Documenta Nepalica

Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal
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An arjī from Sāligrāma providing a political report from Patna (VS 1891)

ID: DNA_0002_0044


Edited by Simon Cubelic and Rajan Khatiwoda
Created: 2016-07-17; Last modified: 2021-07-22
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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 arjī from Sāligrāma to his superior reports about the departure of the governor of Agra to Allahabad, a meeting with a collector named Majkura and news of King Ranjit Singh (text reads: Ranjita Siṃha) and the death of a grandson of the king during battle in Peshawar.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

1⟪नं­१६१­⟫

1अर्जि­¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯
2उप्रान्त­मेटकलफ­साहेव­गव़रनर­ईलाहावाद­के­षुस्‌कि­के­रस्ते­ह
3जारिवाग­होते­ईलाहावाद­गये­४॥५­रोज­मो­ईलाहावाद­पहुचेगे­१­तारि
4ष­माह­फरव़रि­को­ईलाहावाद­मो­वडाषाना­साहवान­लोगो­का­व़ो­वडि­
5रोसनि­तैय़ारि­नाचत्मासा­व़ो­अमिर‌­उमराव़ो­का­हाजरि­मुलाजमत्‌­होगा­
6व़ो­उसि­रोज­सों­ईजलास­भि­करेगैं­आगे­राजा­रन्‌जित­सिंह­का­नाति­पेसौ
7र­के­लडाई­मो­षेत­आय़ा­राजाभि­उसितर्फ­को­गये­ऐसा­षवर­सुन्ने­मो­आता­
8है­पिछे­सो­जो­हाल­होगा­येतलाये­करेगा­आगे­श्री­लोकरमण‌­उपाध्याय़­
9जि­नीं­साहेव­कलकटर­का­मुलाकात­को­गये­साहेव­मज्‌कुर­ने­वडि­षा
10त्रीदारि­सो­मुलाकात­किय़ा­षैषवर­पुछा­आवोर­साहेव­मजकुर­ने­हजु
11र­के­सीलसिला­सल्‌तनत्‌­वन्दोवस्त­गैरह­का­वडा­तारिफे­करने­लगे­व़ो­
12कहने­लगे­के­श्री­जनरल­साहेव­ऐसा­दाना­वन्दोवस्त­करनेवाला­सर
13दार­हिंदुस्तान­मो­दुसरा­कोई­नहि­है­हमारे­वीलायेत­मो­पादसाह­के­
14हजुर­मो­तारिफ­होता­है­उपाध्याजि­ने­भि­उसि­मोताविक्‌­चरण­का­
15तारिफे­सव्‌­वयान­किय़ा­गुलाम­भि­साथै­था­आगे­गुलाम­के­षानगि­का­
16कुछ­सफै­न­फुर्माय़ा­गय़ा­श्रीपंचमि­भि­आपहुचा­अव­गुलाम­को­हजुर­
17के­चरण­सो­सवाल‌­उमैद‌­ईह­है­के­देव़ोरिषि­उपाध्या­का­षानगि­गुला
18म­को­वक्साजाये­के­गुलाम‌­अपने­हक्­मतलव्‌­को­पहुचे­आगे­गुलाम­षा
19वि़न्दके­येकवाल­सो­जैसा­कामकाज­षैरषाहि­साथ­कर्ता­हे­व़ो­जिस­लाये
20क्‌­का­है­सव­हाल­ईहां­का­श्री­मुषिय़ा­गंगादत्त­पाध्या­जि­वो­श्री­षरिदारजि­वो­
21डिट्ठाजि­सो­रोसन­होगा­सर‌­अपसर­गुलाम­का­छिमा­माफ­फुर्माया­जागा­
22हजुर­षाविन्द­मातापिता­अन्दाता­है­ईति­सम्वत­१८९१­साल­मी:­माघ­व
23दि­८­रोज­६­मोकाम­पटना­शुभ्म­¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯ ¯¯
24ईत‌­अंज्ञाकारि­सदासेवक­गुलाम­सालिग्राम­का­
25कोटि­कोटि­सेवा­सलाम­चरण­मो­गुजरे­शुभ्म­¯¯

Synopsis

This arjī from the Nepalese envoy Sāligrāma to his superior (probably MukhtiyāraBhīmasena Thāpā) written from Patna on Friday, the 8th of the bright fortnight of Māgha in VS 1891 (1835 CE) reports the following developments: the departure of Charles Metcalfe (text: Meṭakalapha), the governor of Agra, for Allahabad (text: Ilāhābāda); news of the death of a grandson of King Ranjita Siṃha during a battle at Peshawar;1 a meeting of the Nepalese envoys Lokaramaṇa Upādhyāya and Sāligrāma with a collector named Majkura, during which diplomatic courtesies were exchanged; a request from Sāligrāma to receive supplementarily an emolument (khānagī) previously given to Devoriṣi Upādhyā.


Commentary

The three Nepalese vakilas mentioned in this document (Sāligrāma Siṃ, Lokaramaṇa Upādhyāya and Devoriṣi Upādhyā) were the authors of a report from Patna to Lieutenant Bhavānībhakta Siṃ Khatrī three years earlier (cf. DNA_0002_0016). The present document suggests that Lokaramaṇa was senior to Sāligrāma and in 1835 still stationed in Patna. From 1837 there is fairly regular correspondence between Lokaramaṇa in Calcutta and the Nepalese darabāra (cf. DNA_0002_0109), which suggests that he must have left Patna by that time.

Notes

1. The grandson of Ranjit Singh mentioned here may refer to Nau Nihal Singh, who was in nominal command of the Sikh army during the Battle of Peshawar (1834) (cf. Cunningham 1853: 204). However, Nau Nihal Singh died only in 1840. It is uncertain whether another grandson of Ranjit Singh lost his life in battle or Sāligrāma had received wrong information. Furthermore, it is unclear which military encounter between Sikhs and Afghans is being referred to here. The Battle of Peshawar took place in May 1834, around ten months before the date of this letter. It is improbable that Sāligrāma would have reported news of such magnitude with such a delay. One might therefore assume that the event referred to here was an unsuccessful attempt by Dost Mohammad Khan to reconquer Peshawar in 1835. [⇑]