Gunla
Gunlā (Nepal Bhasa: गुंला) (also spelt Gumlā) is the tenth month in the Nepal Sambat lunar calendar, the national lunar calendar of Nepal. It corresponds to August of the Gregorian Calendar.
Gunlā | |
|---|---|
Statues of Dipankara Buddha on display during Gunlā in Kathmandu | |
| Also called | Gunlā Parva in Nepali |
| Observed by | Nepalese Buddhists |
| Type | Religious |
| Significance | Celebrates rains retreat started by the Buddha |
| Observances | Image displays, musical processions, alms distribution, fasting, prayer |
Gunla is a holy month for Newar Buddhists when they recite the scriptures, observe fasts and visit places of worship playing devotional music. It is one of the most important events in Newar Buddhism. The practice of observing the sacred month is descended from the rains retreat dating from the Buddha's time when monks are to stay in one place and taught the Dhamma to the locals during this period.
According to traditional beliefs, during primitive times, too much rain would fall. Due to this rain, the mud houses during the time would get devastated, moreover floods and landslides would add melancholy in people's lives. So, in order to downturn the melancholy, and be safe from floods and landslides, people would go to Swayambhu playing the devotional music as it was in an elevation.