The world has 24 time zones, each one hour apart. However, there are special time zones that are influenced by politics, geography, and society. However, countries usually only differ by an hour or half an hour. Meanwhile, Nepal does not follow any international rules, regulating time in a unique time zone GMT+5:45, 45 minutes different from Greenwich Mean Time. In fact, this Himalayan nation has its own time zone called Nepali Standard Time.
Nepal has its own time zone called Nepali Standard Time.
Nepal Standard Time was established in 1956, when policymakers declared that the meridian that determines Nepal’s time would be taken from Gauri Sankar, a sacred mountain peak east of Kathmandu. Meanwhile, India’s time zone is GMT +5:30, 15 minutes behind Nepal’s time. The time difference between the two neighboring countries has given rise to the joke that Nepalis are always 15 minutes late or Indians are always 15 minutes early. However, being 15 minutes ahead is actually a source of pride for Nepalis, who can be ahead of their powerful neighbor, India, even by just a few minutes.
Gaurishankar Peak is 7,134 m high and is part of the Himalayas. The mountain is named after the Hindu goddess Gauri.
Nepal's history of timekeeping shows that the country once had very unique ways of measuring time. Typically, during the Malla Dynasty (1201-1779), the only way for Nepalese to know the time was to go to a pond near the Royal Palace in the capital Kathmandu, where an official was responsible for observing a device called the "Ghati engine". These were stones with small holes, which took exactly 24 minutes to sink into the water. So by counting the number of stones that sank each day, the official in charge of the time of the entire kingdom could tell the people about the time in Nepal.
Compared to the West, the Nepalese have made a remarkable step forward in civilization when they had their own calendar system before the Gregorian calendar was born. According to the ancient Nepalese calendar, it is now the year 2076 in Kathmandu, 56 years and 6 months ahead of today's solar calendar.
Nepal has an ancient and unique culture.
Besides Nepal, another place that has an odd time zone is the Chatham Islands - a small archipelago of New Zealand that has a time zone of GMT+13:45. The Chatham Islanders set their clocks 45 minutes ahead of the South Islanders, but apparently for no good reason.
