Unveiling the Origins of Bikram Sambat: A Historical Perspective from Nepal

Bikram Sambat is a scientific calendar based on the Surya Siddhanta. It is the oldest solar-based calendar in the world and Nepal's indigenous calendar. Various evidence indicates that King Vikramaditya of Battisputali, Kathmandu, was the one who introduced the Bikram Sambat currently in use in Nepal.

This calendar is used in Nepal for official work as well as religious and cultural activities. Religious and cultural festivals celebrated in Nepal are observed through the coordination of the lunar and solar calendars. The Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti coordinates both in the Nepali almanac.

There is a common misconception that a King Vikramaditya in India started the Bikram Sambat. It cannot be assumed that he is the same person simply because of a name coincidence. Such claims require physical, geographical, chronological, and historical evidence. This article focuses on the fact that the King Vikramaditya who introduced Bikram Sambat was indeed from Battisputali, Kathmandu.

Bikram Sambat is Nepal's indigenous calendar based on the Surya Siddhanta. According to the Surya Siddhanta, the new year begins when the sun moves from Pisces to Aries. The sun's entry into Aries marks the month of Baisakh. Following this principle, the new year begins in Nepal on Baisakh 1. It is observed that the Gregorian calendar started 56 years and 9 months after Bikram Sambat, the Saka Sambat after 135 years, the Mandev Sambat after 633 years, and the Nepal Sambat after 936 years.

Looking at this, no other calendar appears to have been in use before Bikram Sambat. Historically, all global events have been calculated as BC. Nepal's history was also initially written by the British and later translated into Nepali. In Balchandra Sharma's 'Nepal ko Aitihasik Ruprekha' published in 2008, B.S. 2018-2019 is mentioned for the first time on page 68. Before that, all chronological calculations were referred to as BC.

While Bikram Sambat is called the world's oldest, searching for historical evidence regarding its name, origin, and founder leads to the Bhavishya Purana. The seventh chapter of the first section of the Bhavishya Purana contains fragmented accounts of Nepal and Kathmandu as told by sages like Shaunaka in Kurukshetra, India. According to the Purana, Gandharva Sen, son of Shankha, and his sons Bhartrihari and Vikram (Vikramaditya) ruled around Devpatan. After Shankha, Bhartrihari became king, but later renounced the throne to his brother Vikram and went to Someshwar Mountain for penance.

This Bhavishya Purana was written by Maharshi Vedavyas during the time of the Mahabharata war, 31 years before the start of the Kali Yuga. Krishna died 31 years after the Mahabharata war, marking the beginning of the Kali Yuga. Calculating the Kali Yuga, it reaches 5127 years in B.S. 2083. Thus, the timeline of the Bhavishya Purana and Bikram Sambat appears contradictory, as the Purana was written about three thousand years earlier.

According to other historical accounts, Vikramaditya built an administrative palace in Gaushala (Amaravati Nagar). Legend has it that because 32 statues surrounded him for many days while building this palace, he had 32 statues carved on the throne (or pillars) in their memory, naming the palace Battisputali. The name of the city also became Battisputali due to the palace. The road from the current Gaushala to the old Baneshwor intersection is known as Battisputali Road.

A 25-year-old named Betal provided much assistance, so the palace was also called 'Betal Pachhise' and 'Singhasani Battise' due to the 32 statues. Over time, Vikramaditya went to Someshwar Mountain to find his brother and never returned. The palace remained empty, eventually crumbling into the earth. The current Ram Mandir was built on this site in B.S. 1928, a fact also noted by historian Dhanavajra Bajracharya.

During Vikram's reign, only the lunar calendar was used. The lunar calendar is based on dates and constellations, not chronological calculation. It consists of 29.5-day months and 354-day years. The solar calendar, based on the Earth's 360-degree orbit around the sun, results in 360-365 days. Thus, the lunar calendar fell short by 11 days annually, making year-to-year calculation difficult.

Therefore, Vikramaditya coordinated the lunar and solar calendars to create an almanac and introduced a solar-based calendar for chronological calculation. Since he implemented an Aditya (Sun)-based calculation, the combination of 'Vikram' and 'Aditya' resulted in the name 'Vikramaditya'. This principle considers Baisakh 1 as the first day of the year. It is understood that the Vikramaditya of Nepal started the Bikram Sambat, a fact reportedly acknowledged by former Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti chairman Madhav Prasad Bhattarai.

In memory or celebration of this, festivals like the Baghdwara Mela, Champadevi Jatra in Kirtipur, Sapanatirtha Jatra in Tokha Chandeshwori, Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur, and Kageshwori Jatra are celebrated on Baisakh 1, a tradition that continues to this day.

In conclusion, based on the analysis above, the historical details confirm that the Vikramaditya who introduced Bikram Sambat in Nepal was indeed Nepali. The historical, physical, and geographical evidence is as follows:

1. If the Indian King Vikramaditya had started Bikram Sambat, it would be in use in India as well. India uses the Gregorian calendar for official work and the Saka Sambat for religious purposes, proving that Bikram Sambat is Nepal's indigenous and ancient calendar.

2. The location of the Battisputali palace (now Ram Mandir) built by Vikramaditya is still known as the 'Gaushala-Old Baneshwor Road' Battisputali area.

3. Pandit Muralidhar Bhattarai has written about the Battisputali palace in English. Based on this evidence, Lokmani Poudel has also stated that the King Vikramaditya who introduced Bikram Sambat in Nepal was from Battisputali, Kathmandu.

4. Vikramaditya found his brother Bhartrihari in a cave behind Someshwar Mountain, south of the Madi region in Chitwan. This cave is known as 'Raja Bhartrihari Tapasthali' and still exists today.

5. After meeting his brother, Vikramaditya lived for some time in the northern part of the Madi region in Chitwan, building a small temple in the Shanischar mountain range. This temple is now known as the Vikram Baba (Vikramaditya) temple, where the Tharu community of Madi performs worship. Both locations have now become tourist destinations in Madi.