Nepal Sambat, also spelled as Nepala Sambata, (

Nepal Bhasa Newar (), or Newari and known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nep ...

: ,

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

: ) is the

lunisolar calendar A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, combining lunar calendars and solar calendars. The date of Lunisolar calendars therefore indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year, that is the position of the Sun in the ...

used by the Newari people of Nepal. The

Calendar era A calendar era is the period of time elapsed since one '' epoch'' of a calendar and, if it exists, before the next one. For example, it is the year as per the Gregorian calendar, which numbers its years in the Western Christian era (the Copt ...

began on 20 October 879 AD, with 1142 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2021–2022 AD. Nepal Sambat appeared on coins, stone and copper plate inscriptions, royal decrees, chronicles, Hindu and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

manuscripts, legal documents and correspondence. Nepal Sambat is declared a national calendar in Nepal, is used mostly by the Newar community whilst Bikram Sambat (B.S) also remains a dominant calendar throughout the country.

Establishment

The name Nepal Sambat was used for the calendar for the first time in Nepal Sambat 148 (1028 AD).

Sankhadhar Sakhwa

The Nepal Sambat epoch corresponds to 879 AD, which commemorates the payment of all the debts of the Nepali people by a merchant named Sankhadhar Sakhwa (

: ) in popular legend. According to the legend, an astrologer from Bhaktapur predicted that the sand at the confluence Bhacha Khushi and

Bishnumati River The Bisnumati River (Nepal Bhasa:, ne , विष्णुमति नदी), flowing in the Kathmandu Valley, originates at Tokha on Shivapuri Mountain, north of Kathmandu. It flows through the western part of old Kathmandu city. It is a ...

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Nepal, Province , subdivision_name1 ...

would transform into gold at a certain moment, so the king sent a team of workers to Kathmandu to collect sand from the spot at the special hour. A local merchant named Sankhadhar Sakhwa saw them resting with their baskets of sand at a traveler's shelter at Maru near Durbar Square before returning to Bhaktapur. Believing that the sand to be unusual if the workers were gathering it, he convinced them to give it to him instead. The next day, Sakhwa discovered his sand had turned to gold, while the king of Bhaktapur was left with a pile of ordinary sand which his porters had dug up after the auspicious hour had passed. Sankhadhar used the gold to repay the debts of the Nepali people.

Historical usage

An inscription on a

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as '' śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumam ...

in Panauti is dated Nepal Sambat 866 (1746 AD). Nepal Sambat has also been used outside Nepal Mandala in Nepal and in other countries including

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, China and

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

. In Gorkha, a stone inscription at the Bhairav Temple at Pokharithok Bazaar contains the date Nepal Sambat 704 (1584 AD). An inscription in the Khas language at a rest house in

Salyankot Salyankot is a village development committee in Dhading District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statis ...

is dated Nepal Sambat 912 (1792 AD). In east Nepal, an inscription on the Bidyadhari Ajima Temple in Bhojpur recording the donation of a door and tympanum is dated Nepal Sambat 1011 (1891 AD). The Bindhyabasini Temple in Bandipur in west Nepal contains an inscription dated Nepal Sambat 950 (1830 AD) recording the donation of a tympanum. The Palanchok Bhagawati Temple situated to the east of Kathmandu contains an inscription recording a land donation dated Nepal Sambat 861 (1741 AD). Similarly, Nepali merchants based in Tibet ( Lhasa Newars) used Nepal Sambat in their official documents, correspondence and inscriptions recording votive offerings. A copper plate recording the donation of a tympanum at the shrine of Chhwaskamini Ajima (Tibetan: Palden Lhamo) in the Jokhang Temple in

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhas ...

is dated Nepal Sambat 781 (1661 AD).

Suppression

Nepal Sambat was replaced as the national calendar in Rana period of the Kingdom of Nepal. The victory of the Gorkha Kingdom resulted in the end of the Malla dynasty and the advent of The Shahs used Saka era. However, Nepal Sambat remained in official use for a time even after the coming of the Shahs. For example, the treaty with

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

signed during the reign of

Pratap Singh Shah Pratap Singh Shah, King of Nepal ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज प्रतापसिंह शाह देव) (1751–1777) was the second King of modern Nepal. He was the eldest son of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the ...

is dated Nepal Sambat 895 (1775 AD). In 1903, Saka Sambat, in turn, was superseded by Bikram Sambat as the official calendar. However, the government continued to use Saka Sambat on gold and silver coins till 1912 when it was fully replaced by Bikram Sambat.

Revival

The campaign to reinstate Nepal Sambat as the national calendar began in the 1920s when Dharmaditya Dharmacharya, a Buddhist and Nepal Bhasa activist based in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, initiated a campaign to promote it as the national calendar. The movement was continued by language and cultural activists in Nepal with the advent of democracy following the ouster of the autocratic Rana dynasty in 1951. The demand to make Nepal Sambat a national calendar intensified with the establishment of

Nepal Bhasa Manka Khala Nepāl Bhāsā Mankā Khala ( ne, नेपालभाषा मनका खला) is an umbrella organization of groups and societies dedicated to the development of Nepal Bhasa and culture in Nepal. It was founded in 1979 by Newar language lov ...

in 1979. It organized rallies and public functions publicizing the importance of the era as a symbol of nationalism. Nepal Sambat has also emerged as a symbol to rally people against the suppression of their culture, language and literature by the politically dominant ruling classes. The

Panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical menti ...

regime suppressed the movement by arresting and imprisoning the activists. In 1987 in Kathmandu, a

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance a ...

event organized to mark the New Year was broken up by police and the runners thrown in jail.

Reinstated as national calendar

The Nepal Sambat movement achieved its first success on 18 November 1999 when the government declared the founder of the calendar, a trader of

named Sankhadhar Sakhwa (संखधर साख्वा), a national hero. On 26 October 2003, the Department of Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp depicting his portrait. A statue of Sankhadhar was erected in Tansen,

Palpa Palpa may refer to: In Peru * Palpa, Aucallama, a town in Aucallama District, Huaral Province *Palpa, Peru Palpa is a town in southern Peru, capital of the province of Palpa in the Ica region. Archeological sites As the capital of the Palpa P ...

in western Nepal on 28 January 2012. On 25 October 2011, the government decided to bring Nepal Sambat into use as the country's national calendar following prolonged lobbying by cultural and social organizations, most prominently by

, and formed a taskforce to make recommendations on its implementation. All major newspapers now print Nepal Sambat along with other dates on their mastheads. New Year's Day celebrations have also spread from the Kathmandu Valley to other towns in Nepal as well as abroad.

Current usage

Nepal Sambat is used majorly among Newar people. The lunar calendar is used for celebration of festival and observation of rituals. Lalitpur Metropolitan City began ascribing Nepal Sambat dates along Bikram Sambat dates since the year 1140, i.e. mid 2020.

Lunar Calendar

The Lunar Calendar of Nepal Sambat or the Lunar Nepal Sambat spans from 354 to 378 days in a year.

Months of the year

On regular years, there are twelve months. An

intercalary month Intercalation or embolism in timekeeping is the insertion of a leap day, week, or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons or moon phases. Lunisolar calendars may require intercalations of both days and months. So ...

is added every three years to prevent the calendar from drifting with the seasons. Roughly in every two decades a month is reduced which makes eleven months a year.

New Year

New Year's Day falls on the first day of the waxing moon during the Swanti festival. Traditionally, traders used to close their ledgers and open new account books on the first day of Nepal Sambat. Newars observe New Year's Day by performing Mha Puja (

: 𑐴𑑂𑐩𑐥𑐸𑐖𑐵, म्हपुजा), a ritual to purify and empower the soul for the coming New Year besides praying for longevity. During this ceremony, family members sit cross-legged in a row on the floor in front of

mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

s (sand paintings) drawn for each person. Offerings are made to the mandala, and each family member is presented auspicious ritual food which includes boiled egg, smoked fish and rice wine during the Sagan ceremony. Mha Puja and Nepal Sambat are also celebrated abroad where Nepali peoples have settled. Outdoor celebrations of the new year consist of cultural processions, pageants, and rallies. Participants dressed in traditional Newar clothing like tapālan, suruwā and hāku patāsi parade on the streets. Musical bands playing various kinds of drums take part in the processions. Streets and market squares are decorated with arches, gates, and banners bearing new year greetings. The president of Nepal also issues a message of greetings on the occasion of New Year's Day. Public functions are held in which the prime minister and other government leaders participate. Marking a break from tradition, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai gave his speech at the New Year's Day program in 2011 in

Monthly cycle

The monthly cycle of Lunar Nepal Sambat is based on Hindu units of time. The month ends on the

new moon In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclip ...

and begins on the first day of the waxing moon. Each month is divided into ''thwa'' and ''gа̄'' (

: 𑐠𑑂𑐰𑑅 / 𑐐𑐵𑑅, थ्वः / गाः). The period of waxing moon is called ''thwa'' and the period of wanning moon is called ''gaa''. Each lunar phase is known as ''milа̄lyа̄'' (

: 𑐩𑐶𑐮𑐵𑐮𑑂𑐫𑐵𑑅, मिलाल्याः). The lunar phases are named as follows

Solar Calendar

Following the official use of Nepal Sambat in Lalitpur Metropolitan City, a solar version of calendar was devised from the year 1141 (C.E. 2020), intending to expand use of Nepal Sambat for official and administrative purposes.

Months of the year

The Solar Calendar of Nepal Sambat or the Solar Nepal Sambat follows a consistent pattern of division of years.

Leap year

The leap year determination of Solar Nepal Sambat follows a similar pattern of determining leap year in

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 di ...

Milestones

888 Nepal Sambat (1768 CE) -

Prithvi Narayan Shah Maharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723–1775) ( ne, श्री ५ बडामहाराजाधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह देव) was the last ruler of the Gorkha Kingdom and first monarch of the ...

's Gorkhali forces take Kathmandu.
926 (1806) - Bhandarkhal Massacre establishes Bhimsen Thapa as the prime minister of Nepal.
966 (1846) - Kot massacre establishes Jang Bahadur Rana as the prime minister of Nepal and the Rana dynasty.
1054 (1934) - Great Earthquake strikes Nepal.
1061 (1941) - Four martyrs executed by the Rana regime.
1071 (1951) - Revolution topples Rana regime and establishes democracy.
1080 (1960) - Parliamentary system abolished and

system established.
1111 (1991) - First parliamentary election held after abolition of Panchayat and reinstatement of democracy.
1121 (2001) - The king, queen and other members of the royal family are killed in Nepali royal massacre.
1128 (2008) - Nepal becomes a republic.

Gallery

File:Nepal30002.JPG,

Coin issued in the name of King Ranjit Malla dated Nepal Era 842 (1722 CE)

File:Nepal30005a.JPG,

Coin issued in the name of King Prithvi Narayan Shah dated Saka Era 1685 (1763 CE)

File:Surendra shah coin 1788 saka era 1866 ad.JPG,

Coin issued in the name of King Surendra Bikram Shah dated 1788 Saka Era (1866 CE)

File:Pratap inscription.jpg,

King Pratap Malla's inscription at Durbar Square dated Nepal Era 774 (1654 CE)

File:Manuscript ns989.jpg,

Sanskrit Buddhist manuscript dated Nepal Era 989 (1869 CE)

File:Nepal lipi inscription 1952.jpg,

Copper plate inscription dated Nepal Era 1072 (1952 CE)

References

External links

Converter from Nepal Sambat to Gregorian Calendar

Nepal Sambat website A

Nepal Sambat website B

Jwajalapa
{{calendars Newar Sambat Calendars Specific calendars Sambat * Calendar eras Hindu calendar Lunisolar calendars Sambat New Year celebrations * Time in Nepal

Establishment

Sankhadhar Sakhwa

Historical usage

Suppression

Revival

Reinstated as national calendar

Current usage

Lunar Calendar

Months of the year

New Year

Monthly cycle

Solar Calendar

Months of the year

Leap year

Milestones

Gallery

See also

References

External links