Gunla: Month-Long Festival of Faith, Music, and Pilgrimage Begins in Kathmandu Valley

 Kathmandu, July 25

The sacred month of Gunla, a major Buddhist festival celebrated in Newar culture, began on Friday with the waxing moon of Shrawan. The start of Gunla marks a month filled with early-morning pilgrimages, spiritual rituals, and traditional music across the Kathmandu Valley.


Gunla, the ninth month in the Nepal Sambat calendar, brings communities together in devotion through music, prayer, and movement. Each morning, devotees—mostly from the Shakya and Bajracharya castes, as well as Kansakar, Manandhar, and Prajapati groups—gather in musical processions playing traditional Gunla baja instruments like flutes, khin drums, and cymbals. These processions visit temples, monasteries, and stupas, creating a powerful blend of spirituality and cultural identity.


One of the main centers of celebration is Swayambhu Stupa, a sacred Buddhist site. Every day at dawn, pilgrims climb its steps or circle the stupa while playing music and offering prayers. The festival here draws thousands of devotees from all Buddhist traditions—Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana—as well as many Hindus and international visitors.


Throughout the month, these processions continue to various holy places. On Naag Panchami, groups head to Changu Narayan in Bhaktapur. On Janai Purnima, they visit Banglamukhi Temple in Patan. On Krishna Janmashtami, processions take place at several historic sites including Swayambhu, Bijeshwori, Shobha Bhagawati, Maru Ganesh, Janabahaa, and Seto Machhindranath.


The tradition also reaches sacred sites in Bhaktapur such as Surya Binayak, Ram Mandir, Navadurga Temple, Dattatreya, Nyatapola, and Kamal Binayak.


On the final day, Gunla Pratipada, devotees from Lalitpur walk through Bungamati, Karyabinayak, Khokana, and Jalbinayak, ending their journey at the revered shrine of Karunamaya (Adityanath) in Chobhar.


Gunla is more than a festival—it’s a living tradition that blends faith, music, memory, and identity. As the streets of Kathmandu Valley come alive with rhythm and reverence, Gunla reminds people of the city's deep spiritual roots and centuries-old devotion.

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