन्द्रसूर्यपृथ्विदतलेस्थिरजुयाच्वनेमा।अस्तु
9सर्वत्रसर्वदाकालशुभमङ्गलभवंन्तु।पुनश्च:-थुगुसुवर्णविमानलुँसाहादयकपिंकलाकारपिंसर्वश्रीथैनायारुद्रराजशाक्यवराजकुमारशाक्यइखाछेयाधर्मराजशाक्यलुँस्यूम्हनौद्वयादानवीरसिंशाक्यवथुगुइतिहासच्वमिलिपिविशेषज्ञहेमराजशाक्य।[An embossed floral pattern]
Translation
[An embossed floral pattern]
[1r]
Homage to the glorious Āryāvalokiteśvara, Karuṇāmaya, the glorious Buṅgamalokeśvara. Today I am telling you a brief account so that the history of golden lũsāhā and vimāna—including the entrance door to the sanctum of the chariot with thirty-seven qualities conducive for enlightment (saptatriṃsadbodhipākṣikadharma) of the glorious Karuṇāmaya, Buṅgamalokeśvara, who is the lord of the entire world, the lord of dharma, the great compassionate one, the one [wearing] a crown depicting Amithābha, who holds diamond and lotus, who is the rain deity, Matsyendranātha, the preceptor of Gorakhanātha, protector of Nepal, residing in the great-city of Lalitpur—does not disappear. The prasāda with flowers of the consecration ceremony upon the completion of the construction of the world-famous Mahābuddhamandira constructed by Bauddhācārya Paṇḍita Abhayarāja Śākya just for the glory of dharma was offered to the King of Sikkim1 by the grand-son and the great-grandson of the founder, Jīvarāja and Jayamuni.2 [The king] being extremely happy after receiving the prasāda gave a full plate of gold as dakṣinā [to them]. On Wednesday, the 4th of the bright fortnight of Vaiśākha in Nepāla era year 774 (1654 CE), during the reign of Siddhinarasiṃha Malla, using the income of the gold [received as] dakṣiṇā they built metal doors, tympanon (toraṇa), bhagĩ (intermediate base), pillars, lattice windows, hariñcakra3 , dharma parasol4 , and made it very shiny by gilding them and offered them to the deity. Ninety-two years after this, on Saturday, the third of the bright fortnight of Vaiśākha, the day of akṣayatṛtīyā, the great king Jayarājyaprakāśa Malla, the lord of Māṇigala (text: Maṇigala), built the balcony (kauśī) to the four sides [of the chariot] and increased its beauty properly.5 In the course of time, after 337 years, this golden vimāna and lũsāhā became dilapidated due to human and natural causes. During the reign of the leader of the nation, the five times venerable King of Great-kings Vīrendra Vīra Vikrama Śāha Deva, having felt that [the sanctum, the vimāna and the lũsāhā] have become very ugly, Sundaramāna Khaḍgī, the grandson of Siddhi Lāla and son of Siddhi Bahādura and Dilakumārī, a resident of Yitiṭola 13/103, Lalitpur, together with his entire family [including] his wife Gītādevī, his paternal uncle Prema Lāla, his older brother Rūpa Lāla and his younger brothers Rājabhāī, Kavidāsa, Navina and Sānubhāī, rebuilt the sanctum, the golden vimāna and the lũsāhā out of piety and thus increased the beauty [of the chariot] of glorious Karuṇāmaya. On the 13th of the dark fortnight of Caitra in the Nepāla Era year 1111 (1991 CE), i. e. on Friday, the 29th solar day of Caitra in the Vikrama Era year 2047, the auspicious day the lũsāhā—the glory of dharma—was rebuilt and offered, the consecration happened according to the injunctions uttered in the authoritative scriptures (śāstra). For the long term safety of the golden vimāna and lũsāhā—the glory of dharma—they were handed over to the Macchendra Guṭhī under the Lalitpur Guṭhī Tahasila Tathā Kharca Aḍḍā of the śrī 5 sarakāra in accordance to the regulations. Due to this merit, may [everyone] in the ten directions and always (bakhata svãgu) obtain auspiciousness and happiness. May all the deceased ones dwell in the world of sukhāvatī. May piety be generated in the country, king and people, and may there always be happiness, abundance and a period of plenty in Nepal. Furthermore, may all sentient beings finally attain the wisdom of complete awakening (sambodhi). May this glory of dharma remain firm as long as the moon, sun and earth exist. Be it so. May there be auspiciousness everywhere and throughout all times. Moreover, the artisans who built this golden vimāna and lũsāhā are venerable Rudrarāja Śākya and Rājakumāra of Thainā, Dharmarāja Śākya of Ikhāchẽ and the gilder Dānavīra of Naudva. The writer of this historical account is the paleographist Hemarāja Śākya.
[An embossed floral pattern]
Commentary
The account on the history of the lũsāhā and vimāna of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot given here by Hemarāja Śākya follows his earlier writings on the history of the Mahābauddha Manidra (Śākya VS 2045, 11) which according to Locke 1980, 304 n. 54, is based on a leporello in possession of the Mahābauddha Guṭhī. The inscription is affixed on the right-side railing of the balcony of the chariot.