Nepal Sambat (Newar:𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐳𑐩𑑂𑐧𑐟‎,nepāla samvat, meaning "Nepal Era") is thelunisolar calendar used by theNewar people ofNepal.^[1][2] It was the official calendar ofNepal since its inception on 20 October 879 till the end of theMalla dynasty in 1769.^[3][4] During the period, Nepal Sambat appeared on coins,stone and copper plate inscriptions, royal decrees, chronicles,Hindu andBuddhist manuscripts, legal documents and correspondence.^[5] After the conquest ofNepal by theShahs in 1769, the official calendar of the country was replaced withShaka era and then later by theVikram Samvat.^[3]

The calendar still holds cultural significance in Nepal, especially among theNewar people, whose festivals are based on this calendar system.^[6] 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.^[7]

The origin of Nepal Sambat is often the subject of folklore like that ofSankhadhar 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.^[3]

Nepal Sambat was established on 20 October 879 when Rāghavadeva was rulingNepal.^[8] 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.^[8]

A 14th century chronicle states that a new era was dedicated toPashupati during the reign of Rāghavadeva leading some historians likePetech to theorize that the foundation of the new era is related to the completion of a sacred event related toPasupati.^[8]

Art HistorianPal doesn't theorize on the era's origin but suggests that the establishment of a new era named after thecountry indicated a growing sense of national identity among the nativeNewar people in the 9th century.^[9]

OrientalistSylvain Lévi suggests that Nepal Sambat was derived from theShaka era by deducting 800 from the later because "(sic) the number 8 is considered inauspicious by the Nepalese".^[8][10] Modern historian do not accept this claim as theShaka era is 801.7 years ahead of Nepal Sambat.^[8] Lévi also theorized that Nepal Sambat was started to celebrate Nepal's autonomy from theTibetan Empire following the murder ofLangdarma, a claim which is also rejected by modern historians as the murder occurred in 842 CE.^[8]

Nepalese HistorianGautama V. Vajracharya suggests a similar theory to Lévi, suggesting that Nepal Sambat did derive fromShaka era. He posits that Nepal Sambat was established when the Shaka era reached year 801, following the historical practice oflokakāla, where a new era was established by resetting the year count to 1 after the completion of a century.^[1]

However, the most prevalent theory about the origin of the calendar system is that ofSankhadhar Sakhwa. According to the local folklore, Nepal Sambat was started by a merchant namedSankhadhar Sakhwa (Newar:𑐳𑐒𑑂𑐏𑐢𑐬 𑐳𑐵𑐏𑑂𑐰𑐵𑑅‎) to commemorate the day when he cleared the debts of people ofNepal Valley.^[3][8]

According to the folklore, an astrologer fromBhaktapur predicted that the sand at the confluence Bhacha Khushi andBishnumati River inKathmandu 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 atMaru 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.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Several sources from theMalla Dynasty even refer to the calendar system afterSakhwa; a manuscript from 1645 (NS 766) refer to the era as,Samvat Sankudatta after Sankhwa, aJataka manuscript from 1743 (NS 864) refer to it as, nepalike samkhadarabde samvat ("the nepal era created by Sankhadhar") and a stone inscription fromBhaktapur refer to it as "Samkhava Samvat".^[3] However, the historicity ofSankhadhar Sankhwa is still a matter of debate among historians.^[8][14]

The name Nepal Sambat was used for the calendar for the first time in Nepal Sambat 148 (1028 CE).^[8]

An inscription on astupa inPanauti is dated Nepal Sambat 866 (1746 CE).^[15]

Nepal Sambat has also been used outsideNepal Mandala in Nepal and in other countries includingIndia,China andMyanmar. InGorkha, a stone inscription at the Bhairav Temple at Pokharithok Bazaar contains the date Nepal Sambat 704 (1584 CE). An inscription in theKhas language at a rest house inSalyankot is dated Nepal Sambat 912 (1792 CE).^[16] In east Nepal, an inscription on the Bidyadhari Ajima Temple inBhojpur recording the donation of a door andtympanum is dated Nepal Sambat 1011 (1891 CE). The Bindhyabasini Temple inBandipur in west Nepal contains an inscription dated Nepal Sambat 950 (1830 CE) recording the donation of a tympanum.^[17] ThePalanchok Bhagawati Temple situated to the east of Kathmandu contains an inscription recording a land donation dated Nepal Sambat 861 (1741 CE).^[18]

Similarly, Nepali merchants based in Tibet (Lhasa Newars) used Nepal Sambat in their official documents, correspondence and inscriptions recording votive offerings.^[19] A copper plate recording the donation of a tympanum at the shrine of Chhwaskamini Ajima (Tibetan:Palden Lhamo) in theJokhang Temple inLhasa is dated Nepal Sambat 781 (1661 CE).^[20]

Nepal Sambat was replaced as the national calendar inRana period of theKingdom of Nepal. The victory of the Gorkha Kingdom resulted in the end of theMalla dynasty and the advent of The Shahs usedSaka era. However, Nepal Sambat remained in official use for a time even after the coming of the Shahs. For example, the treaty withTibet signed during the reign ofPratap Singh Shah is dated Nepal Sambat 895 (1775 CE). In 1903, Saka Sambat, in turn, was superseded byBikram Sambat as the official calendar.^[13] However, the government continued to use Saka Sambat on gold and silver coins till 1912 when it was fully replaced by Bikram Sambat.^[21][22]

The campaign to reinstate Nepal Sambat as the national calendar began in the 1920s whenDharmaditya Dharmacharya, a Buddhist andNepal Bhasa activist based inKolkata, 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 autocraticRana dynasty in 1951.^[23] The demand to make Nepal Sambat a national calendar intensified with the establishment ofNepal Bhasa Manka Khala 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.^[8] ThePanchayat regime suppressed the movement by arresting and imprisoning the activists.^[24][25] In 1987 in Kathmandu, aroad running event organized to mark the New Year was broken up by police and the runners thrown in jail.^[26]

The Nepal Sambat movement achieved its first success on 18 November 1999 when the government declared the founder of the calendar,Sankhadhar Sakhwa (संखधर साख्वा), a national hero.^[27] On 26 October 2003, the Department of Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp depicting his portrait.^[28] A statue of Sankhadhar was erected inTansen,Palpa in western Nepal on 28 January 2012.^[29]

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 byNepal Bhasa Manka Khala,^[11] and formed a taskforce to make recommendations on its implementation.^[30] 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.^[31]

Nepal Sambat is used majorly amongNewar people. The lunar calendar is used for celebration of festival and observation of rituals.^[32] Lalitpur Metropolitan City began ascribing Nepal Sambat dates alongBikram Sambat dates since the year 1140, i.e. mid 2020.^[33][34]

The Lunar Calendar of Nepal Sambat or theLunar Nepal Sambat spans from 353 to 355 (in leap 383 to 385) days in a year.^[35][36]

On regular years, there are twelve months. Anintercalary month 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.^[37][38]

New Year's Day falls on the first day of the waxing moon during theSwanti festival.^[39] 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 performingMha Puja (Newari: 𑐴𑑂𑐩𑐥𑐸𑐖𑐵, म्हपुजा), a ritual to purify and empower the soul for the coming New Year besides praying for longevity.^[40] During this ceremony, family members sit cross-legged in a row on the floor in front ofmandalas (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 theSagan ceremony. Mha Puja and Nepal Sambat are also celebrated abroad where Nepali peoples have settled.^[41]

Outdoor celebrations of the new year consist of cultural processions, pageants, and rallies. Participants dressed intraditional 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.^[42] 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 inNepal Bhasa.^[43]

The monthly cycle of Lunar Nepal Sambat is based onHindu units of time. The month ends on thenew moon and begins on the first day of the waxing moon. Each month is divided intothwa andgа̄ (Nepal Bhasa: 𑐠𑑂𑐰𑑅 / 𑐐𑐵𑑅, थ्वः / गाः). The period of waxing moon is calledthwa and the period of wanning moon is calledgaa. Each lunar phase is known asmilа̄lyа̄ (Nepal Bhasa: 𑐩𑐶𑐮𑐵𑐮𑑂𑐫𑐵𑑅, मिलाल्याः).^[35][38][36]The lunar phases are named as follows

Following the official use of Nepal Sambat in Lalitpur Metropolitan City,^[33] 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.^{[44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]}

The Solar Calendar of Nepal Sambat or theSolar Nepal Sambat follows a consistent pattern of division of years.^{[38][54][55][56]}

The leap year determination of Solar Nepal Sambat follows a similar pattern of determining leap year inGregorian Calendar.^[54]

888 Nepal Sambat (1768 CE) -Prithvi Narayan Shah's Gorkhali forces take Kathmandu.
926 (1806) - Bhandarkhal Massacre establishesBhimsen Thapa as the prime minister of Nepal.
966 (1846) -Kot massacre establishesJang 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 andPanchayat 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 inNepali royal massacre.
1128 (2008) - Nepal becomes a republic.^[57]

• 
  Coin issued in the name of King Ranjit Malla dated Nepal Era 842 (1722 CE)
• 
  King Pratap Malla's inscription at Durbar Square dated Nepal Era 774 (1654 CE)
• 
  Sanskrit Buddhist manuscript dated Nepal Era 989 (1869 CE)
• 
  Copper plate inscription dated Nepal Era 1072 (1952 CE)

• Vikram Samvat
• Mha Puja
• Swanti (festival)
• Lunar calendar
• Lunar phase

• Nepal Sambat website B
• Converter from Nepal Sambat to Gregorian Calendar
• Nepal Sambat website AArchived 2021-02-12 at theWayback Machine
• Jwajalapa

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• Specific calendars
• Cultural history of Nepal
• Nepali calendar
• Calendar eras
• Hindu calendar
• Lunisolar calendars
• National symbols of Nepal
• New Year celebrations
• Observances set by the Nepal Sambat calendar
• Time in Nepal

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