Sankhadhar Sākhwā (

Nepal Bhasa Newar (; , ) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The language is known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhas ...

:) (also spelt Sankhadhar Sākhwāl) was a

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

ary Nepalese

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

who is believed to have paid the debts of the

Nepalese people Nepali or Nepalese () are the permanent citizens of Nepal under Nepali nationality law. The term ''Nepali'' strictly refers to ''nationality'', meaning people holding citizenship of Nepal. Conversely, people without Nepalese citizenship but wi ...

in A.D. 879. This event is commemorated as the beginning of the epoch of Nepal’s national calendar year

Nepal Sambat Nepal Sambat (, ''nepāla samvat'', meaning "Nepal Era") is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newar people of Nepal. It was the official calendar of Nepal since its inception on 20 October 879 till the end of the Malla dynasty in 1769. During ...

. According to ''Bhāsā Vamsāwali'' and ''Rājbhogmālā Vamsāwali'', in A.D. 879, an astrologer from

Bhaktapur Bhaktapur (Nepali language, Nepali and Sanskrit: भक्तपुर, ; "City of Devotees"), known locally as Khwopa (Nepal Bhasa: , ) and historically called Bhadgaon, is a city in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal located abou ...

, or Bhādgāon, had predicted that the sand at the confluence of the Vishnumati and the Bhadrāmati rivers would turn into gold if gathered at the right moment. So Rājā Ānanda Malla, the then king of Bhaktapur sent out his workers in search of this extraordinary sand, who were witnessed by Sākhwā, then a local merchant. Legend has it that he had only curiously bought some of it from the king’s workers. Surprisingly however, the next day, Sākhwā found that only his sand but not the king’s had turned into gold. In an act of great compassion, however, instead of using the gold for himself, he used it to pay off every other Nepali’s debts towards the king and offered it to him, therefore giving the Nepali people as well as the king a reason to dedicate and mark an era in this act of great generosity. On the 18th of November A.D. 1999 (Vikram Samvat 2056–08–02), the government of Nepal officially acknowledged and declared Sankhadhar Sākhwā as one of the

National Heroes of Nepal National Heroes of Nepal () is a list of 18 Nepalis, Nepali people, including those from Ancient history of Nepal, ancient and Medieval history of Nepal, medieval times, who were selected to their ranks posthumously by a commission headed by famou ...

. On the 26th of October A.D. 2003, Nepal’s Department of Postal Service also issued a postage stamp depicting his portrait, commemorating Sākhwā’s generous, compassionate philanthropy.

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Sankhadhar Sakhwa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakhwa, Sankhadhar Newar People from Kathmandu Founders National heroes of Nepal 9th-century Nepalese people Newar people Nepalese philanthropists Heroes in mythology and legend Asian people whose existence is disputed

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