Thebanishment of Buddhist monks from Nepalwas part of a campaign by the Rana government to suppress the resurgence ofTheravada BuddhisminNepalin the early the 20th century. There were two deportations ofmonksfromKathmandu,in 1926 and 1944.
The exiled monks were the first group of monks to be seen in Nepal since the 14th century.[citation needed]They were at the forefront of a movement to reviveTheravada Buddhism,which had disappeared from the country more than five hundred years before.Newar Buddhismis traditionallyVajrayanabased. TheRana dynastydisapproved of Buddhism and theNewar language.It saw the activities of the monks and their growing following as a threat. When police harassment and imprisonment failed to deter the monks, all of whom wereNewars,they were deported.
Among the charges made against them were preaching a new faith, convertingHindus,encouraging women to renounce and thereby undermining family life, and writing books in Newari.[1][2]
Expulsion of 1926
editIn 1926, five monks along with their Tibetan guru Tsering Norbu were expelled from the country. These five monks, whoseDharma nameswereBauddha Rishi Mahapragya,Mahaviryya, Mahachandra, Mahakhanti and Mahagnana, had been ordained under theTibetan Buddhisttradition.
The government objected to Mahapragya, who was born aHindu,converting toBuddhismand the monks making alms rounds in Kathmandu. The police arrested the monks and jailed and questioned them. The case went up to the prime minister,Chandra Shumsher JBR,who ordered their banishment. They were given a few days to beg for provisions under the condition that they return to the police station to sleep. Then they were marched to the Indian border under police escort. The five monks and their teacher first went toBodh Gaya,India,from where they scattered, some of them going toBurmaandTibet.[3]
Expulsion of 1944
editIn 1944, another group of eight monks were sent into exile. TheirDharma nameswerePragyananda Mahasthavir,Dhammalok Mahasthavir,Subhodhananda, Pragyarashmi, Pragyarasa, Ratnajyoti, Agga Dhamma andKumar Kashyap Mahasthavir.[4]This time they were accused of encouraging women to renounce Hinduism and writing in Nepal Bhasa. The monks were summoned before the prime ministerJuddha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Ranaand ordered to sign a pledge that they would stop their activities. When they refused, they were ordered out of the country.[5]
The monks went toKushinagarand thenSarnathin India. There they founded Dharmodaya Sabha (Society for the Rise of the Teaching) which worked to promote Buddhism and published religious literature from exile. Some of the monks remained inIndiawhile others went toTibet,BhutanandSri Lanka.[6]Bhaju Ratna Kansakar,a Nepalese merchant based inKalimpong,was one of their largest supporters in exile.
Return from exile
editIn 1946, aSri Lankangoodwill mission visitedKathmanduand interceded on behalf of the monks. The delegation emphasized that Nepal was the birthplace ofBuddha,and that his followers should be free to practice their faith in the country where he was born. Subsequently, the ban was lifted and the monks returned and devoted themselves to spreading the faith with greater energy.[7][8]
In 1951, the Rana regime was ousted by a revolution anddemocracyestablished in Nepal. With democracy, overt persecution of Buddhists ended.[9][10]
References
edit- ^LeVine, Sarah and Gellner, David N. (2005).Rebuilding Buddhism: The Theravada Movement in Twentieth-Century Nepal.Harvard University Press.ISBN0-674-01908-3,ISBN978-0-674-01908-9.Page 48.
- ^"Theravada Buddhism in Modern Nepal".Lumbini Nepalese Buddha Dharma Society (UK). Archived fromthe originalon 4 August 2014.Retrieved9 May2013.
- ^Dietrich, Angela (1996)."Buddhist Monks and Rana Rulers: A History of Persecution".Buddhist Himalaya: A Journal of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods.Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2013.Retrieved17 March2011.
- ^"Theravada Buddhism in Modern Nepal".Lumbini Nepalese Buddha Dharma Society (UK). Archived fromthe originalon 4 August 2014.Retrieved15 May2013.
- ^Tuladhar, Kamal Ratna (7 April 2012)."The monks in yellow robes".The Kathmandu Post.Archived fromthe originalon 8 April 2012.Retrieved17 May2013.
- ^Hilker, DS Kansakar (2005). "Expulsion of Buddhist monks from Nepal".Syamukapu: The Lhasa Newars of Kalimpong and Kathmandu.Kathmandu: Vajra Publications. p. 58.ISBN99946-644-6-8.
- ^Dietrich, Angela (1996)."Buddhist Monks and Rana Rulers: A History of Persecution".Buddhist Himalaya: A Journal of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods.Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2013.Retrieved17 March2011.
- ^"Boudddha Bhichhuharu"(PDF).Gorkhapatra.3 September 1946.Retrieved12 May2013.[permanent dead link]Page 7.
- ^Savada, Andrea Matles, ed. (1991)."The Return of the King".Nepal: A Country Study.Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress.Retrieved16 May2013.
- ^Panday, Tulsi Ram; Mishra, Surendra; Chemjong, Dambar; Pokhrel, Sanjeev; Rawal, Nabin (2006)."Forms and Patterns of Social Discrimination in Nepal"(PDF).UNESCO Kathmandu Office. p. 67.Retrieved16 May2013.