Dutak

Introduction to Dutak

Dutak was the communicator of the Offical Decisions of the King to the Citizens. It was an important administrative Privilege during the Lichhavi Dynasty. This privilege was given to the trusted relatives or Officers with closeness to the King.

Generally, it is seen that the Crown Prince has been conferred the privilege of being the messenger. It guaranteed that the Future King would sufficiently build connections with the People and gain practical insights into running the Nation.

Also, Dutak wasn’t a permanent Administrative Position but rather a  means of communicating with people for a temporary period. The King could send anyone he wanted as his messenger. Despite that, The King preferred his Trusted Relatives or Trusted Officers to be the messengers and was very selective about it.

Sometimes, The men holding the administrative positions of Kumaramatya as well as Dandanayak were given the privileges of holding the position.

Before the rise of Amshuverma as the King of Nepal, any government officers or trusted actors of the King as Dutak. Amshuverma made the son of King Shivadeva, Udayadeva his messenger a regular period. This indicated that Udayadeva was the Crown Prince. After Amshuverma, Lichhavi Kings continued to make Crown Prince Dutak.

Duties of Dutak

Communication

The Primary Responsibility of Dutak was to communicate the decision of the King and his Council to the People. They would take the final decision to the concerned Villages or send it through Pratihar or Mahapratihar.

After that, the People would be informed of the decision and it would either be written in Inscriptions or sometimes not. In the Inscriptions, They weren’t always mentioned. Only the name of the King and his epithets and Titles were mentioned.

They also had to collaborate with Administrative Tribunals such as Kuther, Sulli, Ligwal, Mapchowk, Bhattadhikaran, etc.

Witness

The Privilege of Dutak persisted even during the Malla and Shah Dynasties. During the reign of these dynasties, they were used as a Witness in important activities such as Donation to Temples such as Pashupatinath, Treaties, etc. However, the ancient tradition of making the Crown Prince the official messenger didn’t remain for Long.

Famous Dutaks in the History of Nepal

The role of a Dutak, or messenger, has played an important part in the history of Nepal. These individuals were often trusted to convey important messages to kings and other important figures. In some cases, they were even elevated to positions of power.

One famous Dutak in the history of Nepal was Ravi Gupta, who acted as the messenger for King Basantadeva. He was also the Sarvadandanayak and Mahapratihar and eventually became the de facto ruler of Nepal.

Mahabaladakshya Kulpradir was another notable messenger whom King Shivadeva of Bishnupaduka Fedi appointed.

Prince Udayadeva was also given the honour of being a Dutak in the Inscription of Taukhel of King Amshuverma. In the Inscription of Dhruvadeva and Jisnu Gupta situated in Chinnamasta, the son of Jisnu Gupta named Vishnu Gupta was made the Dutak.

Crown Prince Skandadeva, Shauryadeva, and others were also granted the privilege of being the messenger in the reign of King Narendradeva.

However, they all eventually passed away and were succeeded by Shivadeva Second, who was made the Dutak and eventually became the King of Nepal.

Conclusion

Dutak was an important administrative privilege during the Lichhavi Dynasty in Nepal, given to trusted relatives or officers close to the king.

The privilege of being the messenger was generally given to the crown prince to build connections with the people. Generally, Important Individuals were provided with this respectable opportunity.

Some of the Notable Ones in the history of Nepal include Ravi Gupta, Mahabaladakshya Kulpradir, and Prince Udayadeva.