An Introduction to Gunla Dharma[1]
-
By Thakur Krishna Uprety
Background
There
are two types of traditional calendars that are followed by the inhabitants of
Kathmandu Valley. The first one is Bikram Sambat (B.S), and the second is Nepal
Sambat (N. S.). In the B. S. calendar, both Solar dates (Gates) and Lunar dates
(Tithis) are incorporated, whereas in the N. S. calendar mainly based on Lunar
dates (Tithis). This Lunar calendar is strictly followed by the Newar
Communities in the Kathmandu Valley for all types of spiritual activities.
This is why it is also called the Newar calendar. It is regarded that
the Newar calendar was established in the 9th century A.D.
It
is said that according to chronicles and the history of the Kathmandu valley,
so much credit goes to a man of generosity and compassion Late Shankadar Sakhwa
who became the cause of the inception of Nepal Sambat which definitely started
a new era in the soil of Nepal. Late Sakhwa was a merchant who paid all debt of
the people in the valley. In order to honor and glorify his generous act
of dana (donation) for freeing the people from their debts,
the Malla rulers then initiated a new calendar which is known as Nepal Sambat.
Introduction
Like other calendars Nepal Sambat also has 12 months which are Kachala, Thinla, Pohela, Silla,
Cilla, Chaula, Bachala, Tachala, Dilla, Gunla, Yanla, and Kaula. Each month has
two fortnights – Full Moon fortnight and New Moon fortnight. Each fortnight has
fourteen Lunar dates (Tithis) starting from Pratipada to Purnima
and Pratipada to Aunsi respectively.
The
word “Gunla (गुँला)” comes from one of the names of the 12 months
of Nepal Sambat. If we look at the above-mentioned months, the tenth month is
Gunla. The word “Gunla” is made of two syllables. They are ‘gun’ + ‘la’. In
Newari ‘gun’ means either ‘jungle’ or the number ‘nine’ and ‘la’ means month. So,
it means the ninth month of the Newari calendar or Nepal Sambat. Here
“Dharma (धर्म)” means special spiritual practices. So in
Gunla Dharma, one month is fully devoted to spiritual practices for the Buddha,
Dharma and Sangha. Actually, the observations and celebrations of Gunla Dharma
are in the tenth month right after the completion of the ninth month of Dilla.
It starts from Gunlaathwa Paaru (गुँलाथ्व
पारु) to Yanlaathwa Paaru (ञलाथ्व पारु) which is exactly from Shrawan Shukla Pradipada to Bhadra
Shukla Pradipada.
Objective
1. To
provide introductory information on Gunla Dharma.
Key Words
Gunla Dharma (गुँला धर्म) - Gunlaathwa Paaru (गुँलाथ्व
पारु) Yanlaathwa Paaru (ञलाथ्व
पारु) - Panchadan (पन्जराँ
/ पञ्चदान) - Dyah Thāyegu (द्यः थायेगु) - Bahi Dya
Bwayegu (बहि द्यः ब्वेगु) –- Chaa Chwo
Wanegu (चा च्वँ वनेगु) - Ratnamandal
Darshan (रत्नमन्दः दर्शन).
Gunla is the holiest
month for the Newar Buddhists in which they recite the scriptures, observe
fasts and visit places of worship by playing devotional music. It is one of the
most important months in Newar Buddhism. Each and every activity done in this
month is part of overall Gunla Dharma practices. The practice of observing
the sacred month is descended from the rains retreat dating from the Buddha's time
when monks stayed in one place and taught the Dharma.
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.
Devotees
celebrate the holy month by making daily early morning pilgrimages to Swayambhu
Mahachaitya and Janbaha Dyo in Kathmandu and other Buddhist temples in
different parts of Kathmandu valley which are accompanied by playing various
Gunla Bajan music. The musical groups from different communities and localities
carry and represent various local and native music, hymns and traditional
musical instruments. The devotees also recite the Buddhist scriptures at home
and in sacred courtyards and some undergo fasting as well.
Another
devotional activity during Gunla is Dyah Thāyegu (द्यः थायेगु) when devotees make little stupas out of black clay using a
mold and pray for a month and later it is flown into the river which marks
the end of Gunla Dharma.
The
main musical instrument to play during Gunla are Dhaa (धाँ), Naubaja (नौबाजा), Muhaali (मुहाली) and Nyeku (न्यकू) but in the present
day, all communities from different localities play a different traditional
musical instrument which is one of a good way to promote and preserve the traditional musical instrument.
Nyeku
is a special musical instrument made out of wild buffalo horn. The special
group from Patan also visits Swayambhu on a certain day and plays Nau baja.
Another
special and remarkable event during Gunla is Panjaran or Panchadaan (पन्जराँ / पञ्चदान). It is the alms-giving festival. Males of the Bajracharya and
Shakya communities make an alms round of the city and devotees give them rice
grains, money and other offerings. At the same time, the shrines are set up with
Buddha statues and paubha scroll paintings at private homes, courtyards
and on the roadsides from where the gifts are distributed. The event is held on
different dates in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur.
The
next remarkable ceremony observed during Gunla is Bahi Dya Bwayegu (बहि द्यः ब्वेगु). On the first day of the second fortnight
of Gunla, large images of the Dipankara Buddha and paubha paintings are
put on display in sacred courtyards and this ceremony is known as Bahidyah
Bwayegu. These statues and paintings are visited by different communities,
which is known as Bahidyah Swahwanegu (बहीद्यः स्वःवनेगु), where the musical bands followed by residents of the
locality visit the sacred courtyards in a procession to view the exhibits. The
festival occurs on the day after the full moon and coincides with the Saa
Paaru (सा-पारु) festival.
One
of the interesting ceremonies during Gunla is Chaa Chwo Wanegu (चा च्वँवनेगु). Chaa Chwo Wanegu literally means to stay overnight. This is
observed just a day before Panjara in Kathmandu. On the very night, before
Panjara, people from different places, especially from southern Lalitpur come
to visit Swayambhu at night and stay overnight. There is a tradition to visit
Swayambhu overnight compulsorily for those families whose members have passed
away in that year. The family member offers different offerings to the deity there
and they light up the oil lamp too. It is also believed that on that night the
replica of Swayambhu stupa comes on the sky in the form of clouds. This is also
known as Ratnamandal Darshan (रत्नमन्दः
दर्शन).
Major Buddhist
Activities in Gunla Dharma
1. Throughout
the month of Gunla Newar Buddhists go to visit Swayambhu and all other Buddhist
Shrines located in nearby places.
2. They
invite Gurujus to Bihara and homes and the Mahayani Texts Navagrantha are
recited there. It is meaningful to say that this is the month for the
recitation of Navagrantha so it is Gunla.
Note: I think that keeping one in isolation (jungle) from worldly
life for a month in a year is also Gunla as another meaning of “gun” is a jungle.
3. It
is customary that At Lalitpattana in Lalitpur people circumambulate Baha, Bahi,
Chaitya and the Idols of Bodhisattva by playing Shringaveri and Gunla musical
instruments from early morning.
4. Pancadana
celebration is observed on the eighth day of Gunlathwa. It is celebrated in memory of King Sarvananda as he offered Pancadana to Dipankar Buddha along with
the monks at Dipavati town. It is observed in Kathmandu on Gunlaga thirteenth
day.
5. On
the day of Gunlatwa Purnimaa which is celebrated as Gunpunhi by eating a
combination of nine types of legumes called Kwanti (क्वाँति).
6. Gunlaga
dvitiya is celebrated as the Day of Victory over Mara by Lord Buddha. The next
day is celebrated as the Festival of Lights. It is also Gaijatra Day and
Victory over Mara Day in Newari Calendar. It is regarded that the next day the
defeated Mara family came to Buddha and worshipped him. It is the main
significance Mataya Festival.
7. The
images and drawings of Buddha Bodhisattva are exhibited at the Bahabahi
throughout the Gunla month.
8. There
has been a tradition to visit the Nine Bahis in Gunla month which are Guintah
Bahi, Ee Bahi, Kwanti Bahi, Dhapaga Bahi, Ubaha bahi, Cikan Bahi, etc.
9. Another
tradition that still exists is that Dhamma Teaching programs are organized in
various Biharas.
Additional Celebrations
The
5th day of the bright fortnight is Nag
Panchami, a
day dedicated to serpents and their worship. The 1st day of the dark fortnight
is Sāpāru or Gai Jātrā when
processions are held in memory of family members deceased in the past year. The
participants wear cow costumes and make a tour of the city.
The 8th day
of the dark fortnight is the festival of Krishna Janmashtami which
celebrates the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna.
Gokarna Aunsi falls on the 15th day of the dark fortnight or Amai.
This is Father's Day and
is also known as Bauyā Khwā Swayegu literally, it means Looking on Father's
Face).
Conclusion
When
we closely look at the spiritual practices and the various celebrations of
Newar Buddhists in the Kathmandu Valley, we find that they seem to be all a
kind of mixture of the three traditions of Buddhism – Theravada, Mahayana
and Vajrayana. Moreover, a mixture of the Hindu tradition is also found in
Newar Buddhism.
Gunla
Dharma and its spiritual practices in Newar Buddhism give a sense of religious
coordination between the main three Nikayas of Buddhism and Hinduism. It is a
good example of friendly co-existence, a harmonious and peaceful way of life in a
society where people of different faith and beliefs have been living together
for centuries.
Gunla
Dharma is an important spiritual sadhana in Newar Buddhism. It is a wonderful
tradition of Newar Buddhists from generation to generation. It is a special
occasion for the purification of the mind and body through spiritual practices and
austerities as well as a celebration of life.
It
is seen that the new Newar Buddhist generation follows, observes and celebrates
Gunla Dharma with full of joy and enthusiasm. Now it is the responsibility of
this new generation to preserve and maintain this valuable culture as the
invaluable gift of their forefathers so that Gunla Dharma would continue as a
live culture in the Kathmandu valley for future generations.
References:
1. https://askmeaboutnepal.com/gunla-dharma/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunla
3. https://www.shankerhotel.com.np/blog/2021/8/7/what-is-gunla-dharma
4. https://www.facebook.com/ancientkathmandu/photos/
5. https://www.gobhaktapur.com/events/gunla/
6. https://bhaktapur.info/gunla/
7. https://www.enepalese.com/2022/07/360192.html
8. http://viewsonnepalmedia.blogspot.com/2020/07/gunla-dharma-and-naam-sangiti.html
9. https://english.hamropatro.com/date/2079-4-13
[1] This seminar paper was presented at and submitted to Theravada Buddhist Academy, affiliated with Lumbini Buddhist
University, Lumbini Nepal, for the partial fulfillment of the Fourth Semester of
the Master’s Degree in Theravada Buddhism.
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.