A stone lampstand inscription recording the formation of a trust, started with a single monetary donation, for carrying out various activities at the Jhanāḥkhyaḥ Mandaḥ Phalcā in Pulchowk, Patan (NS 829)
ID: NHDP_0001_0339
Edited and
translated by Rajendra Shakya
in collaboration with
Bharat Maharjan
Created: 2026-07-24;
Last modified: 2026-11-03
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Abstract
This inscription on the reverse side of a portable stone lampstand records the formation of a trust in NS 829 (1709 CE) funded by a single donation of 20 mohara ṭaṃkās by Bhāginī Mayiyā for carrying out various activities at the Jhanāḥkhyaḥ Mandaḥ Phalcā in Pulchowk, Patan.Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1[line carving of a flower] 1᠀सं८२९वैशाषशु2क्रपादुथ्वकुन्हुश्री३आर्य्यारो
3कितेश्वरप्रितिण्ण,कातिककिष्णअ
4माविसिकुन्हु,सुर्य्यगहनकुन्हुः
5मोहोरटंका२०दुर्न्त्ताजुरो।मतप्वात२७
6छोयकेफं१चिकं।श्री३बुगदेवयातजु
7१निसराव,श्री३गन्धुरियातजु१निस
8राव,सियाफकिकु६,जिथ्वकु६,रा
9प्र२,म्वातप्र१,कयगुरिकु१।वहिरि
10पारम्हं१,श्रीभिक्षुइन्द्रश्वरिजु,मा
11नसिंङभावो,पुनसिंङभावो,म
12जुरांमभावो,मोहोटं२०जुकोभा
13गिनीमयियादुंता।थुतिगुर्थ्वि
14कतक चिर्न्त्तायाकजुरो।शुभ।
Translation
[1r]
On the new moon of the dark fortnight of Kārtika in NS 829 (1709 CE), a day when a solar eclipse [was also] observed, 20 moharaṭaṃkās were donated in adoration of threefold glorious Āryāvalokiteśvara (text: Āryyārokiteśvara). On the day of the 1st of the bright fortnight of Vaiśākha, one vessel [containing] 1 phaṃ of oil [is to be arranged] for lighting 27 lamps, [along with] one nisarāva) (Mod. New.: nisalāḥ1 ) set for threefold glorious Buṅgadyaḥ (text: Bugadeva), 1 nisarāva set for the threefold glorious gandhurī,2 [along with] 6 kurhas3 of puffed rice (text: siyāphaki; Mod. New. syāḥbaji), 6 kurhas of fermented rice beer (text: jithva), 2 prasthas4 of meat, 1 prastha of soybeans (text: mvāta), [and] 1 kurha of peas (text: kayaguri).
One person [serving as] bahiripāra,5 [along with] venerable Bhikṣu Indraśvariju, Mānasiṃṅa Bhābo, Punasiṃṅa Bhābo, Majurāṃma Bhābo, [and] Bhāginī Mayiyā, [the last-named having donated] all of the 20 mohora ṭaṃkās: these [persons] are the guthi members [who are to] care for [it]. Auspiciousness.
Commentary
Inscribed on the reverse side of a portable stone lampstand (dalū), this inscription records the establishment of a trust (guthi) comprising six individuals, including the primary donor, Bhāginī Mayiyā. She generously contributed all 20 mohara ṭaṃkās for the cause. Among the trust members are two individuals from a nearby bahī, specifically identified as Bhikṣu Indraśvarī and a bahī member serving as the incumbent caretaker during the ceremony. Notably absent from the list are Visarāma Bhābo and his wife Jīrakṣmī, two persons mentioned ahead of other donors in the short inscription (NHDP_0002_0108) on the front side of the lampstand. That earlier inscription recognizes Visarāma and Jīrakṣmī as contributors to the construction of Jhanāḥkhyaḥ Mandaḥ Phalcā (see DANAM LAL4308) in NS 824 (1704 CE). However, in the trust formed five years later, they do not appear as members, suggesting their possibile passing. It is likely that individuals like Punasiṃṅa and Majurāṃma, listed as members, were their sons. Mānasiṃṅa Bhābo, the third person in the list, is identified as the husband of Bhāginī Mayiyā, but their son Bhāgi Siṃṅa Bhābo, mentioned in another inscription, fails to turn up here.
The descendants of the donor family continue the tradition of displaying and lighting the lampstand at Jhanāḥkhyaḥ Mandaḥ Phalcā and distributing samaybaji6 on the 1st of the bright fortnight of Vaiśākha, as directed in the inscription. They also illuminate other lamps on the occasion. Although the inscription does not explicitly mention the distribution of samaybaji, the presence of various ingredients such as puffed rice, soybeans, meat, peas, and fermented rice beer strongly suggests their intended use in samaybaji. Additionally, the inscription discloses the offering of traditional Newar spirituous liquor called thvã, brewed from fermented rice, to the people along with samaybaji.
The inscription remains silent on the utilization of the donated sum of 20 mohara ṭaṃkās during the annual distribution ceremony. It is plausible that Bhāginī Mayiyā made an annual contribution of the sum for the ceremony. A member of the donor family's descendants (Maharjana-Śreṣṭha, female, age 72), herself a donor, recalls two the individuals from the bahī mentioned in n. 2 of the edition participating in the ceremony. They each contributed 20 ānās before partaking in samaybaji distribution. Thus, although the inscription explicitly identifies Bhāginī Mayiyā as the exclusive donor, representatives of the bahī may also have at least occasionally contributed some amount for the ceremony in later years.
