Nepal Sambat
Nepal Sambat (Nepal Bhasa: नेपाल सम्बत) is the national lunar calendar of Nepal.[1] The era started on 20 October 879 AD and was in widespread use for all daily purposes until the beginning of the 20th century. It appeared on coins, stone and copper plate inscriptions, royal decrees, chronicles, Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts, legal documents and correspondence.
Following a period of neglect, Nepal Sambat has been revived as Nepal's glory and symbol of national unity. In 2008, the government named it a national era.[2] On 25 October 2011, the government decided to bring Nepal Sambat into use as the country's national calendar, and formed a taskforce to make recommendations on its implementation.[3]
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[edit] Removal and revival
Nepal Sambat was replaced as the national calendar after the Gorkha conquest of the Kathmandu Valley in 1768 which resulted in the end of the Malla dynasty and the advent of the Shah dynasty. The Shahs used Saka era. However, Nepal Sambat remained in official use for a time after the coming of the Shahs. The treaty with Tibet signed during the reign of Pratap Singh Shah is dated Nepal Sambat 895 (1775 AD). In 1903, Saka Sambat in turn was superseded by Bikram Sambat as the official calendar.[4]
Despite the loss of legal recognition, many people in the Kathmandu Valley and around have continued using Nepal Sambat for ceremonial purposes. It is used to date manuscripts, books and inscriptions.[5] Birth and death anniversaries, and almost all the religious festivals, are observed according to the lunar calendar.
The government moved to restore the national status of Nepal Sambat following prolonged lobbying by cultural and social organizations, most prominently by Nepal Bhasa Manka Khala.[6] Mainstream newspapers now print the date in Nepal Sambat along with other dates on their mastheads.
[edit] New year
New Year's Day falls on the first day of the waxing moon. 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 (Nepal Bhasa: म्हपुजा), a ritual to purify and empower the soul for the coming New Year besides praying for longevity.[7] During this ceremony, family members sit cross-legged in a row on the floor in front of mandalas (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.
Outdoor celebrations of the new year consist of cultural processions, pageants, rallies and functions. Streets and market squares are decorated with arches, gates and banners bearing new year greetings.
[edit] The founder
On 18 November 1999, the government declared the founder of the calendar, a trader of Kathmandu named Sankhadhar Sakhwa (Devanagari: संखधर साख्वा), a national hero. On 26 October 2003, the Department of Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp depicting his portrait.[8] [9] A statue of Sankhadhar was erected in Tansen, Palpa in western Nepal on 28 January 2012.[10]
[edit] History
Nepal Sambat was started in 879 AD during the reign of King Raghav Dev to commemorate the payment of all the debts of the Nepalese people by a Nepalese trader named Sankhadhar Sakhwa.[11] According to the legend, the astrologer of the king of Bhaktapur calculated the auspicious time and date when sand dug at the confluence of the Bhacha Khusi and Bishnumati rivers in Kathmandu would turn into gold.
The king sent a team of porters to Kathmandu to collect sand at the special hour. A local merchant, Sankhadhar Sakhwa, thought it strange that people should come all this distance to get sand. So he talked the porters into dumping their load at his home, convincing them that they could get more later. Sankhadhar's sand turned into gold, and he used the windfall to repay everybody's debts and cancel their IOUs and start a new calendar.[12]
Nepal Sambat has also been used outside the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal and in other countries. In Gorkha, a stone inscription at the Bhairav Temple at Pokharithok Bazaar contains the date Nepal Sambat 704 (1584 AD).
In Tibet, Newar traders used Nepal Sambat in their official documents, correspondence and inscriptions recording votive offerings.[13] A copper plate recording the donation of a tympanum at the shrine of Chhwaskamini Ajima (Tibetan: Palden Lhamo) in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa is dated Nepal Sambat 781 (1661 AD).[14]
[edit] Structure
Nepal Sambat, a lunar calendar, is a variant of the Saka era a Hindu calendar with the main difference being that Nepal Sambat lags behind the Saka era by 802 years. It consists of 354 days per year, due to the fact that a lunar month has 29 or 30 days based on the movement of the moon. So an intercalary month is added every third year.
This calendar came into being and into official use during the reign of king Raghavdev, immediately after the completion of the Saka Sambat 802 (on 20 October 879 AD). The year 804 was approaching within a year and according to legend, his decision was guided by his fear of the number 804, that some people still believe, brings misfortune. People with traditional belief still try to escape with number 8 that comes together with 12. Doing math correctly, 804 adds up to 12 and 804 means 8 along with 12.
Nepal Sambat is a unique calendar in the sense that all other calendars are named after rulers or religious leaders. Nepal Sambat is the only calendar which is named after a country.
The year 2012 AD corresponds to 1132 in Nepal Sambat and 2068 in the official Bikram Sambat calendar.
[edit] Months of the year
The months of the year are[15]:-
| Devanagari | Roman script | Corresponding Gregorian month |
|---|---|---|
| कछला | Kachha lā | November |
| थिंला | Thin lā | December |
| पोहेला | Pohe lā | January |
| सिल्ला | Sil lā | February |
| चिल्ला | Chil lā | March |
| चौला | Chau lā | April |
| बछला | Bachha lā | May |
| तछला | Tachha lā | June |
| दिल्ला | Dil lā | July |
| गुंला | Goon lā | August |
| ञंला | Yen lā | September |
| कौला | Kau lā | October |
[edit] References
- ^ "Nepal Sambat gets national status". The Rising Nepal. 24 October 2008. http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/detail.php?article_id=8874&cat_id=5. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Nepal Sambat symbol of national unity". The Rising Nepal. 30 October 2008. http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/detail.php?article_id=9108&cat_id=8. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Govt to bring Nepal Sambat into use". Republica. 25 October 2011. http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=37568. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ My Republica
- ^ Shakya, Hem Raj. (2004) Sri Svayambhu Mahacaitya. Kathmandu: Svayambhu Vikash Mandala. ISBN 99933-864-0-5. Pages 588-620.
- ^ Pradhananga, Gyanendra Dhar (29 January 2012). "The sands of time". The Kathmandu Post. http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2012/01/28/free-the-words/the-sands-of-time/230946.html. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ "Mha Puja today, Nepal Sambat 1132 being observed". Ekantipur. 27 October 2011. http://www.ekantipur.com/2011/10/27/top-story/mha-puja-today-nepal-sambat-1132-being-observed/342845.html. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ "First Day Covers". 2008 Cumulative Index for Newsletters and Postal Himal Numbers 1 through 132. Nepal & Tibet Philatelic Study Circle. http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/postalhimal/pdf/PH_index.pdf. Retrieved 25 January 2012. Page 94.
- ^ Joshi, Amar Prasad (2008). "Shankhadhar Sakhwa: Founder of Nepal Samvat". The Rising Nepal. http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/gopa.detail.php?article_id=25573&cat_id=10. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ Sandhya Times (29 January 2012). Kathmandu: Artha Pithana Prakashan. Page 1.
- ^ My Republica
- ^ Pradhananga, Gyanendra Dhar (29 January 2012). "The sands of time". The Kathmandu Post. http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2012/01/28/free-the-words/the-sands-of-time/230946.html. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ Hridaya, Chittadhar (ed.) (1971). Nepal Bhasa Sahityaya Jatah. Kathmandu: Nepal Bhasa Parisad. Pages 255-256.
- ^ Hridaya, Chittadhar (ed.) (1971). Nepal Bhasa Sahityaya Jatah. Kathmandu: Nepal Bhasa Parisad. Page 47.
- ^ Jwajalapa
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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