Gunla Bajan

What it is

Gunla Bajan is the music that Newar Buddhist groups play during Gunla, the tenth month of the Nepal Sambat calendar, which lines up with August. In the Newar language the word bajan covers both the music and the band that makes it. The month itself is kept as sacred: families read Buddhist texts, visit shrines and join in devotional music. The playing is less a performance for an audience than a way of walking and worshipping together, and it belongs to the Newar Buddhist community of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley.

Bands and societies

Each band grows out of a society tied to a particular locality or caste, and a place in it passes down within a family. These groups work to a yearly round of public appearances rather than gathering only when they choose to. Alongside the processions they run music lessons for younger members, hold religious festivals, meet for hymn singing and sit down together at feasts. The strongest duty of their year is the daily walk through Gunla to Swayambhu and other Buddhist places, made while playing Gunla music.

Through the month

Two days stand out in Gunla. On Bahidyah Swahwanegu, musicians and devotees move from one sacred courtyard to the next to look at images of Bahidyah, that is Dipankara Buddha, and at paubha paintings displayed for the festival. On Nisala Chhawanegu, Swayambhu receives offerings and each neighbourhood holds its own concerts. The bands also head processions on New Year's Day in the Nepal Sambat calendar. Between these high points, the month keeps its steady rhythm of pilgrimage and music.

Music and instruments

A set begins with Dyah Lhayegu, in which the players honour the gods. Separate pieces belong to separate moments: marching in procession, circling a shrine, crossing a bridge. The named ones are Lawantah, Chwoh, Graha, Astar, Palimaa and Partaal. On the move, musicians take up seasonal or traditional songs with drums and cymbals underneath, and tunes of modern hits sometimes appear as well. In temple squares the band stands in a ring for a Gwara, a long piece running fifteen to twenty minutes; Annapurna, Swetkali and Sangin are the well-known ones.

The instruments

The dhaa is the heart of the sound, a double-sided drum struck with a short stick on the left and by hand on the right, which people in the Kathmandu Valley believe has been in use for two thousand years. Trumpets and clarinets carry the tune; in earlier days that work fell to local wind instruments, the mwahali and the basuri. Taa and bhusya, small and large cymbals, fill out the beat. Naykhin, a small drum, and chhusya cymbals are played as a set of their own, and the payentah is a long trumpet.

How Gunla Bajan is kept

A society draws its members from a locality or a caste, and the place passes down in the family. Through Gunla the band walks daily to Swayambhu and other Buddhist sites, playing as it goes. It opens with Dyah Lhayegu, in which the musicians honour the gods. Further pieces serve marching, going around a shrine and crossing a bridge. On Bahidyah Swahwanegu the route takes in sacred courtyards where images and paintings are shown. Nisala Chhawanegu brings neighbourhood concerts and offerings at Swayambhu. Bands also lead processions on New Year's Day of Nepal Sambat.

When and where

Gunla is the tenth month of the Nepal Sambat calendar and corresponds to August. The music belongs to that month and is played every day of it. The two chief days are Bahidyah Swahwanegu and Nisala Chhawanegu. Bands also appear on New Year's Day of Nepal Sambat, which opens that same calendar.

The tradition is kept in Nepal by the Newar Buddhist community, and it is strongest in the Kathmandu Valley. The daily pilgrimages go to Swayambhu and to other Buddhist sites. Temple squares and sacred courtyards serve as the stages for the longer pieces, and individual neighbourhoods host concerts of their own.

What Gunla Bajan means

The music carries the month for those who keep it. Walking and playing together is itself an act of worship, a way of honouring the Buddha and of holding on to an inheritance that families have passed down. The bands and their listeners understand the practice as linked to the old rains retreat, the period when monks remained in a single place; Newar Buddhists treat their month of scripture reading and pilgrimage as its continuation.

Questions people ask about Gunla Bajan

See also

Jatjatin DanceA Mithila folk dance performed by couples to seek rain and express the sorrow of parting.BhajanDevotional songs of South Asia, sung alone or together with drums and cymbalsMother's DayA worldwide annual celebration dedicated to mothers, maternal bonds and family careDiwaliA five-day festival of lights celebrated across India and its diaspora to mark the victory of light over darkness.

Good reading and sources

• Gunla Bajan on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-09.