Nepal Sambat

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Nepal Sambat (Nepal Bhasa: नेपाल सम्बत) is a lunar calendar. It was initiated by Sankhadhar Sakhwa to commemorate the pay back of all the debts of Nepalese people. Gregorian Calendar, Bikram Sambat and Nepal Sambat are three main calendars in use in Nepal, among which Nepal Sambat is the only one native to Nepal.

Contents 1 Description 1.1 Months of the year 2 History 2.1 Invention 3 References 4 See also 5 External links

Description

Nepal Samvat is a lunar calendar. It consists of 354 days per year and a month is added every third year. This calendar came into being and into official use during the reign of king Raghabdev, immediately after the completion of the Saka Samvat 802 (on 20 October 879 AD). Nepal Samvat is a unique calendar in the whole world. All other calendars are named after some rulers or religious leaders. Nepal Samvat is the only calendar which is named after a country. This calendar is said to have been introduced by a common subject Shankhadhar Sakhwa by clearing on his own all debts owing to the state by the then subjects of Nepal. This calendar was in continuous official use in Nepal for 889 years, i.e., from 879 to 1769 AD. After conquering Kathmandu in 1769 AD, Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah discontinued official use of Nepal Samvat. He instead revived and brought Saka Samvat into official use. In 1903 AD, Rana prime minister Chandra Shamsher replaced the Saka Samvat with the Bikram Samvat, which is in use as the official calendar in Nepal till date. Since the founder of the Nepal Samvat, Sankhadhar Sakhwa has been recognized as a national hero of Nepal, Nepalese people are also demanding to reintroduce the Nepal Samvat as Nepal's official calender. ^[1]

Months of the year

The months of the year are^[2] :-

Devanagari	Roman script	Corresponding Gregorian month
कछला	Kachha lā	November
िंथंला	Thin lā	December
पोहेला	Pohe lā	January
िसल्ला	Sil lā	February
िचल्ला	Chil lā	March
चौला	Chau lā	April
बछला	Bachha lā	May
तछला	Tachha lā	June
िदल्ला	Dil lā	July
गुंला	Goon lā	August
ञंला	Yen lā	September
कौला	Kau lā	October

History

This calendar was the national calendar of Nepal in Malla and early Shah era. It was replaced by Bikram Sambat as the national calendar. However, the calendar is still in use because most of the Nepalese festivals are celebrated according to the calendar.

Invention

According to local legends, a citizen of Kathmandu named Sankhadhar Sakhwa paid off the debts of all the people in Nepal. To commemorate the event, a new era was established.

References

See also

• Newar
• Goon lā

External links

• Nepal Sambat - An overview
• The Newar Community Network
• Newah
• Jwajalapa