In the heart of the Himalayas lies a calendar that transcends time, connecting the past, present, and future. Nepal Sambat, the lunisolar calendar of Nepal, carries within it the echoes of centuries, the rhythm of festivals, and the spirit of communal service.
Spiralogics took upon the journey back in 2017 to convert the available knowledge of Nepal Sambat into digital form. Initially started with manually entering the data to present it in a calendar format, the team soon found that it would not be enough to encourage and promote the use of Nepal Sambat calendar at a national level.
With Mr. Saunak Ranjitkar, CTO/COO at Spiralogics Inc., leading the research to devise a plan to make Nepal Sambat an autonomous calendar, the team soon found out that there is a proper algorithm to analyze the calendar from a mathematics and scientific perspective. After intensive research and significant contributions from members in and outside Spiralogics, the team came up with an algorithm that is based on the movement of how long the moon takes to cycle around the earth along with the direction of celestial bodies like earth, moon, sun, and planets. With this algorithm, it is possible to find out the Nepal Sambat date for any given day, decades in the past or future.
This breakthrough enabled Spiralogics to develop Nepal Sambat as a mobile application that enables users to view the important elements of Nepal Sambat calendar such as the current Tithi (Nepal Sambat month and date), Sunsign, Sunrise Time, Moonsign, Moonrise Time, Moonset time, Nakshatra and so on. Additionally, the application provides its users with the ability to view Nepali festivals that fall in a month or year and convert date between Nepal Sambat, Bikram Sambat and Anno Domini.
Nepal Sambat application developed by Spiralogics was officially launched on NS 1142 Kachhalatho 1, Friday (November 5, 2021/ Kartik 19 2078) by the then Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba on the occasion of Nepal Sambat New Year. After 2 years on NS 1142 Kachhalatho 1, Tuesday (November 14, 2023/ Kartik 28 2080), on the same occasion, the Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal shared his commitment to use Nepal Sambat as an official calendar in the government offices in Nepal. This commitment came into action on NS 1144 Thinlaga Ammai, Thursday (January 11, 2024/ Poush 26, 2080) when the cabinet of Home Ministry took the decision to bring into use the Nepal Sambat in all the government documents and works.
Spiralogics was able to make this impact at a national level with the contributions from several individuals and organizations, the most notable one being Rastriya Bibhuti Sankhadhar Sakhwa: Pratisthan. Spiralogics collaborated with the current and former Presidents of the Pratisthan to encourage people to use Nepal Sambat calendar/application. The effort was fueled by individuals including Mr. Gokul Manandhar (Paubhaa Sayami), Mr. Rajendra Ranjit, Mr. Shyam Manandhar, Dr. Rajendra Man Bajracharya and many more.
Upon Saunak’s arrival in Nepal after 4 long years on April 18, 2024, the members at Rastriya Bibhuti Sankhadhar Sakhwa: Pratisthan organized an event to honor Saunak for leading the team at Spiralogics in developing the algorithm and mobile application for Nepal Sambat. The event was held at the premises of the Pratisthan in Madhyapur Thimi on April 24, 2024, at 3 PM NPT. Saunak, joined by Sujan Prajapati and Rajina Pradha, were welcomed by the former president of Pratisthan, Mr. Chandan K. Shrestha at the Pratisthan premises. The main program included a ceremony where Saunak was honored with a garland, shawl and Bhadgaunle Topi accompanied by the gifts from the Pratisthan. The gifts included a handmade statue of the National Hero Sankhadhar Sakhwa:, book on the life of Sankhadhar Sakhwa: and another book on tourism in Madhyapur Thimi. The event concluded with a hi-tea and networking session where Saunak discussed the possibility of improvements in the Nepal Sambat application with the members of Pratisthan. Mr. Shyam Manandhar gave Saunak a tour of the Sankhadhar Park and his house before Saunak formally adjourned the day.
On the following day, April 25, 2024, Spiralogics organized an event, Nepal Sambat App – Interaction Program, to facilitate and encourage the use of Nepal Sambat calendar in Nepal. The event included a discussion joined by Mr. Saunak Ranjitkar, Mr. Rajendra Ranjit, Mr. Shyam Manandhar, Mr. Gokul Manandhar (Paubhaa Sayami), Dr. Rajendra Man Bajracharya and Mr. Arun Thapa. The discussion was moderated by Mrs. Nisha Paudel and included important insights on the emergence, history and current usage status of Nepal Sambat calendar. The discussion highlighted the Nepal Sambat calendar as the national calendar of Nepal and its importance in Nepalese culture and tradition. The discussion was followed by a Q&A session with audience where the discussion on the Nepal Sambat calendar and application continued. The contributions made by the members present in the discussion were also acknowledged, the members were presented with a scarf and a certificate of appreciation in a traditional wooden frame. This was followed by a hi-tea session which concluded the event.
During these events, we learnt a lot about Nepal Sambat calendar and its working principles. It is safe to say that the activists involved in promoting Nepal Sambat calendar are the true heroes who are proactively participating to preserve the living heritage of the nation. We hope to see the calendar in use for daily activities of the Nepalese people soon.
About the author:
Sujan Prajapati is a Senior Project Manager at Spiralogics, known for his knack for turning serious moments into smiles. He enjoys sending memes for every occasion, and his leadership and sense of humor are integral to promoting cultural heritage through innovative technology.
