Nepathya's New Song "Karnali Ka Chhaila" is officially released

May 10, 2025

Nepathya's New Song "Karnali Ka Chhaila" is officially released

Folk-rock band Nepathya has officially released its latest musical creation, Karnali Ka Chhaila (कर्नालीका छाइला), a song rooted in the traditional Tappa melody of the Karnali region. Developed over two decades, the song was unveiled at an event in r-sala, Nepalaya, Kathmandu, accompanied by a powerful music video directed by Bhusan Dahal.


Click here to access the video.


Though newly released, Karnali Ka Chhaila is not unfamiliar to long-time followers of Nepathya. An early version of the song was sung by frontman Amrit Gurung in the 2003 documentary Bhedako Oon Jasto, during a conversation with writer Narayan Wagle. The song’s origin traces back to Gurung’s encounter with Angad Hamal from Dolpa and folk music collector Laxmikanta Upadhya, who first introduced him to the song in 2001.


Amrit made multiple journeys to Karnali to truly capture the essence of the region and its melodies. He even attempted a recording in 2008 but set it aside, believing it wasn’t yet ready. It was only after participating in musical gatherings in Salyan that he felt prepared to shape the song into its final form. According to Amrit, collecting and refining local lines from native speakers while staying true to the musical limitations of Tappa was the most challenging part.


The song has now been released with a visually rich music video shot across Surkhet, Dailekh, Kalikot, Jumla, Sinja, and Rara Lake, following Amrit Gurung on a symbolic journey through the Karnali landscape. As with Nepathya’s earlier Sa Karnali project, also directed by Dahal, this video blends tradition and modern storytelling.


For a limited time, the video is available exclusively on nepathya.com.np through a pay-what-you-wish model. Viewers in Nepal can watch it by paying a minimum of NPR 10, and international viewers can support with a minimum of USD 1. The video will be released to the public on YouTube a week later, during Nepathya’s upcoming tour in the United States.