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A copy of a lālamohara from King Gīrvāṇayuddha appointing Narmaḍeśvara Jaisī Arjyāla as priest at Gorkhā's Upallokoṭa (VS 1864)

ID: K_0029_0025A


Edited and translated by Astrid Zotter
Created: 2017-08-15; Last modified: 2023-02-17
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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, 2018. 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 CCby-SA.

Abstract

This copy of a lālamohara from the king, who according to the date must have been Gīrvāṇayuddha, Narmaḍeśvara Jaisī Arjyāla is appointed as priest at Gorkhā's Upallokoṭa, replacing Vaijanātha Arjyāla. The specialist is ordered to perform the Dasaĩ rituals and enjoy the endowed lands as mānā cāmala.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

||८१||­

1⟪३५­नं­⟫

1जैसीकोठा­अडावाट­
2सकल­वमोजिं­नकल­दुरुस्त­छ­⟫

[Seal of the Jaisīkoṭhā]

[Unknown seal]

1[?]­भाद्र­सुदी­८­रोज­५­मा­
2आगे­नर्मडेश्वर­•जैसी­अर्ज्यालके­वैजनाथ­अर्ज्यालको­षायेल­
3गोर्षा­उपल्लोकोट्‌•को­प्रोहित्याई­वक्स्यौ­•परंपराका­रीतसीत­दसै­
4गरी­तस्को­माना­चावल­हाम्रा­जये­मनाई­भोग्‍य­गर­इती­मीति­
5सडर­------------------------१

Translation

[1r]

[In the upper left corner:]

[p.] 811

[In the left margin:]

No. 352

From the Jaisīkoṭhā office:

The copy is true to the original.

[Main text:]

[Seal of the Jaisīkoṭhā]

[Unknown seal]

Thursday, the 8th of the bright fortnight of Bhādra in [the Vikrama era year 18]64 (1807 CE).3

Āge: To Narmaḍeśvara Jaisī Arjyāla

We [hereby] confer [upon you] Vaijanātha Arjyāla's holdings (khāyela) [that go along with] the office of priest (purohityāī̃) at Gorkhā's Upallokoṭ. Perform the Dasaĩ [rituals] according to what has been traditionally established; enjoy its [attached land as] mānā cāmala, celebrating our triumphs.

The date is confirmed.


Commentary

The document has been microfilmed twice; the second time as K_0334_0050.

A document issued in VS 1862 (1805 CE), two years before the present document, appoints Vaijanātha Josī to perform the Dasaĩ rituals at Gorkha Upallokoṭa (K_0029_0044A). This is probably the same person who is called Vaijanātha Arjyāla in the present document, where duties are shifted from him to Narmaḍeśvara. The office of priest at the "upper fort" on a hilltop above the royal palace of Gorkha seems to have been one reassigned fairly regularly to new persons, or else rotated among a fixed group. For more on this case and follow-up documents, see the edition of K_0029_0044A.

It is interesting to note that the family name of the specialist in question is given as Josī in the earlier and Arjyāla in the later document. Josī or Jaisī Arjyālas are traditionally among the Brahmins serving the Śāhas of Gorkha and their deities. Narmaḍeśvara Jaisī Arjyāla, to whom the present document is addressed, provides another example of this.


Notes

1. This is the page number of the assemblage of lālamohara texts copied from the Jaisīkoṭhā. The bound material, microfilmed sequentially from K_0028_0032 (front cover and index) up to K_0031_0014B, covers the main body (i.e. excluding the initial and final formalities) of 303 royal documents from the period VS 1847–1864 concerning different guṭhīs. []

2. The number refers to the position of the document in the bound volume (cf. previous note). []

3. The year of issue given in this line is partially illegible, owing to overlying stamped marks. My conjecture follows the catalogue card. This finds confirmation in the further particulars of the date given, which corresponds to Thursday, 9 October 1807. In the index of the book (K_0028_0032, exposure 6) this and the following text are listed under the year VS 1856. In that year, however, the 8th of the bright fortnight of Bhadra fell on a Saturday. []