Solar Nepal Samvat Calendar?!
I am writing this note about misunderstanding among people of Nepal on solar Nepal samvat.
It is sad to say that Newa scholars, enthusiasts and activists are making blunder mistake in understanding that Nepal Samvat is based on lunar calender. It is luni-solar as other oriental eras.
All eras used in Nepal (Shak, Vikram, Nepal, Laksman) can use lunar (Tithi) and solar (Gate) day both. Tithi is common to all these eras and Gate is also common of them.( See my: Nepalsaṃvat tithi va gate chhyalegu vidhi, 2018) Tithi prevailed in Nepal for 1718 years (185–1903 CE). PM Chandra Shamsher replaced it with Gate from his historical step in VS 1960 Vaiśākha 1 Gate Monday (NS 1023 Chaulāgā Dvitīyā Tithi, Bachhalā 1 Gate/ CE 1903 April 13). Nepal went ahead a step in using stable era in Government works and among common people and ended the monopoly of Dharmādhikāra (Religious preceptor’s right) policy.
Now, it is time to replace Gate with Tārīkh, the most scientific and systematic solar date used by world’s main stream bodies. Nepal is in the grip of traditional ideologist. They say CE is Christian Era. Christian religion will prevail, if Nepal use this nationally. It is not ground reality. CE is no more AD (Anno Domini “in the year of Lord”). It is Current Era/Common Era. There are more people in the world, who use this than Christians.
Almost all Asian countries use Common Era in government and public level. They have their own Cultural Era too. Nepal is using Vikram Era in government, public as well as in cultural level. Several Indian states use forms of Vikram Era culturally.
In this way, Nepal is seen a cultural state of India, for which Indian Mahānāyaka Amitabh Bachchan was proud to explain in his KBC question two years ago that Nepal’s National Era is Vikram Samvat. If Nepal is an independent country, she must flow in world’s main stream of the most scientific era, the Common Era.
Newa enthusiasts should do movement to make bound to the Nepal Government to follow more scientific era as she replaced traditional measurement system with scientific Metric system. They should emphasise to establish Nepal Samvat as Cultural Era among eras used in Nepal. It is a pity that Newa enthusiasts are wasting their valuable time proposing hypothetical, historically baseless, so called “Solar Nepal Samvat Calender”, imitating the Common Era itself.
Yours,
Kashinath Tamot
