Yele Sambat

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Yelam Sambat (Devanagari: येलम संबत् ) is the lunar calendar used by the Kirat community of Nepal. The Yelam Sambat calendar is named after the first Kirat king Yalambar. The Limbus call it Yele Tangbe, Yakkha (Dewan)s call it Yele Naamsam, the Rais call it Yele Dong, and the Sunuwars call it Yele Thoche.

It is said that this calendar started when the Kirat king Yalambar defeated the Gopal dynasty in the Kathmandu Valley. The Yele Sambat calendar begins on 15 January. This new year day is also celebrated as Maghe Sankranti in Nepal when people eat sweet potato and various kinds of yams and sel roti.

On 15 November 2009, Subash Chandra Nembang, Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly (CA) stressed the need for the Government of Nepal to recognize Kirant Yele Sambat and ensure that it would be included in the constitution as annex. On 15 January 2010, the Government of Nepal stated that it would formally recognise Yele Sambat.