The Yele Sambat

Chandra Prakash Sunuwar

Yele sambat is kiranti new year and it used to celebrate in the time of maghe siri panchami or sukla panchami.This new year used to celebrate since unknown ancient time by kiranti people as new year and considered this day as very lucky,Prosperouse and happy day for all kirantis.This yele name is coming from king yalamber who officially declared this day as new year for kiranti people so from his name this sambat or year is called yele sambat.This siri panchami or sukla panchami was so precious day for kiranti people when the yalamber defeated the gopal dynasty king Bhuvansingh in nepal and started kiranti era this was day of siri panchami.Altogether, there were 29 kings of this dynasty who ruled over Nepal for about 1225 years But according to kirant bansawali record there is 34 kiranti king who ruled the Nepal . According to the chronicle (Bansawali) of Kirkpatrick, Kiratas ruled over Nepal from about 900 B.C. to 300 A.D. During this long period, altogether 29 Kirat Kings ruled over the country'.yalamber was such mighty and legendary kirant king who led the kirata in legendary kuruchetra war of Mahavarata. Kirant people considered him as god king as incarnation of mahadeva so he is called AKASH VAIRAB AS WELL. Another form of lord Siva or lord of terror. The temple, a three storey structure now stands in the busy square of Indra Chowk is the temple of AKASH VAIRAB or temple of legendary kirant king yalamber.The twenty-nine Kings were : 1.Yalambar 2.Pari 3. Skandhar 4.Balamba 5.Hriti 6.Humati 7.Jitedasti 8.Galinja 9.Oysgja 10.Suyarma 11.Papa 12.Bunka 13.Swawnanda 14.Sthunko 15.Jinghri 16.nane 17.luka 18.Thor 19.Thoko 20.Verma 21.Guja 21.Guja 22.Pushkar 23.kKeshu 24.Suja 25.Sansa 26.Gunam 27.Khimbu 28.Patuka 29.GastiThe last King of the Kirant dynasty was Gasti. He proved to be a weak ruler and was overthrown by the Sombanshi ruler Nimisha. It brought to the end of the powerful Kirant dynasty.When they defeated by lichabi king Again they Regrouped and formed the another kirant kingdom in banepa that day was maghe siri panchami or sukla pagnchami.Their new kirant kingdom was started from Sanga Bhanjyang hill Kathmandu valley to Sikkim in east and remain as hostile power for the lichavi.After Twenty years of ruling in banepa as kiranti kingdom Later this kingdom was divided into 3 small kingdom they were called Wallo kirant, majh kirant and pallo kirant with the different kings. Among them wallo kirant had boarder from sanga bhanjyang from west to dudh koshi in east.Friest king of wallo kirant was king Binicha.He was such mighty king and had power of wishful death only. according to myth he had hidden Tupi{long hair in middle of the head} without cutting this he wouldn’t die this was his secrecy and famous for magic and art of warfare. According to sunuwar kirant chronicle he used to form this wallo kirant in the time of maghe siri panchami or sukla panchami another form of yele sambat in Bhuji kot gaun in ramechap district so he declared that day is new year as it is like before. This new year used to celebrate like chandi beating dhole,chyamta and sacrificing many animals and eating, drinking making socielize.in addition they used to do stick fighting, sword fighting khukuri fighting and game of archery. This kind of game was so dangerous could easily break head and vulnerable to die as well but this was kiranti tradition and game of warrior race so nothing to do with this festival. Once passer-by two saints yogi named Kalbhairung and kal narsing seen this wallo kiranti new year and so much horrified. They Try to teach sunuwar this festival need to avoid because they seen many warrior bleeding and they took sword from them and brought In Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu. In addition all kirant young lad and lady get together and make appointment for marriage if they like each other. Pierced the ear for young people to wear rings, cut the hair, get together the relatives, Build new houses, To give new clothes this is tradition in sunuwar.There is say for kiranti people no need to see Sahit{good day} for start life journey. This festival was completely banned after conquest of gorkha darwar but still remain in the time of rana government illegally but after rana government this festival is completely banned all sort of kiranti documents were burned and destroy which the office used to call Jatiya nasta bivag {gopal Gurung} but still old wallo kiranti sunuwar used to practice and celebrate this new year in time of maghe siri panchami.So recently Friest of all wallo kiranti sunuwar start to celebrate this new year almost 10 years ago officially from sunuwar welfare society. Now limbu organisation recognise this new year as kiranti new year and start to follow sunuwar’s.This is not only by sunuwar and limbu but we all kiranti must recognise our festival and revive our ancient pride. Nepal is kirant Deshe and ridiculously we are not celebrating our kirant festival and religion. We are such rich in historically, culturally and traditionally but we seems losing our all faith. This festival is not only lucky for kiranti but many other people as well. In the time of siri panchami lord Buddha used to born so all Buddhist celebrate Buddha jayanti{Buddha day} who was one of the greatest kirata scholar in past who gave Nirvana for all human being. He was the great teachers of all human race. Same day Chinese people have Chinese new year which is called chunche there is strong connection with Chinese new year chunche and yele sambat. yele sambat and chunche might be same in past because kirata people were originated in Hunan province of china 6000 BC.In this siri panchami Hindu goddess saraswati puja{worship}is done. She is the goddess of learning. She used to be kiranti goddess Vedic people just forcefully trying to bring in Hindu fold.Sarswati in the Vedas was goddess of wealth, fruits and well being not as goddess of learning and intelligence. Sarswati today is clothed with white colour which had derived from Khuluma of Tripuri kiranti people who is goddess of cotton and learning as she teaches us to weave and design the clothes. Khuluma is considered white colour as she for cotton. It clearly shows goddess of learning saraswati is our kiranti god So value of siri panchami or sukla panchami is something beyond our imagination for kiranti people. The full moon has different place for all living being. This is day of god,goddest,legendary story of wolf. All living being are happy to see full moon.Kiranti people have myth and belief that day all SIME,BHUME,NAG AND NAGINI{Goddess of earth, goddess of water and serpent king} They all come out on Earth to breath and see the human activity and for blessing if they worship and appease them. This day people have belief that day naga king or serpent god change him as human form so come in house disguising as yogi and blessed people so some people worship naga as well.Kiranti sunuwar has belief this day is important and it’s called KHARO BAR OR KHARO DIN so they have belief, that night 7 brother BANESKHANDI{JUNGLE GOD} come to visit every GOTH{HUT}to bless animal. There is folk lore that day kiranteswore mahadeva and kirantni parbati take bath in high Himalayan holy lake like JHATA POKHARI,NIRMAL POKHARI,BHUT POKHARI,PANCH POKHARI,GOSAI KUNDA,TILICHO TAL,CHYO ROLPA,HALESWARI,KAILASH MAN SAROWAR TAL AND other many more. For novelist, story writer, poem writer and lovers this full moon is something different. According to science sun start to move from south pole to north pole so this new year the day of siri panchami is really really essential. All this kind of worship used to do in kiranti new year day the yele sambat.This yele sambat which we celebrating today in maghe siri panchami created confused for kiranti people who doesn’t have sufficient historical knowledge about this and misunderstood as MAGHE SAKRANTI but this is not maghe sakranti this is yele sambat kiranti new year which we celebrate in maghe siri panchmi.Because of time and difficulty of fixing the time some kiranti organisation start to celebrate in time of magh 1 gate but it has to be in time of maghe siri panchami or sukla panchami or basanta panchami.Kirata race were such ancient and used to tussle with god,goddest and demon in their daily life. They were only not ancient but also had very developed civilization like Indus civilization and Mohenjo-Daro civilization. Ancient Indian civilization is civilization of kirata.This great civilization was situated in north east Himalayan range of Mahavarata.According to S.k chattarji north eastern kiranti civilization was key civilization of ancient India. They were the supreme power in that era. If you see the 10000 BC Scientific human evolution film then you can find out how civilize we kiranti were in past. When southern Chinese people used to cultivate paddy and living with happy civilize life that time how westerner were struggling for resources and living in cave like jungle man. Due to dynamic of time they start to loose their colony,civilization,culture,tradition one after another but now this is our duty to restore ancestral pride and their spirit.we must revive our own culture rather than to follow someone’s religion, culture and tradition so This is the time for all kiranti to celebrate our own legendary new year the yele sambat.

Dhobighat, Lalitpur, Kathmandu

Email: cpsunuwar@hotmail.com