Regmi Research (Private) Ltd Kathmandu: August 1, 1976

Regmi Research Series

Year 8 , No • 8 , Edited by Mahesh c. Regmi. *******

Contents 1. Industrial nev�l0pment in Page ••• Nepal 1936-57 141 2. King Prithvi Narayan Shah ••• 147 3. On Disciplinary Matters ... 156 4. Miscellaneous r::ocurrents of Magh 1887 Vikramu •• • 158

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Regmi Research ( Private) Ltd Lazimpat, Kathmandu, Nepal

Compiled by Regmi Research (Priva te) Ltd for private study and research.Not rreant for p ublic sale or display. 141.

Industrial Development in Nepal 1936-57 By

Mahesh c. Regmi (First publishE..d in mimeographed form in 1957 under the title "Industrial Potential of Nepal"). Chapter 5 Recent Developments The interim Government was compelled forthwith to face .formidable problems in the sphere of industry as a lt:gacy le ft by tbe previous government. Moreover, the strikes in the Biratnagar mills c_r onnected with the political distur­ bances which had helped the new governrrent to corre into power, .had created new problems.

The first action of tht:? new Government in the sphere of joint stock industry was to convene an Industrial Conference at Kathrrendu, in w hich the Minister for Industries and eomrrerce, Ganesh Man Singh, outlined a program for the establishment of an Industrial Finance·corporation, together with other measures designed to h�lp industry. No concrete results however emerged from tte c onference. It was al::out this time that the new companies Act drafted by the p revious government was put into operation. Attempts in the sphere of cottage industries during the early days of the interim governrrentr_rto effect a thoro­ ugh reorganization of the r::epartm ent of cottage I ndustries proved abortive. mainly because of the failure of the authorities to agree oo the f_undamentals of a n.aw policy. Though the Government recogni.zed that "owing to the hilly feature o f our country, the cottag� industrie s .Wi ll have a very important pla9e in our economy", (Government of Nepal, .oepartrrent of publicit y: "One year of democracy", May 1952, q u::ited in Y.P� pant ; Planning for Prosperity, pp. 72), yet very l�ttle wa s done beyond the expression

contd. • •• 142. of pious hopes and intentions. Similarly, on April 1954, the Prime Minister, Matrika Prasad Koirala, announced a 40 po int program of devel0prrcnt, which also included the devei0pment of village industries and the establishment of industries fo r increased employment, (K.p. Srivastava: Nepal Ki Kahani, pp. 200-201 ), b ut this was all wriat t he country ever heard in the matter.

Meanwhile a significant change in the 'situation took place in 19 53 wbe:n the Ford Foundation ·came forward w itn __ a grant o f $100,000 for the deve l0pment o f cottage industries< in Nepal. A survey o f snBll and cottage industries in the valley of Katlrrnandu was t2ken up conjointly with the Govern­ mGnt _of Nepal, and the t,epartrrcnt o f Cottage Industri'es emerged under the new appellation of'Tribhuwan Rural Deve­ lapment I:Epartment. c Re ently however, it has beenagai n o rgan izcd as a separate C::nti·ty.

The mo st important measure adopted by the Government in recent years has wen the fran,ing of thE.! Draft Five Year Plan for the national davel0pment. This attempt at planning does not howev(:r seem to have reen the first one. Just before the out brGak of the ,:.,econd World War, the Rana Prime J'Yiinister, .Judd.ha Shumshere, · h-:=1d announced a 20-year plan, (Y.P. Pant: Planning for Prosperity, pp. 15),1 which presumably was droppGd b2causc o f the exigencies of. t;� war situation. On October 31,1949, Mohun Shumsh0re set up a ·' National Planning Committee which was entrusted wit,h the task of preparing a i5-year plan for the economic develcp- ment o f tre co untry (Ibid, pp, 15-lli). With the formatioo o f the Interim Government, however, the National Plannin� Corrrnittee, which never appears to have been taken seriously� bee ame defunct. On October 9, 1955 King Mahcndra issued a royal pro- -.t clamaticn rega(rding the necessity o f a Five Y8ar P�an for 1'.1epal for attaining national self-sufficiency and establi-. shing a welfare state. The Draft outline of the. plan ,was .... published, followed by the publication of th<.:? synopsis of the Draft Five Year Plan o n September 21, 1956. "The r D aft· Five Year Plan fo r ·Nepal aims to present in outline a . ,,_:;J pr ctical ro � p gram fo r economic ar;a Sfl-::i al ';1evclopmcnt up �·\(·(- wh:1.ch. all elements of the population can un1t12 with confi. _( _,., _(..__( ­ and enthusiasm. 11 (Gove(rnment of Nepal, Ministry of PlannmJ'}• . ""'� .-,J. contd. • •• 143.

and D evel opn ent ,.Dr aft Five Ye a r Plan , A synop s is, pp. 1) . In the sphe re of industr ies, the general objec t ives, "W ill incl ude a revival an d expan sion o:f cottage industrie s se le cted on the basis of their q uality and capacity t o surv ive ; encourage ment to private savings and inve strrent · in pro ductive enterprises , and o f fore igi:1 capital un de r appropriQte safeguard s, as sistance to e xist ing indust ires req ui ring he lp when there is a ba sis for reasonable c onfide nce in the future soundne s s of the ente rpr ise s 1 inten­ si fication of surveys and re se arch essential t o wise p lann ing; fo ste ring technological . tra in ing ,e· technological advancesi n product ion , and a j isc riminating use of fo re ign te chnical aid ; a bro adening of the channe l s of communication and understandi ng between Gove rnment and Industry; study an d recomme nd at ions on needed le gi s lat jOp;and the mainten anc e of clo se work ing re lations among all departmen ts of the Government concer ned directly o r in directly with proble ms 11 relating to industrial deve 10prrent . (Ib id, pp. 55)e. However , "Specific obj ect ive s and targets w ill be set onlye. after s urv ey s and re search provide h t e data essential for making such de term inat ions in regard to spec ific industrial p lant s. 11 ( Ibid, pp . 5 5) •

The Dra ft Plan a lso envisages the division of the industrial sphe re into two sector s-, publ ic and p r ivate. The problem will however be approached from a pract ical rattier than a the ori tical or doc trin aire st andpoint. "Our a im is a mixed economy, with government a-Jner ship an d ope rat ion where this is clear ly neede d in the publ ic. interest , or where private capital is unable to launch an -urgently neede d and s o und enterpr i se • • •••'. But it is not proposed that Gover nment shall undertake , w ith its already hea v i ly taxe d personnel ·and financial r esources' the burdens-of inve s tm8 nt an d management when private i ntere st, which should c arry a substantial share of new investme nts, ar� able to do the job as we ll. or bet ter. In such c asesr,i the policy of th�e- Government w ill be to encourage private initiat ive in deve l0ping a diversi fied p attern o f indust rial producti cn i- by assuring opportunity fo r a profi table re turn up on invcsmt net, by provid ing in forma­ t ion and guidance wheD fea sible, and ·by exerc izing only suc h regulatory authority a s may ·be -needed to proetecte· the

Contd••.• 144.

t intere st of the community as a whol e. A t he samc ,tirre, it is proposed that the Governmen t shall' take steps to improve the "climate " for i nve sment thro uqh such mea s ure s as tax revision s and currenc y stabil izat ion .e" (Ibid , p p . 7-8)e.

Tentat ively, pri or ity con s ide rat ion will be given to industr ies fo r the product ion of cement , forest , products, sugar, text ile s , c i gare ttes., irone. (Ibid, pp . 55) • ·

In the sphere of cottage in dustries, the .plan e nv i s age s the creation oe f trainin g-cum-production centre s in different p art s of the country, at l east one each ye ar , to dev elop and improve de signs , quality production, and �k ill s, There is prov isi on for sma ll loans to be made to trainees to start the ir OMn operations on an in dividual or co0perat ive bas i s , and sale of tools and m achines on in stalrrE::nt payme nt terms. Help will al so be provide d to them in procur ing r aw mate ­ rials economically and marke t ing their finished products. ( Ib id, pp . 5 5 -56) •

Other me asures fo r the encourageme nt of the industrial devel0p�en t of the coun try me nt ioned in the Dra ft Plan are the e stabl i shoo nt of an In dustrial Rese arc h Bureau, t he ma in purp o se: of which w ill be to colelect and an al ys e in formatiCO '"' and then p ass it on to Governme nt an d to private firms for :· nece ssary .:1c tion ; th-:! training of techn ic al and o thE'. r per- ·: , sonnel ; the establ ishme nt o f a Gov ern ment spon s ored fin anc in� corporat i on for the mak ing o f industr ial grants or loan s in, suitable amo unts, an d with Safeguards /4ntil they can be corr,e ,1 · wholly se lfrsupporting ; the fram ing o f conditi on s for the � par t ic ipation o f foreign capital in the development of the . country, .-:in d the ap pointme nt of a Royal commission . to •�� fr ame revisions in the canpany Act and to dev e lOp suitable 1, 1 modern labor legislat i on . (Ibid pp . 56/57)e. , ·;,"la)

· · In accordunce w ith tt'cse_ objectives, a o,tta&� H�ndi Sale s Empprium has bee n r ecently se t up wi,th a capital of �.:: Rs lo � akhs, out o f whi ch the Go vern ment is to s ubsr:. r itee . ·. .e The . obJects are the introduction of nc=W de signs, the popul· . .. sat ion o f local p r oduct s in f or1:c:ign markets, the prov i sion, : of r aw mate:rials, tools and short-term loans to w orkers, · . the sale of private: rr.e.nufactured pro'aucts as well as thOSS · rn anufnc tured in the training c um prod uc t i on c.enters of the_. I:epat�1e: nt of Co ttc::1gc Industrie s, the reg istrat ion o f w or .. /against \,: astage , to industrie s req uir ing so rre t ransi tio financ i a l assi s tanc e contd. • • f 145.

organization s , and the disse minati on of industrial informa ­ t ion . This Errporium wril l come un de r a Q:) ttage, Rural and small Scale Industries Training and oev cl9Pment Committee set up under the Dcve l0pment Q:)mmittees Act. In add it ion , caprital . for develOpmE:nt i s to consist of RS 5 l akh s , out of whic h gove rnment contributi on w ill" be one-fi,fth. A furthe r amoun t· of RS 2 lakhs has been provide d by the G overnment for tra in ­ ing . ( Nepal Gazette, Vol urrc VI, No . XVI , Part IV, August 1956 and No. XXX, Part IV, Nov emb er 1956).

· • The D2partment o f cottage Indu strie s ha s · made co nside r a­ ble expansion with fin ancrial and techn ical aid f urnished by the Fordr. Fo undationr. The ac tiv it iers - o f the De partmC:.-nt are in the m� in · conce ntr ated in training, production,ma rket ing of cottage industry produc ts, 103.n s, and survey an d re search. T he n1ain unit of the De partmr�nt at Tr ipure sriw ar in Kathmandu ha s arrangeme nt s for tra ining and produc tion in cnrpentary, cane and bamboo weaving , woollen spinning an d weaving , cotton · spinning and weavin9, pottE: ry, sericulturc , le athe r, dye ing and pr intingr, manufa cture of curi o go ods, c arpe t-mak ing , papcr­ making, ho sie r y and bl ock-making • 'J'here are at pre se nt abou t 400 tr ainees in the Department, A,sales ,Empor ium has 'b een se t up at Bhotah i ti 'irn Kathmandu. LOans are issue d hal f in c ash and halrf in mate rialrs t o wo rke rs in cottage industry. In add i­ t i on , there is an Art i san Aid Fund out o f which machine s ., raw m ater ial s , and othe r requis ite s are_ supplied to train ed people to enable them to wo rk at ho rrcr. German and ,Japane se technic ians ar,:; al so 1:eing ob tained under the Fo rd Foun dation Prograrr, •

The Survey and Re searc h sect ion has depute d s urvey te ams to Pokhara, Dade ldhura, Ka ilali , Bag lung, We s t No . 1, Dhankuta, Namchhe Bazao.r, Dol akha, Rarrechhap, Rumj atar, Chau tar a, and the Rap ti Valley to report en the existing industr ie s, types of raw mater ia l s av ailable , andthe possibil ity of est abl i ­ shing tran :ining cum proctuc tion centers and sales emp or ia. Of spec a r that i l imp o tance is the fact spec ialists· working in the neoartment have de signed ther· r1ahendra Charkhn, which c;H1 be used to sp in yarm straight from unreeled cotton, as we ll as an automat ic hana1oom. Bra nche s of the Dep artment have be en se t up at Jumla· and other places.

contd. • •• 146 .

It is reported· that recently Rs 55, 000 has been sanctioned) by the Government to train <1·.)ttage industry wo rkers in wood, iron , textiles, and otrer inch.istr ir:.: s. The trained workers will �· oo deputed to _se t up tr ain ing-cum-pro ductio n· centers in the ., di stricts. (Gorkhapatra, M:ly 31, 1!57)(. Necessary e:xpenses are/ being met by the Ford Foundat ion for the establishment of r four cottage Industr ies Tr aining centers in the country. Rs 80, 000 has be8n sanctioned by the Government for tra ining the orphans in the diffe rent orphan ages in the valley in cottage industries . Arr angements have been made to t�ain 30 student s frcm the.district s and 5 from the valley in the cott on and woollen sp inning and weaving industries, carpentry, 1eath8r, dyeing and pr inting , hos ie ry and so on as in struc tors fo r the establ ishment of di str ic t centi:;:rs. (Gorkhapatra, July 5, 19 57) • ,.

Aid from fore ign Governments in .the devel0pment of ·· industry in Ne pal has been an impor t ant feat(ure in recent years. Of special in terest is the ai d rece ived from the Un ite� States and the e stublishmGnt o f the Neoal-Amer ican Industrial cooperative se rvic e . Aid has also b een. rece ived from China, an d it is reported th at she will help Ne pal in e stabl ishing cement a nd p aper industr ie s . A te ch n ic al dele gati on f rom India visited Nepal in April 1957 , to advi(se .the Government .., on this mat ter. The Government is understood to be taking stepf to start saw mills, 8'":ment, iron , sugar, nlatch, and paper industr ies. Licenses have alr eady be en issued to tw o bone­ meal crushing factorie s at Kathmandu and Ghiraiya. (Weekly 1 1 11 Lokvarta , rv-ay 21, 19 57) .

******** 147.

King F rithvi Narayan Shah

BY Baburam Acharya

With tho objective of isol ating Yoga Narendra Mall a, King r-arthi vc ndra Ma lla invited King Jitmitra Mall a of Bhaktapur and King rrithvipati Shah of Gorkha to Kantipur with .due honor and concluded an alliance with them 5O (January 1 686)(. He thus sow ed th� seeds of discord with the King of L alitpur. · rarthivenclra JV, al la w as poi soned by his queen and Laxmi Nar ayan Jos hi in 1687. During the disturbances that ens ued, many innocent Bhardars and their w ive s and inf ant children, as well as many K has of ficers, were k il led • •Bhup alen dra Malla, son of w icked q ueen, was t hen crowned King (1687-1700). Laxmi Naray an Jo sh i w as able to control King Jitamitr::i Malla o f Bhaktapur u ntil his as· sassination in 1690. Prithvipat i Sh uh was thu s iso1 at0d. ·

While r r ithvip ati Shah was(.thus isol ated, Keharinar ayana shah, King of Lamj un g, despatched his tro0p s t o occupy Liglig' wh ich Lamj ung had long bL<.;:n covet,ing. Liglig was si tu2te d on Gorkha 1 s side of the bord(:r with Lamjung. Gorkhars troops were no w0akor than the invading I..amjung forces . pr ithvip�ti Sh Qh sent troop s under t he command of h is rnn son , Ranashardul Sh ah , and forced the Lam jung t ro0ps to retr eat from Liglig (c. 1693) .

T he daughter of Keharinarayana Shah was married to Kamara(j adatta Sen, a son o f King Digvijaya sen of Tanahu. Digvijay a sen's two sisters were married to Eirabh adra Shah , hair to P ri thvipati Shah . It was,_ therefore, natural to exp ectthat Digvijaya sen would b ring about a reconci­ liation betw0cn Lamjung and Gork ha. But ac tually, t he quarrel be t ween t he · tw o States appears to h2ve given rise to a rift within the(, Go rkha palace it sel f.

rritbvipati Shah had tW E:lve sons from. six wives. Rana sh2rdul Sr1ah was th e a blest of these sons . He was , the re fore, the favor ite of both his father and his b ro ­ thc:rs. This m.:, de Bir abhadra Shah , he ir t o Pri thvip ati cont d •••• 148.

Shah, jealous of R':.nashardul Shub . Noti ng thot his elde r brother was D8Gdlessly feeli ng j2alous of him, R�nashardul Shah beca-rne unhappy and late:r committed suicide . This inc ide nt led to il l will even between Irithvipati Shah and Rirabhadra shah . nirabhadra Sh ah then devel oped :i1i a sen 5e of rcpentunceh. In the nK:antime, his fr ie nd, Bhupat ind�\! Ma l�u, had beco!TD King o f Bhakt apur. Pirabhadra Shah went to Bhaktc1p ur t'.o have peace of mind. He lived there for some time as a guest of his friend. However, the bad climat� of Phakt ap ur did not prove congenial to Birabhadra Shah, who hc1.d grown up in the he althy c limate of Gorkha • He bec arne ser iously ill, and rushed bao"k t o Go rkh3 . He died at Arughut on the b.J.n}:s of the G,3.ndi Sl ( c. 1697) • Fcfore leaving for Bhaktapur, Birabhadra Sh 3h had sent his two wives to treir pure:nts rome .Mr1l likuvuti, the second w ife, was pregnant at the time . she gave: birth to Narabhupala Shah shortly after the de ath of Girbhadra Shah . \t✓ hen thE: nE:ws of N.1.r<1bhupala Shah' s bi rth re ached Gorkha, rri thvipat i Sh�h began preparat ions to bring back hi s du.ught2r..-in-law al ong with t11e infant prin ce . However, Digvi j.::iya Sen, her brother, was not will ing to send aw ay h i s nephev who held been born in his palace. In the meantime , �: that is, immediat ely aftG r the de ath of Birabhadra Shah , a disp ute over succession had 0nsucd between Dalu Shah and Udy ota shah, the th ird and fourth sons respe ctively of Frithvip ati Shah •Dal u Shah argued that bGing the third son he should be: proclaime:d heir t o the throne <.J.ftcr the death of both his eld8r brother s. On the other hand, Udyota Shc:lh cont ended that Dalu Shuh could not be he ir to the throne under the prevailing law, bec ause he w as one-eyed and was thus hand icdpp ed. But on learning of the birth of Naral:hupalu Shah, they1 remained silent . One possible reason for Digvijaya senhs rehluctance to send Narabhupal a Shah to Gorkha was the quarrel between these two brothers • Narabhupala Shah rt:; mained in the home of his matern al unc le for nine or ten years . that i s , until his sacred thread investiture ccrEmoney. 52

An unfortunate deve10pmc nt t Q:)kpl ac e in Makw an 0 ur during t he rule of King rrithvip at i Shah . King Shubha Sen of that princ ipal ity, unable to get �blc mi ni sters, obtained

Cont d . • •h• 149 .

the services of Parc:i shura ma Thapa and Pradyumna Upadhyay a fron King Digvij aya sen of Tanahu. But these perso n s proved fai thl ess(. They took part in a plot devised by the �ughal viceroy in Purnea , Isfundiyar Khan, to kidnap Shubha sen and his nephew , Vidhata Indra Sen. In order to st rengthen the alliance, pradyumna Upadhyay a even offered his daughter in marri c1cJe to Parashurama Thapa. He remained five y ears in India, and was fina lly able to surround Shubha Sen near J anak p ur(. However, Shubh a sen escaped w ith the help of King Vidhat a Indra sen. At the time when the uncle and the nephew (that i s, Shuhha sen and idV( hata Indra Sen) were celeb rating the occas ion, Kalu Upadhy aya, a relative of Pradyumna Upa dhyaya, captured bot h o f them and handed them over to Isfundiyar Kh an (September 1706)(. The two Kings were de spato:ied to :celhi, and t'he r--:ughals occ upied rrost of the Tarai t2rrito ry in the so uth. Err�eror Auran gzeb was then in sout hern Ind ia, and his son , A.zarn Shah, was acting a s regent . He forc ib;X convert ed l:oth shubha Sen and V idhat a Indra sen t o Islam • .) At that time, Bhaskara Malla, who succeeded nh up alendra Mal la as Ki ng of Kantipur, was still an infant. The Kj.ng of Bhak tapur and LaJ. i tpur- were preparing fo r war. Prithvipati Shah was t ired, while King Digvijay� S en of Ta nahu he ld territories in the Tarai as a zarni ndar under the Mughals . AS such, Shubha Sen and Vidhata Indra sen could get no he lp from the hill pr incipalit ies. Meanwhile, Vidhata In dra Sen(' s queen sent ur gent letter s to her Lirrib u courtie rs for assistance. 54 The treac hero us ministe r s of Shubha 1Sen had take'n away two sons of shubha sen from Queen l\rnarav at i, Mandh at a S en and Mo.nikya Sen , and n0ncealed them in the hil ls of Si nd huli. S:i Emperor Aura ngzeb died in February 1707 on his way back to Delhi £ran sou rthe rn India. A struggl e for the throne ensued among his son s.(56 Isfundiyar Kh an and other Mu grial of ficers of P urnea and Darbha nga left f or Delhi to join one side or the other . Azam }3h ah was kil lee., and his elder brother, Bahadur shah, b ec ame emperor. The Mughal pow er thereUpon began to de cline57, and the �ughal o fficers st at ioned in .areas s ituat ed to the south o f t he Sen p rincipalities withdrew. The m ini s te rs of Vi jayapur and tt akwanpur then installed Ma ndhata sen and Manikya sen as Kings of these tw o p r inc ipa lities re specti­ vely. Mandhat� sen later began to be known as Mah ipat i sen.

contd. _ •• 150 .

The boun dar ies of the tw o princ ipali ties were determine d al ong t he Kamal a rivc.:r in the '1' arai a11d the Dudhkosi river i n the hills .a58

King Bhupali.::!ndra Mal.l a of Kantipur died in India while on pilgrimage. Ho was on ly tw c1.ty-one ye ars old.· I-ti s widow , Queen Bhuwan al axrni , t hen L>egan to rule the Kingdom with her fo ur y ears old son, Bhaskara �� lfa, on the throne ( 1701) • King Bhupatindrc:. l''! alla o f Dh aktapur was an ambitious persona. 17 5 ye ars prev iously, King Surya Mo.}la of Kantipur had occup ied sankbu · and Changu £ r an ��h aktap ur, as well as Naldum--Gadhi:• 1-le had al s o oc cup ied Sindhupalchok and bro ught the route leading to Kut i, gate­ way to Tibet , unde r his controla. Ee had thus establ i shed a monopoly in the trade with Tibet . s�0ing that the King o f Kantipur was a minor, und the ruler a w oman , BhupC:ttindra Malla, out of oontE:mpt fo r them, decided to capture thea. Sindhup alc hok regi on . He concluded a treaty with Ki n g y oga narendra Mal la of Lalitpur deun r which the lat ter w a$ obl ige d to pay a sum o f fo rty thousand rup ees to the K ir.g s of Ehaktap ur , Gorkha , Makw anpur , and Up adhy a ( sic) in case Yoganaro::ndra 't--1 al l2. sought a s sistanc e frorr. Kant ipur without the c o nc urrence o f p,h upat indra Mal l a .a5 9 (c . 1702)a. Eighteen IT'O nths later , Bhup atindra Malla succeeded i n cone l uding a treaty wit h K i ng Eh askar a M alla of Kantip ur. Under that treaty , King Ghaskara Malla was required to -� f urn ish a s ure ty of t hi rty -six thousand rupees a nd 30 khEt:; 0!1 l and in S indhupalchok . The am ount was to be ap propriated by Khasas, � agurs, and Umrao s � un d the l and, by Praj ap at i Up adh­ yaya and shukadeva Upadhy aya, in c a se of King Bhaskara Ma ll3 ) committing a br each of the all iance . 6 0 (c .. 1703 ).

Bhup at indra r-: alla ' s ac t of c o ne luding a separa-t e t reaty with the King of Kantipur, who had not joine:d any al lianc e With Lalitpur, Go rkha , etc clenrly refl ected hi s ambition to gobbl e up Sindhupalchok . Real izing this , Yoganarendra Malla r ep udiat ed the tr eaty . In order to .. pu nish Bhupatindra �, alla, he plan ned to occupy O bhu , situatt1� between F.haktapur an d the changur1 araya.n temple. The Ki n g of Kantipur had be�n cla ir:1ing obhu for year s und Yoganarcndra · Mal l a int ended to offer it to Kanti;J ur. He sen t his tro opsa·· 1tO Obhu via :ceupat an and G o rk0.rn .3, ctnd se1: up his camp at the Changuna rayan Te mp l e . Bhunatindrci M a lJ.a, after making a rrangements for the de f ence of Bhaktap ur ., st aye d at Bdnepa, . ; watch ing the movement s 0£ Yo ganarend ru Malla. It \v as at th.ti t:� that Yoganarendr a Ma lla died af-+:er smoking p o ison ed tobao:o.

Cont d. • • � �·· : •.-.., ..

151.

(Octob8 r 28, 1705) • That (: very n iqht , his body w as bro ught to Lalitpur c:1nd cremat ed at ShankJ.,arnul Gh at the following 61 cl c1y . Thirty-thrb0 w h·e s of -Yoganare ndra �all a became sat i . Tr1e nl?ws astounde d Pr itr'.vipati Shah

Yogananm dra Malla had no son from anyr· of hi s married wivers. His sol e survivi ng sonr, Mahindra Mal l a , was born o f Rajcshw ari ,a Khas Chh etri concub ine whom he had bro ught from Tanahu . At that time , the custom w a s n ot t o let t he mothe r of a s urviving son bec ome a sa ti in the event of the de oth of her husband . That wa s thereason why �ahindra Mall a's rrothe r remained al ive. How everr, Yog a­ narendra Halla had a 21-year old daughte r named Yogamati, who na,.1 bec anie al l.-po.,;e�fuJ. o f the royal p alace . Y ogamati had an· eight ye ars old son named Loka Prak asha Mal la from her d�laji husban d. other rmrried princesses al so had son s-from-t he ir dola ii husband s . LOk a Frakash Mall a w as t he nearE: st re lu.tivc of Yo ganu.rendra Ma lla. S i nce his f ath er had chan ged hi s clan name (GotrG.) ,md adopted that o f his wife, Lok a P rakash t•\alla was entritled to be the heir to Yo ganarcmdr a l"!alla . Hence on t he third day of Yoganare ndra t-'all a I s oeath, the prop osal was m ade at the palace for proclaiminq Lok a Prakash Malla as Ki ng, . As a r e sult, Mahindra M al l a' s mothe r coul d n ot propos e the name of her son for accession to t h0 thro ne. H0vvever , s ome people i nsisted that it was proper to enthrone Mahindra. Malla, even though he was an i llcqitj matc son of Yogan arendra Malla , instead of Eelecting the s on of the daughter of� the dea'3ased King. so n o de c i s ion could be arrive d :it one the que stion o f suc cess­ ion. ThG following d ay, the Pramanas of Kantipur raided the Lal itpur Pala:e to seize L oka Pra kash Malla and take him to K�t hmandu. However, the y out hs of Lalitpur ra l lie d t o his support in response t o Yogamati's appeal . N8arly one hundred am ong t he r aiders of Kathmandu were k illed in the · co ur se of the clashe s , while the others f led. Bhuw an al axmi' mother of K i!1 g Bh askura Malla of Ka ntipur, had gont:= to Latlitpur to at tend t he f uneral cer emony of Yoganarendra Mal l a . She remained tl)e re to ensure the safety of Yogamat i an d Loka Pr akas h Mal la. she was d et ained t here by the min ist�rs and Pramanas of Lal itpur . W he n K ing Bhup atindra Mall a of Bh akt ap ur rece ive d thi s n ews the next day , he sent both of his queens, as well as a number of c oncu - bine s and maid..scrv� rnts to Lal itpur for pro tect in g loka Prakasha �a l l a. Yogamoti the re up on let Bhuwanalaxmi leave Lal itp ur . Afte: r thesl..! p roblems were solved , Loka Praka sha

Contd. • •• 152r. Malla was crowned Ki ng of Lal itpur by King Bhupatindra Malla ;1] on the fifteenth day of Yoganr:u:· cmdra Ma lla is de ath62 -However':'� Lok a Prakasha Mall a died eleven n:onths later . Y o g,1_mati then ·,t }'; m ade Indra f',alla King, on thE: grorund that Mahindra t-' alla 1 was an illegitimate sonr. Indra Malla was the son of Yogamat i s · :; father' s sister b o rn o f a dol�j i h us0and. Indra Malla died i� 1709, and was succeeded by Maf)(.;n dra Falla63 (1709r-1714) • �--:�:?-,; · :, A Pande Brahman of Barkholc:1 in Kuneun had gone to the . � palac e o f King Digvijaya sen of Tanahu • Eis name was 1,axman.�r1 He was well-known as a Siddha. He liV8cl at the palace for ·-;; some time , and later mariic:d a Br2.hrnan woman, w ho g ave birth:,'. to a son nu.med G.::i.urershwara •Lu.Xman subs ec;ue ntly went abroad • ·,/. and never ret urned. The young Ga.ure shw r:1.ra, who was highly i nte lligent und educated, occ upied �n inf1uent ial p osition at th-2 royal palace. Eventui1Jly, . he beccrne u. preceptorr to . ·:,r. Kamaraj adatta Sen, h-" ir to tr1e Ki ng 0£ Tanahu thereby c on si -:, derably strengthen ing his posi tion . when Karnarag,1dutta sen ,. became King, Ganre: sh\v era move:d into the ccurt and became hiS,, advisor as wellr. .t.:\ In the m.:: antim:::r, yv1_allikav at i, daughter -in-luw of - -t Prithvipat i Shah, W"ls st�ying in TcJ.nahu with her son, Nar abhunala Shah. She was finding it difficult to return to Cork.ha, because she vJc. S not allowed by her parents t o do,: so notwithstanding the fact th.:i.t Pri thvipati Shah, her fattie in l.:iw, had asked her to come ::,2.ck.Gaur3rshw�ra Fande , who too t his as 2.·g�od Opport unity to strengthen the inf luenc e qf hi� fam�ly , told. Ma llika�cat i : "If you o:i:, t2jn from King prithiVi1 pat1. Shah auth ority to have your son initiatedr. into t he mantras , I can s�curc for you permission to go to Gorrkha along \: ith your sonr. This would b::: in your Ot-/ntE:r in e st.- 2..s \-. ...:!ll as in the interest of (brkha, '3.nd of my ow n ." Fri thvipati Siuh reluctantly agreed to this propos2.l on the request of tvtall :.kav.:iti, because he thereby cxpe::cted .·:� to gc�t b:-1ck his <)randscn cm d heir. MaJ. l�.kavat j_ and NarabhUt� pala Shah then rc turn..:.:d to Go=kha <'\}Ong with Gokulavilas a ::.-� Pando , tht:: eldest �on o f G,'!urcshwara Pu.nder. Prithvipat i ·;,·! immediately surr,rnoncd n counc il of stat(;.. and decl ared Nara-JI tl 4 bhupala Sha h h is ht:dr ( c . 1707) nalu Shah an d Udyota � who were notorious trouble-makers, were politely dismissed.t'/ and granted lands and hancs ites in Dhadirig ., 9ast of the Ganda river. 65

contd. . � .

•' �. 153.

The sac r cd-thread-invest i ture e3remony of Narabhupala Shah was due t o be ob se rved in 1708. It had been dec ided that Gokulavilasa Panel<� should i nve st him with the savitramantra. }-bwevcr, Gokulavil asa Pande later informed Mall ikav2.tithat he had invested Narabh upala Sh ah with the Diksha Mantra a s well , notw ithstan ding the custom that thi s shoul d S'e'"ao n e only after marr iagc .Mallikavati �ar don ed thi s · breach of tradition, but pr.ithvipati Shah did no t. Howeve r , he did not inflict any pu nishment , inasmu�h as Gokulavilasa Pande . h ad b0come trie :r:,re cc:,pt•r o f his grandson � •6 Mi shra had co me from Banaras on hc: a ring al.out the s acred thread-inve stiturc ce remony o f Nur abhupal a shah . H� corr,pl ain.:�d to Pri thvipati Shah that he had no been all c,.,Jcd t o invest Narabhup a la Shah with a ny Mantra, because Gokulavilas a Pande h ad inve sted t he Prince w ith both the savitram an tr a and the diksha mantra. Pri thvipati S hah expl ained that al l this had happened because of the ab sence of Mishra himself . He sat i sfied Mi shra witt a Birta granto· i n Salang village o f Dhading, and asked a rncmber of his family to remain at the royal palace.o6 7 Frithv ip at i Shah then arranged for the mu.rriagc of Narabhup al a Shah and begiln t o rulG his Kingdom happ ily. Th€ disp ute over successi on that fo llcwed the death of King Yoganarendra Malla of Lalitpur al s o involv�d the infant King of Ka.ntipur, Bhaskara· J.V1.c'\.l l2., c1nd hi s mother , Bhuwanc1laxmio. Howevc.r, the disp ute came to an end within cnly f ifteen days. 1o ka Prakasha M'al la then became King ofo. Lalitp ur . For neu.rly seven years, Bhuw a .. '1al axm i ruled Kant ipur , pe ac efully as r�9cnt for Bhaskara Malla with the he lp of her Brahmnn mi nister.oShe performed many r0l igious ac t s a nd c on structed a number o f templeso. The princ ipal ity o f Dolakha w as under the suzerainty o f K antipur . It was governed by a chie f belonging t o the royal fam ily . However, the last chie f o f DOlakra, Mah i ndra Simha, declared himself independent. He en joyed the supp ort of K ing Bh upatindra Malla of Bhaktapur . Because she need8d a r;1inister wit,h a mi·l it ary' backgro und in orde r to control Dolakhao. Bhuw an alaxmi app ointed ·vamshidhara haske as Chautario. Jhagal Thakul w as thl:n a prominent pers on in Kantipur, with great cap acity for or ganizing con spoir a- c ieso. He w as a d esc8ndant of one of the il legitimatE sons of King Prat ap a Ma lla, an.cl was theref ore called Thaku1 (Thakur) • In less than two mo nths , Jhagal Thakul w as a ble ·to oust Vamshidhar a M ask0 in less than two mon t hs. on·september 7, 17131 he becamG Chautara, and rec eived his badge of office Ccntd. • •• 154. from Bhu skara .Malla(. hi msel f, bypc1ssing Bh uwanalaxmi, as well as from the Kings o f Rhakt e.p ur and Lali tpur. King Bhaskara Mal la had tht.n come of age . A son was born to him in 6arly 1714, but di.:;d afto;;;r ten weeks. During the rainy season of the sam� year, Jhagal · Thakul obtained the help of Lalitpur in attae1<:ing: Br:akt ap ur . T he battle ended in u draw, but the two allie s were-able to get two elephants and as King Bhupatinpra Malla• some money reparat ions from., Meanwh ile, a fort in Sindhul.i -Madi, which formed a part o f the princ ip ulity of Makw anpur, was occup ied by an enemy . king Manika Sen of Makwunpur solicite d mil itary assistance from Kantipur to rep el this aggression. Troops were sent from Kantipur under the con11Tlc1nu of Jhagal Thakul, and the fort was reoo-::upicd.• King t-'u.nika sen rewarde d Jhagal Th akul \v ith t.1 n el ep hcrnt an doth er p resents. He al s o gifted an elephant to an Umrao. In re turn, King Ehaska.ra Malla p resG nted King Manika Sen with gold banglE. s, a pair of pearl s, and othE:.:r gi ft s.

Jh ag al Thakul se�retly invited Mah indra Sinha of Dolakha and kept him in Kantipur with d\l.E: honors. Jagaj j ay a Th akur of Kant ipur was a fri,.:;; nd of Jhag al Thakul. Jhagal T hakul planned to dethrone Bh askara Malla, p lace rvla.hindra Simh� on the thron�, a0 signat� Jagajj Qya Thakur as his heir, and mer ge I:olakha into K�nti�ur on Mahindra Simha' s death . on January 21, 1715, King Mahindra tv\all.a of Lalitpur died of smallpox. He had no succ essor , hence the Praman as of Lali t­ pur visited K:mtipur five days after his death and req uested Bhaskara Malla to be come king of Lalitpur. It was natural, in these circumstances, thc1.t Ehuwm::il.: c: :ooni sh ould agree to thi.5 pr op os al. But the same day Jhag3l Thakul impr isoned both Bhask a.ra !V'i alla and Bhuwanalaxmi. He then procli::i.im::d Mahindra simha as King of Kantipur with the conditi on th.J.t Jagajj aya Tha1

A plugu12 epidem ic broke out in K,:m tipur in March 1716., It sp r ead to Lalitpur in June , an d t o Rhakta:p ur in .November. Ki ng Riddhinarasinha Malla of Lalitpur d ied in late June 1716(. Y ogamati then invited tv'.uhindra Simha of Kantipur to become King of Lalitpur also, but w ith separate udministra...:, sirnh� tions. Mahindra remained King of Lal itp ur from 1717 Contd •••• 155. to 1722. The epidemic caus�d a huge loss of life in the densely-p0pulc:tcd and dirty towns u.nd villages of K athmandu valley, partic u l3rly in Bhaktapur town .It subside d a fter ne arly two y L;;:1rs and six monthso. 70 Ki ng Bhupat i ndra Malla o f Bh3ktapur died in April 1722, <=;ffidwa 9 suc ceeded by his son, Ran aj it f,'.all a (1722-69)o. King Ma hindra Simha of K anti ­ pur an d Lali tpur al so died soon there after, and w as succ e eded by Jc:1gaj jaya Malla (1722 -36) He merged Dol akha into Kantip ur • Mahindr,J Sinhc1. t1ad be•Jme King of Kantipur after designating his son , Nil an aray an Ma lla, as heir to the throne of Dolakha. once J,;1gaj j aya Ma l la ac corrpanicd Mah indra Mal l a to Dolakha and sold some land there to a Rrahman in the absence of Nilan aray an a Mi lla71 (1721)o. On the death .of tv:ahindr a Malla, J agajj ay a M3lla oustrc, d Nilanarayana Mal la on the gr ound th Qt Dolakha had already come under the occup ation of K<:1ntoipur. Ranaj it Mal la reofused to endorse this action , so the seeds o f di scord had been sown . In Lalitpur, yogmati i nstallLd YOgaprakash Ma lla, son of a royal princes s by a dolaji husband, as King, and de s ignat ed Vishnu t-".a l la as his sue:::essor72 . Yogao· Prakasha Malla rei gned in Lulitpur from 1722 to 17 29o. King R3najit Malla of Bhc1kt apur was invited to attend the coronation ceremony.

King Prithvipath Shah of Gorkha died in 1716, and was sucoceeded by Narab hupala Sh ah (17l f-43)h. Because he had no bro thers, he reconfirrred Jahanger Shah, son of Madhukura Shah, as Chautara . Because o f the plague �pidemic in Kathmandu Val ley, intercourse ho.e1 o'2 ased between G orkha an d that' region, and the people of Gorkh a were engaged in their internal af fair s . Aft er Narabhupala Shah bec ame King, Gokulavilasa P ande was de sign3ted as the Raj aguru, and his bro ther, Ra jival ochana Pande, as Raj apandit. !'

During this period, Brahmans, Chhetris., and Magars from t he we stern hill regions up to Kumaun settled on Pakho land s in Kat hm.:mdu Valle y and spread their Khas languageo. · in th;::i.t region. This lan guage was being used al s o in stone and copper-plate inscriptions , aso-well. as in the ir private affair s by Brahmans and Chhetrios . The Mulla governments had no alt�rnntive but ,to recogn ize t hat l ang�age . The Kh as (Nepali) language was gradually assuming the form of a n'lt ional language, the reby creating thf-": foundation for the un ificc:1tion of Nepal •. ** ******* 156.

0!1 Disc ip l inary Matter s

(Abstract Tran slation )

( Co ntin ued)

Ji midari o r Talukdari holdings,e· Ra ikar or Bir ta l ands, or snaps within the te rr itory �Nepal shall n ot · be s old , don ated or gifted to al ierfs:othf:r than tho se men tion ed abovee. Any s ale , don at ion, or gift of suc h p roperty t o al ie ns. shal l re inval id , and be deemed as ' an offense. S uch p roperty shall ac crue. to the gove rnrrente.

(8) In case the s ale of p r ope rty to the subj ect s of a, fore ign country i s invalidated, and Sl4Ch prop erty conse­ c: uently accrues to the gover nme nt , the 0mount paid by the purc haser as the price o f the property shall be recovered from the other p roper ty o.-J n ed by t.he se ller. The purchaser shal l not be permitted to 112cove r the shortfall , if any , nor to recover the value o f gifts .. er donat ions . ,·,�{; (9) Birta l ands which ac oru0. to the government ac cor- · · "�i t t pr o Ra ikar •e J ding o he eceding trlauses s hall be conve rt ed int . Such lands shall be re gistered in t he n ame of other subj ects '\J w ho ac quire title ,t hereto, on ition that they app r j the cond opria., the inc ome on payrrent of th e customary taxe s and l evies . In c ase Jimidari , or Tal uk.dari holdings on Raikar l and, or Birtae. lands c ultivate d o,f owned as Jivayat, or inc l ude d in J im ida;:_i hold ings operated perso nally by the Birta owner is invoived in unlawful transaction s , the se shall be auctioned and so ld to the higre st bidder on payment o f a royalty ,which sh all be ot"e d ited to the gov e rnment treasury . such lands shal l then be re gi ster ed al ong w ith the Jimidari and Ta lukdari holdings in the name of the bidder,

(lo) In c ase any land is liable to ac crue to the gover nme nt by reason of invalidat ion of any transac tion the re in, the sel ler shal l t,e sentenced to imprisonment fo r a term not exceedinq six mont hs if he has ali::eady re funde.� the p rice, and t o one yeare· if he has not re funde d the price :: in full , or , is under no obl igat i on to do s o.

C<;>ntd. • •• 157.

(11) In cas8 it becomes ne ce ssary to grant l ands and houses for any r eason to the r ulers or subjec ts of any foreign co untry, othe r than those ment ioned irn t r£ preceding clau ses, th8y shall be puid rroney in lieu t hereof. But in case any foreign �,ubj e c t p::r-form s any m erito rious serv ice to the N epal covernrrient, and if the Priire Mini ster so decides, he may be ' � granted lands and house s . (12) The chief of government of fice shall be held liable if any employe� there of recognizes as valid any transaction w hic h i s invalid. The chief of such office shall impose a f ine ranging from tw enty -rupees to t wo hundred rupees at his di Scretion on such empl oyee . 22r. Raikar or Birta lands or h ouse s, shops , eto, s hall not b e mortgaged as secur ity in favor of aliens otherr· than those who are entitled to enforce the ir title under Section 21 of this law after J,swin l, 1 989 Vikrama (September 16, 1932) and Jimidari or Talukdari holdings after poush 27, 1978 Vikrama (January lo, 1923)r. otherwis8 , th8 sum paid by the mortgagee shal l be wr itten o ff , a fine eq uivalent to that sum s hall be imp os ed on the mortgagor, and the dee d shall be o�celled. rn the case of ,J imidari or Talukdari holdings , lands , house s, or shops mortgaged before Asw in 1, 1989 Vikrama, the mortgagor shall reimburse the amount ·of the loan and res Ume such pr0perty within a periOd of five years from·A swin 1 ;1939 Vikrama. In case the (mortgaged) Jirnidari, Ta lukdari holdings, lands, houses. E.:tc, are not resumed wTthin that pli;;riod, t hese shall be a uctioned by the c oncerned office, the rrortagre shall be repaid th e loan from the pr oc:c..-.erds of the auction . The balanl'.:l'31 if any,shall be refun ded to the mort gagor . :rn case the proceeds of the action are no t suffioient for the repayment of the sum to the mor toagee,he shall not be· entitled to detain the mortgagor merely on the ground of non-rec overy of the full amount of the l oan, inasmuch as he had advanced the loan with trust in the mortagor.

********* * 158.

f'Jliescel l aneous Documents of Magh 1887 Vikrama

Mu sicians for Na.vadurga Temp le in Bh�_d.£@�

(Magh B�di 12, 1887 ( 44/186-87) ..

, , Royal orde r i n the narre o f thirteen households bel onging ·-� to the Kushli community employed in playing on musical in stru- ments at the Navadurga in Bha dg aun town ! "Our father (i.e. King Girb an) had appointed you to .pl ay on musical in strument s · at the Navadur ga temple in Bhadgaun town.• He had dec reed thate. the appointment w a s to remain valid s o l ong as you provided the stipulated services in the o·.1stomary manner . In considera­ tion o f �he se se rvices, you had been granted ·exemption from forced-labor .(Jhare, Bcgar) obl igat ions, and als o perm itt ed to beg alms : fr om th e 1, o'7o house holds i nhabi ting Bhadgaun town. We hereby reconfirm the se terms, and assign f i ft;y-three r op an is of vac ant lunds,,e. which hav1.: not been gran ted a s Birta, Jag ir , or Guthi , or set asidG as p a sture , i n addition • With due assurance, pl ay on music al i ns tr uments i n the customary manner ev ery day , beg alms fr om the local househol ds , and provide ,the stipulated services regularly . 1 1

Mon0poly contr3.ct in Wax

(Magh Badi �12, 1887 (44/187-88) Rajbir w as grant ed a monopoly contract;. for the procure ­ m�nt o f wax from all over the Ki ngdom for a one -year periOd beginning Ka.tj:.ik Badi 1, 1887. He was under obl igat ion to sUpply w ax needed by the royal p alace for use as candles and · f or othe r purp osese. A s um o f Rs 1,502 was prev iously payable to the governrn.:::nt again st the ,,,..mt rac t � Because the contractor inc urred losses, the amount was na-; reduced by Rs 300 to Rs Rs 1, 20 2. Rajbir was required to pay t his arri'ou nt to the Tosakhana. He was or dered not to harass or 0ppress the people, thereby compelling them to submit compl aints to the royal pal ac e.

Jagir Land Allotment to Subedar B aj avarna ThaQ�

(Magh Badi 13, 188 7 (44/188-89) whiche·· , 210 mur ise. of r ic e lands at I

Contd ...... 159.

The se lands fetched kut rents amounting to 121. 25 muris o'f paddy , and Rs 4 and lo annas each as levy on wint�r crops and· Ghi ukhane. The tenant s were _also required to pay the ChardamyJJ'heki levy nt customcµ-y rates, and provide loans to the Jugird:1r-Iandlords whenever so asked . The previous Kut a llotmen ts on thes e land$ we re c ancel led . !�r Exports to India

(Ma gh Sudi 3 1 1887 (44/190 -91) Subba Kulanand Jha 'had been granted a contrac t for the collect ion cf c ustoms duties 1 inc luding duties on timber exports, in tr� Rampur, PihJr, and Mahisoth Pargannas of sapt ari '· districth. ThE: value of th e contract , wh ich was vo.lid for fiv•� years, amounted to Rs lo, Sol. At that time, some British traders had been permitted to cut tinbtr and export it to India. _However, they discon­ tin ued these operathi ons. The amount of the contract was, th ei;-efore , re duc ed by Rs 4, 5()1. Thekban di Grant

(Magh Sudi 3, 1887 (44/191h-92)h. Gaj abal Thapa had long operated a thekband i contract for the coll ect ion of homestead taxes in Iyamurc village which had b�en nssigned as Jagir to -..a Jamadar of th€: Srinath Karrpu. Subsequentlyh, the Jagirdar di smissed them, and appoi nted three other persons in �ucc ession. In 1887 Vikrama, he appointed Ranabir Khatri and Rambir Rai as dwares to diso11.arge the function. collections made through the dwares amo unted to RS 430 in that yearr. Gijabal Thapa and Bhimsen Th.:1p a then submitted a petit io n to the government, complain­ ing that the dwar es had violated the tra ditio. , nal customs and usages of th e village, and praying that .they be reinsta- ted subj ect to the payment of Rs _430 every yearr The govern ­ ment then reinstated th(!m under a thekbandi arr.angement for one year e ffect iv<:: Bais akh Badi 1, 1888 . La nd Al lotment i n Bhaimal (Magh sudi 4, 1887 (44/1 93)h.

In Bhaimal, Kathm:;1ndu district, land had been grantedh· under Chre.p tenure to Subedar Nawal Singh and Subedar Abhiman 'Ihap�. Subsequently, a part of the- se lands was

contd. • •• 160. converted into Raikar and granted as a homesite (Gharbari) to Shivabhakt a Lpadhyaya. H� was req uired to pay Kut runt amounting· to 51 muris, one pathi , and four manas of pad dy to the Samargan j company , in add ition to chardam -the}

We hereby exempt them11 from other forced labor (Jhara, beth, Begar) obligationsr.

it* *********