Buṅgadyaḥ, also variously known as Rāto Matsyendranātha, Karuṇāmaya,
Padmapāṇi Lokeśvara etc., is a popular deity in the Kathmandu Valley,
and certainly the most revered one in the city of Patan. Worshipped by
the Buddhists and Hindus alike, the deity is celebrated annually by the
inhabitants of Patan with a month-long chariot procession (ratha-jātrā)
just before the beginning of rainy season. The deity is enshrined in the
twin temples at Bungamati and Patan when the deity is not in the
chariot. Chronicles attribute the inauguration of the chariot festival
to the twelfth century king Narendradeva. This fascinating festival
involves people from every strata of society.
The case regarding overseership of the Luthāma Guṭha of Buṅgadyaḥ
Luthāma Guṭha, variously spelled as Lusā Guthi, Lusāhāpau Guthi, or Lhusā
Guthi, was established by Jīvarāja Bāḍā (Śākya) of Oku Bāhāla in the
early seventeenth century. The guṭha maintains the panels, provides for
transporting and fitting the panels to the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot each year,
and manages storage of the dismantled panels throughout the year after
the festival is over. Following documents relate to a legal dispute that
arose in 1802 over the overseership of the guṭha.
E_2253_0015A: A copy of an account
by Rāmānanda Bā̃ḍā of petitions he made to Rudravīra Sāha and Bam
Sāha in justification of his claim to control the Luthāma Guṭha [VS
1859]
E_2253_0015B: A copy of an
executive order from Cautariyā Bam Sāha empowering Rāmānanda Bā̃ḍā
to operate the Luthāma Guṭha (VS 1859)
E_2254_0001A: A copy of an
executive order from Cautariyā Bam Sāha empowering Rāmānanda Bā̃ḍā
to operate the Luthāma Guṭha (VS 1859)
E_2253_0015C: A copy of an
executive order presumably from King Gīrvāṇa granting Rāmānanda
Bā̃ḍā the right to retain overseership of the Luthāma Guṭha and its
land endowments (VS 1860)
E_2253_0015D: A copy of an order
from Subedāra Śaṅkhadhara to Patan officials to investigate
Rāmananda Bā̃ḍā's claim to the overseership of the Luthāma Guṭha (VS
1860)
E_2253_0015E: A scribal note
reporting confirmation to Patan’s amālī of the original sponsor of
the Luthāma Guṭha and the queen regent's order to restore control
over it to one of his descendants through a bahālī [VS 1860]
E_2253_0015F: A document written by
Śaṅkhadhara, an official in Patan, confirming Rāmananda's
overseership of the Luthāma Guṭhī (VS 1860)
E_2253_0015G: A note re the
retrieval of utensils belonging to the Luthāma Guṭhī [VS 1860]
E_2254_0001C: A copy of an order
from Subedāra Śaṅkhadhara to Patan officials to investigate
Rāmananda Bā̃ḍā's claim to the overseership of the Luthāma Guṭha (VS
1860)
E_2254_0001H: A copy of an
executive order from Cautariyā Amara Siṃha Śāha directing judicial
officers of Patan to come to a decision regarding the rightful
claimant to the crop yields from plots belonging to the Luthāma
Guṭhī (VS 1860)
E_2254_0001G: A copy of an
executive order of Queen Rājarājeśvarī Devī directing judicial
officials of Patan to come to a decision regarding the rightful
owner of crop yields from plots belonging to the Luthāma Guṭhī (VS
1860)
E_2254_0001E: A copy of an arjī
submitted by Rāmānanda Bā̃ḍā and fellow guṭhī members claiming their
right to the harvests and utensil belonging to the Luthāma Guṭhī [VS
1860]
K_0341_0034: A copy of an executive
order from the king granting Rāmānanda Bā̃ḍā the right to resume
overseership of the Luthāma Guṭha and its land endowments (VS
1862)
K_0015_0021C: A copy of a
lālamohara from King Rājendra dismissing Ramānanda's overseership of
the Luthāma Guṭhī (VS 1876)
K_0015_0031E: A copy of a
lālamohara from King Rājendra appointing Hākyā Kaṭavāla as the
overseer of the Luthāma Guṭhī (VS 1883)
K_0014_0014C: A copy of a
lālamohara from King Rajendra restoring to Amṛtānanda and
Sundarānanda their ancestral right to overseership of the Luthāma
Guṭha and its land endowments (VS 1884)
E_2254_0001F: A copy of a letter
from Ḍiṭṭhā Bhāgīrāma of Patan recommending that its unnamed
recipient decide in favour of Rāmānanda regarding ownership of the
harvest on land belonging to the Luthāma Guṭhī
PD_0002_0002: A thyāsaphū recording
events in the history of the Luthāma Guṭhī in the early Śāha
period
Buṅgadyaḥ: Administration
K_0341_0018: A copy of a royal
order appointing three former biṣeṭs as diṭṭhās in the service of
Matsyendranātha (VS 1862)
RRC_0005_0159: A copy of a royal
order appointing Sīu Narasīṃ as a ḍiṭṭhā to oversee the management
of Patan's Matsyendranātha Guṭhīs (VS 1863)
K_0630_0067: A document informing
despatching of the head priest of Matsyendranātha to Bhoṭa and
cautioning other priests of the community not to interrupt ritual
worships of the deity (VS 1872)
K_0017_0002A: A copy of a royal
order authorizing Kīrtimāna Sĩṃ Bhaḍela to manage the guṭhī of
Patan’s Matsyendranātha for six years (VS 1893)
DNA_0014_0106: A lālamohara from
King Rājendra appointing Durgā Siṃ as a ḍiṭṭhā and outlining his
responsibilities with regard to Matsyendranātha (VS 1895)
K_0213_0060: A deed of surety
executed by Herāmāna Karmācārya underwriting Jogalāla Śreṣṭha's
biseṭ khānagī in service to Sveta Matsyendranātha (VS 1965)
Buṅgadyaḥ: Inscriptions
NHDP_0001_0138:
A stone inscription installed by King Śrīnivāsa
Malla at Taḥ Bāhāḥ regarding rules for the chariot procession and
other activities of Buṅgadyaḥ (NS 793)
NHDP_0001_0141: A votive
inscription by Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā recording his donation of the
present pinnacle for the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot (ŚS 1772)
NHDP_0001_0151: A votive
inscription on a gilt copper flag recording the flag's donation by
King Vīra Mahendra Malla and Queen Regent Rājyeśvarī (NS 831)
NHDP_0001_0152: A votive
inscription on a gilt copper flag recording the flag's donation by
King Vīra Mahendra Malla and Queen Regent Rājyeśvarī (NS 831)
NHDP_0001_0153: A votive
inscription on a gilt copper flag recording the flag's donation by
King Vīra Mahendra Malla and Queen Regent Rājyeśvarī (NS 831)
NHDP_0001_0154: A votive
inscription on a gilt copper flag recording the flag's donation by
King Vīra Mahendra Malla and Queen Regent Rājyeśvarī (NS 831)
NHDP_0001_0168: A votive
inscription on a canopy for the sanctum of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot
recording its donation by the residents from the vicinity of the
Khācoche caitya (NS 989)
NHDP_0001_0140: A votive
inscription by Harṣa Narasiṃha on the tympanum (prabhā) to be
annually installed inside the sanctum of the Bungadyaḥ chariot [NS
990]
NHDP_0001_0143: A votive
inscription on the pinnacle of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot by Padma Jaṅga
Bahādura Rāṇā recording the replacement of earlier donations of his
father's (ŚS 1801)
NHDP_0001_0156:
A votive inscription on the backside of a moon image
placed on top of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot recording its donation by
Dhiṃnara Noko and a clan of Deobhājus (NS 965)
NHDP_0001_0147: An inscription
recording the manufacture of a silver pot for the bathing ceremony
of Buṅgadyaḥ (NS 971)
NHDP_0001_0146: An inscription
recording the production of five silver plates for the daśakarma of
Buṅgadyaḥ (VS 1886)
NHDP_0001_0158:
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)
NHDP_0001_0142: A votive
inscription on the pinnacle of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot by Kīrti Bhakti
Kumārī Devī and Ḍamvara Jaṅga Bahādūra Rāṇā recording the donation
of a Vajrasattva idol (VS 1937)
NHDP_0001_0144: A votive
inscription by Jitajaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā recording his donation of a
flag for the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot (VS 1940)
NHDP_0001_0145: A votive
inscription by C-in-C General Deva Śamśera recording his donation of
gold and silver in the name of his deceased wife (VS 1952)
NHDP_0001_0148: An inscription on a
silver jar recording the vessel's replacement by Juddha Śamśera (VS
1990)
NHDP_0001_0150: An inscription on a
copper cover for the main beam of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot recording
the year of the cover's commission and details of its manufacture
(VS 1996)
NHDP_0001_0157:
A votive inscription on the front side of an image
of sun and moon placed on top of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot recording its
donation by Daśa Nārā and his family (VS 2008)
NHDP_0001_0155:
A votive inscription on the backside of the
Hayagrīva-Bhairava mask of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot by Samīrarāja Śākya
(NS 1132)
NHDP_0001_0159:
A votive inscription on the lip of a ritual tray
recording its donation to Buṅgadyaḥ by a group of devotional singers
(VS 2018)
NHDP_0001_0161
: A votive inscription on a gilt copper flag
recording the flag's donation by a group of anonymous individuals
(VS 2029)
NHDP_0001_0166: A votive
inscription on the front side of a silver copy of a representation
of the sun on top of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot recording its donation by
Kularatna et al. [VS 2008]
NHDP_0001_0163:
A votive inscription installed on the railing of the
Buṅgadyaḥ chariot recording Sundaralāla Khaḍgī's and Gītādevī's
donation for the luthāma (VS 2047)
NHDP_0001_0164:
A votive inscription affixed to the sill of the door
to the sanctum of the Buṅgadyaḥ chariot recording Sundaralāla
Khaḍgī's donation for the luthāma (VS 2047)
NHDP_0001_0160: A votive
inscription on the rim of a ritual tray recording the donation of
silver and gold to Buṅgadyaḥ for its restoration by a group of
devotional singers (VS 2070)
NHDP_0001_0162:
A votive inscription on a gilt copper flag recording
the flag's donation by a Maharjana family (VS 2070)
NHDP_0001_0165: A votive
inscription engraved on a metal flung hung on the front part of the
Buṅgadyaḥ chariot recording the object's donation by an Ācārya
family (VS 2072)
