Buddha Dharma wa Nepal Bhasa

Buddha Dharma wa Nepāl Bhāsā (Nepali: बुद्धधर्म वा नेपालभाषा, lit. 'Buddhism and Nepalese') was the first magazine published in Nepal Bhasa.^[1] It was launched in 1925 in Kolkata, India by Dharmaditya Dharmacharya.^[2]

Cover of Vol. 5, No. 1 issue dated August 1929.

Dharmacharya in ca 1930.

The inaugural issue was released on the festival commemorating the anniversary of Lord Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Nibbana. The magazine was known as Buddha Dharma until 1927.

History

Dharmaditya Dharmacharya (1902-1963), born Jagat Man Vaidya in Lalitpur, worked towards the revival of Theravada Buddhism in Nepal and the development of Nepal Bhasa journalism.^[3] Government suppression of Buddhism^[4] and Nepal Bhasa^[5] in Nepal led Dharmaditya to continue his efforts from Kolkata, where he had originally gone to pursue his studies.

Articles

As part of the efforts to spread the word of the Buddha according to Theravada, Dharmaditya published articles in Nepal Bhasa, Hindi, Bengali and English across various magazines, emphasizing the importance of Buddhism in Nepal. In 1925, he launched Buddha Dharma, which contained articles explaining the basic principles of Buddhism as described in ancient texts. He also wrote articles advocating for the celebration of the Buddha's birth anniversary in Lumbini, his birthplace in southern Nepal.^[6] In 1927, Buddha Dharma was renamed Buddha Dharma wa Nepal Bhasa (meaning "Buddhism and Nepal Language") and became a joint Buddhist and literary magazine. Publication ceased in 1930.^[7]

See also

• Dhammalok Mahasthavir
• Dharmaditya Dharmacharya
• Dharmodaya
• Kindo Baha
• Pranidhipurna Mahavihar
• Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal
• Nepal Bhasa journalism

References

1. LeVine, Sarah and Gellner, David N. (2005) Rebuilding Buddhism: The Theravada Movement in Twentieth-Century Nepal. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01908-9. Pages 27-28. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
2. Maharjan, Harsha Man (2014). Linguistic and Cultural Activism of Inap: A Search for Cultural and Linguistic Recognition. In Citizen, Society & State: Crafting an Inclusive Future for Nepal. Deepak Dorje Tamang and Mahesh Raj Maharjan, eds. pp. 49-70. Kathmandu: Mandala Book Point.
3. "Theravada Buddhism in Modern Nepal". Lumbini Nepalese Buddha Dharma Society (UK). 2008. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
4. Dietrich, Angela (1996). "Buddhist Monks and Rana Rulers: A History of Persecution". Buddhist Himalaya: A Journal of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
5. Hutt, Michael (December 1986). "Diversity and Change in the Languages" (PDF). CNAS Journal. Tribhuvan University. Retrieved 28 June 2011. Page 10.
6. Murti, Ven. PaĪĪā (2005). "A Historical Study of Pariyatti Sikkhâ in Nepal" (PDF). Bangkok, Thailand: Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011. Pages 15-16.
7. LeVine, Sarah and Gellner, David N. (2005) Rebuilding Buddhism: The Theravada Movement in Twentieth-Century Nepal. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01908-9. pp. 27-28. Retrieved 28 June 2011.