Gunlā Bājan () is Buddhist devotional music played by the

Newars Newar (; new, नेवार, endonym: Newa; new, नेवा, Pracalit script:) or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisation ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. "Gunla" is the name of the tenth month in the

Nepal Sambat Nepal Sambat, also spelled as Nepala Sambata, (Nepal Bhasa: , Nepali: ) is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newari people of Nepal. The Calendar era began on 20 October 879 AD, with 1142 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2021–2022 ...

calendar, which corresponds to August in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

and "bajan" means "music" and "music playing group".

Gunla Gunlā (Nepal Bhasa: गुंला) (also spelt Gumlā) is the tenth month in the Nepal Sambat lunar calendar, the national lunar calendar of Nepal. It corresponds to August of the Gregorian Calendar. Gunla is a holy month for Newar Buddhists ...

is a sacred month for the Newar Buddhist community when they recite the

Buddhist scriptures Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts a ...

and visit places of worship playing devotional music. The practice of observing the sacred month is descended from the rains retreat dating from the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

's time when monks are to stay in one place and taught the

Dhamma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ''d ...

to the locals during this period.

Performances

Societies based on locality or caste, in which membership is hereditary, organize Gunla Bajan performances. These groups follow an annual calendar of public performances. They also conduct music lessons and hold religious festivals, hymn singing sessions and feasts. The most important activity of the year is making daily pilgrimages during Gunla to Swayambhu and other Buddhist sites playing Gunla music. The main days during the holy month are Bahidyah Swahwanegu (बहीद्यः स्वःवनेगु), when devotees playing Gunla music visit sacred courtyards to view the images of Bahidyah (

Dipankara Buddha Dipankara (Pali: ''Dīpaṅkara''; Sanskrit: ', "Lamp bearer") or Dipankara Buddha is one of the Buddhas of the past. He is said to have lived on Earth four asankheyyas and one hundred thousand kappas ago. According to some Buddhist or folk tr ...

) and

paubha A paubhā (Devanagari: पौभा) is a traditional religious painting made by the Newar people of Nepal. Paubhas depict deities, mandalas or monuments, and are used to help the practitioners in meditation. The Tibetan equivalent is known as ...

paintings put on display for the festival; and Nisala Chhawanegu (निसला छा:वनेगु), when offerings are made to Swayambhu and concerts are held at one's neighborhoods. Gunla musical bands also lead processions during New Year's Day of Nepal Sambat.

Music

A performance of Gunla music starts with Dyah Lhayegu, a short salutation to the deities. Separate pieces of music are played when marching in procession, going around a shrine and crossing a bridge. These are known as Lawantah, Chwoh, Graha, Astar, Palimaa and Partaal. During processions, musicians usually play the tunes of seasonal songs or other traditional songs backed by drums and cymbals. Tunes of modern hits are also played. Gwara is a long piece of music which is played in temple squares and sacred courtyards with the musicians standing in a circle. It is 15 to 20 minutes long. The popular ones are Annapurna Gwara, Swetkali Gwara and Sangin Gwara.

Instruments

The double-sided drum known as "dhaa" (धा:), which is the main instrument in Gunla music, is believed to have been played in the Kathmandu Valley for 2,000 years. It is struck on the left side with a short stick and on the right side with the hand. Trumpets and clarinets are used to play the tune. Originally, local wind instruments known as "mwahali" (म्वाहालि) and "basuri" (बासुरि) provided the tune. The other instruments used are "taa" (ता:) and "bhusya" (भुस्या:), small and large cymbals respectively. The "naykhin" (नायखिं) small drum and "chhusya" (छुस्या:) cymbals form a separate set of instruments. The "payentah" (पंयता:) is a long trumpet.

References

{{Reflist Newar Nepalese culture Nepalese musical genres Buddhist festivals Buddhist music