Tachhalā (

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 ...

: तछला) is the eighth month in the

Nepal Era 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, the national

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, t ...

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 ma ...

. The month coincides with

Jyeshtha Jyeshtha or Jyēṣṭha ( sa, ज्येष्ठ; ne, जेठ ''jēṭ''; as, জেঠ ''zeth''; or, ଜ୍ୟେଷ୍ଠ ''Jyeṣṭha'') is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Jyestha is the third mon ...

(ज्येष्ठ) in the

Hindu lunar calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

and

June June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summ ...

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 di ...

. Tachhalā begins with 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 the

full moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This mean ...

falls on the 15th of the

lunar month In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month. Variations In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Europ ...

. The month is divided into the bright and dark fortnights which are known as Tachhalā Thwa (तछला थ्व) and Tachhalā Gā (तछला गा) respectively. Among the major festivals observed during the month, the 6th day of the bright fortnight is Sithi Nakha which is dedicated to

Kumar Kartikeya Kumar Kartikeya (born 26 December 1997) is an Indian cricketer who represents Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket and the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He made his List A debut for Madhya Pradesh in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare ...

, one of the two sons of Hindu deity

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...

. The special food of the festival is "wo", a lentil cake. The holiday has an environmental aspect apart from its religious significance. On this day, water sources like wells, ponds and

fountains A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

are cleaned. The full moon day of Gaidu Purnimā, known as Jyā Punhi in Nepal Bhasa, is a widely celebrated holiday. For

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 ...

s, Jya Punhi is sacred as the day when Prince Siddhartha, the Buddha-to-be, left his home in search of enlightenment. The full moon day is also known as Panauti Punhi for the festival that takes place in

Panauti Panauti ( ne, पनौती) is a List of cities in Nepal, municipality in Kavrepalanchok District in Bagmati Province of Nepal located 32 km Southeast of the capital Kathmandu. The town is currently listed as a UNESCO tentative site sinc ...

, a town to the east of

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

. During Panauti Jātrā, chariot processions of the deities

Bhairava Bhairava (Sanskrit: भैरव ) or Kala Bhairava is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva associated with annihilation. In Trika system ''Bhai ...

and Bhadrakali are held in the most important celebration here. On the 8th day of the dark fortnight, the festival of Machā Tiyā Jātrā or Trishul Jātrā ("The Procession with the Trident") is held in Deopatan in Kathmandu.

Days in the month

Months of the year

References

{{reflist Months Nepali calendar Nepalese culture