Nepal Sambat (Newar: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐳𑐩𑑂𑐧𑐟, nepāla samvat, meaning "Nepal Era") is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newar people of Nepal. It was the official calendar of Nepal since its inception on 20 October 879 till the end of the Malla dynasty in 1769. During the period, Nepal Sambat appeared on coins, stone and copper plate inscriptions, royal decrees, chronicles, Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts, legal documents and correspondence. After the conquest of Nepal by the Shahs in 1769, the official calendar of the country was replaced with Shaka era and then later by the Bikram Samvat. The calendar still holds cultural significance in Nepal, especially among the Newar people, whose festivals are based on this calendar system. Owing to its cultural and historical significance, the government of Nepal declared to include Nepal Sambat in official government documents alongside Vikram Sambat since 11 November 2023. The origin of Nepal Sambat is often the subject of folklore like that of Sankhadhar Sakhwa, a semi-legendary figure who often appears in folklore as the progenitor of the calendar system. However, its historical origins still remain a mystery.
History Nepal Sambat was established on 20 October 879 when Rāghavadeva was ruling Nepal. The origins of the calendar system however remains a mystery. Many experts have theorized on its origin but there is yet to be a theory that is unanimously agreed upon by experts. A 14th century chronicle states that a new era was dedicated to Pashupati during the reign of Rāghavadeva leading some historians like Petech to theorize that the foundation of the new era is related to the completion of a sacred event related to Pasupati. Historian Baburam Acharya suggests that Rāghavadeva started the Nepal Sambat to commemorate the foundation of the Thakuri dynasty and the end of the Licchavi dynasty. Art Historian Pal does not theorize on the era's origin but suggests that the establishment of a new era named after the country indicated a growing sense of national identity among the native Newar people in the 9th century. Orientalist Sylvain Lévi suggests that Nepal Sambat was derived from the Shaka era by deducting 800 from the latter because "(sic) the number 8 is considered inauspicious by the Nepalese". Modern historian do not accept this claim as the Shaka era is 801.7 years ahead of Nepal Sambat. Lévi also theorized that Nepal Sambat was started to celebrate Nepal's autonomy from the Tibetan Empire following the murder of Langdarma, a claim which is also rejected by modern historians as the murder occurred in 842 CE. Nepalese Historian Gautama V. Vajracharya suggests a similar theory to Lévi, suggesting that Nepal Sambat did derive from Shaka era. He posits that Nepal Sambat was established when the Shaka era reached year 801, following the historical practice of lokakāla, where a new era was established by resetting the year count to 1 after the completion of a century.
Sankhadhar Sakhwa However, the most prevalent theory about the origin of the calendar system is that of Sankhadhar Sakhwa. According to the local folklore, Nepal Sambat was started by a merchant named Sankhadhar Sakhwa (Newar: 𑐳𑐒𑑂𑐏𑐢𑐬 𑐳𑐵𑐏𑑂𑐰𑐵𑑅) to commemorate the day when he cleared the debts of people of Nepal Valley. According to the folklore, an astrologer from Bhaktapur predicted that the sand at the confluence Bhacha Khushi and Bishnumati River in Kathmandu 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 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. Several sources from the Malla Dynasty even refer to the calendar system after Sakhwa; a manuscript from 1645 (NS 766) refer to the era as, Samvat Sankudatta after Sankhwa, a Jataka manuscript from 1743 (NS 864) refer to it as, nepalike samkhadarabde samvat ("the nepal era created by Sankhadhar") and a stone inscription from Bhaktapur refer to it as "Samkhava Samvat". However, the historicity of Sankhadhar Sankhwa is still a matter of debate among historians.
Historical usage
The name Nepal Sambat was used for the calendar for the first time in Nepal Sambat 148 (1028 CE). An inscription on a stupa in Panauti is dated Nepal Sambat 866 (1746 CE). Nepal Sambat has also been used outside Nepal Mandala in Nepal and in other countries including India, China and Myanmar. In Gorkha, a stone inscription at the Bhairav Temple at Pokharithok Bazaar contains the date Nepal Sambat 704 (1584 CE). An inscription in the Khas language at a rest house in Salyankot is dated Nepal Sambat 912 (1792 CE). 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 CE). The Bindhyabasini Temple in Bandipur in west Nepal contains an inscription dated Nepal Sambat 950 (1830 CE) 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 CE). 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 is dated Nepal Sambat 781 (1661 CE).
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
