Kathmandu, October 28:

Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Hisila Yami today said the government was doing necessary groundwork to use Nepal Sambat as the national calendar.

Addressing an interaction on Nepal Sambat, organised by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) here, she said the government was keen to implement the decision of recognising Nepal Sambat nationally. “Such a change was possible due to several revolutions, including the people’s revolution and sacrifice made by some 13,000 martyrs,” she said.

The minister said a task force would be formed soon to study different aspects of Nepal Sambat. Such move could evince more interest among tourists to learn more about the country, she said. Besides this, Yami said the government would also try to adjust other indigenous

calendars in use in the country and make them more scientific. However, some participants in the function doubted the government’s intention, citing the use of English calendar in the banner of the programme. President of Manka Khala Nepal Padma Ratna Tuladhar

urged the government to form a task force to implement its decision.

Prof Manik Ratna Shrestha informed that Nepal Sambat was initiated by Shankhadhar Sakhwa to commemorate the pay back of all the debts of people, who were compelled to become slaves for failing to pay the dues during the regime of Lichchhavi King Raghav Dev. Nepal Sambat was widely used during the Lichchhavi period and Malla period in Kathmandu Valley, he said.

“After the establishment of Shah dynasty rule, Prithvi Narayan Shah revived Saka Sambat for official use. It was during the regime of Chandra Shumsher JB Rana that Bikram Sambat replaced Saka Sambat for the official use,” he said.President of Newa Deya Daboo Malla K Sundar said Nepal Sambat could be an attraction for tourists because of the cultural values attached to it.

It is said that Nepal Sambat is a lunar calendar like Saka Sambat, which consists

of 354 days a year, due to the fact that lunar month has 29 or 30 days based on the movement of the moon.

This calendar was believed to have come into the official use during the reign of

king Raghab Dev on 20 October 879 AD and this is the only calendar named after

a country.