A copy of a letter from Raṅganātha Pauḍyāla to the subedāra of Mahottari district re the rights of the vairāgīs of Barahi to collect grain and timber on their birtā land [VS 1895]
ID: K_0515_0071
Edited and
translated by Simon Cubelic
in collaboration with
Rajan Khatiwoda, Raju Rimal
Created: 2018-07-15;
Last modified: 2019-05-13
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Abstract
In the document of which this is a copy Raṅganātha Pauḍyāla in response to a petition by Dharmodāra Dāsa orders the subedāra of Mahottari district not to obstruct a community of vairāgīs from collecting grain and timber on their birtā land in Cīkanā maujā and from transporting it to their monastery in Barahi.
Diplomatic edition
[1r]
३[Signature of Rāmacandra Dāsa]1छहरफमाथीचारहरफ2मुनीसापेरभंन्नेरोटोक
3भन्नेकावीचमार८हरफ[?]
4दुईहरफमाथीहुदैनभन्नेर क
5भन्नेकोवीचमारसवैभन्दा[?]
6नीकोहरफमा१८९५भंन्नेर
7तीभन्नेकोवीचमास्मेत[?]
8छरउडीचरेनहरूमा
9गयाकोहोभनीस्हीछाप[?]मरामचन्द्रदासवै[?]
10[?]वाराहीस्थान्¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯[Signature of Rāmacandra Dāsa]1सकलवमोजींनकलदुरुस्त
2छभनीस्हीछापगर्नेमराम
3चन्द्रदासवैष्णवचिकनावा
4राहीस्थान¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯[Signature of Rāmacandra Dāsa]1स्वस्तिश्री•गुरुपण्डित्राजश्रीरंगनाथपण्डित्कस्यपत्रम्¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
2आगेजील्लामहुतरीकासापेरदारकेयथोचित्उप्रान्तप्रगनामहुतरीम
3ध्येनीजविर्तामौजेचीकनावाट्अनाजगैह्ररजंगलवाट्लकड़ीपत्ताष
4षरहीगैह्रवहुलमालादीआफनाअस्थानवाराहीमालैजादास
5येर¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯रोकटोकनगर्नूभनीलालमोहरआफ्नाअस्थानवाराही
6माभैमाफगरीवक्स्नूभयाकोहोवीचमासापेरदारलेरोक्टोक
7गर्दाअस्थानकोधर्मवंदहूनलाग्योलालमोहरउलंघनहुन्याहोई
8नभनीमहंथदामोदरदासलेविन्तीगरीपठायाकाछंतसर्थलाल
9मोहरगरीमाफभयाकोसापेरदारजवर्रस्तीगरीटंटालाउनहुदैन
10कडीपत्ताषड्गषडहीगैह्रलैजानदेउरोकटोकटंटानगरइ
11तीसम्वत१८९५तीआषाढ़सुदि१५रोज७शुभ्म्¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Synopsis
This document is a copy of a letter issued by Guru Raṅganātha Pauḍyāla to the subedāra (text: sāperadāra) of Mahottari district (jillā) on Saturday, the 15th of the bright fortnight of Āṣāḍha in the Vikrama era year 1895. In the upper margin, the copyist Rāmacandra Dāsa Vaiṣṇava from the monastery (sthāna)1 of Cīkanā (Sikhauna?) and Barahi records in detail all those passages where the wording of the original document is lost or not readable anymore. He certifies these lacunae by his signature. In the left-hand margin we find the endorsement by the copyist that the copy is true to the original. The letter opens with a quotation from a petition made by mahantaDharmodāra Dāsa. Therein Dharmodāra Dāsa complains that in violation of a lālamohara according to which his community is granted the right to collect grain and timber from their birtā land located in Cīkanā maujā and to transport it to their monastery in Barahi, the subedāra unlawfully keeps them from exercising their privilege. Raṅganātha enjoins the subedāra to use neither force nor to draw out the dispute, since the rights are clearly set out in the quoted lālamohara. Therefore, members of this community are to be allowed to collect the resources they are entitled to and take them to Barahi.
Commentary
R. Burghart's seminal study on the history of Rāmānandī ascetics in Janakpurdham (Burghart 2016) provides us with important clues for understanding the conflict addressed in this document. He (Burghart 2016: 260–261) reports that the Rāmānandīs of Matihani monastery had been receiving considerable patronage from the Sen kings of Makwanpur and continued to be favoured by the Śāha kings after Mahottari district came under the Gorkhā crown in 1762. The Sen kings endowed the abbot of Maithani monastery and his disciples with kuśabirtā grants, which allowed them to establish monasteries in villages in the vicinity including Simardehi, Birarak and Barahi. After the Gorkhalī conquest, these grants were confirmed by King Gīrvāṇayuddha Vikrama Śāha in 1806. It is probable that the events reported in this document relate to Maithani’s 'satellite' in Barahi. In the subsequent decades, Maithani not only became the wealthiest Vaiṣṇavite monastery in Mahottari district, but it also established its judicial authority over all vairāgis within the kingdom of Nepal. The fact that the central administration was responsive to the grievance of the mahanta and rebuked the local official could be a sign of the growing political importance of the monastery. The tension between a district officer and an abbot reflected in this document is, however, far from being exceptional. Especially during Raṇabahādura Vikrama Śāha's attempt to balance the royal treasury by confiscating birtā grants and reclassifying them as raikara land, district officers frequently claimed revenue from the kuśabirtā land that was under monasteries (Burghart 2016:165) or collected excessive revenue from them (Burghart 2016: 140). The conflict reported in the present document may be another instance of this larger phenomenon. Although the issuer of this document is only referred to here under the title of guru and first name, it may well have been Raṅganātha Pauḍyāla, in spite of his short period as mukhtiyāra (Stiller 1976: 275–276; Whelpton 1991: 52–55), a title he does not seem to have used in any of his official correspondence (see, e.g., DNA_0011_0106).