Bauddha Rishi Mahapragya

Bauddha Rishi Mahapragya
Mahapragya (left) and the other Buddhist monks exiled in 1926.
Expelled Buddhist monks Tsering Norbu (seated, left), Mahapragya (seated, right) and (standing, from left) Mahaviryya, Mahachandra, Mahakhanti and Mahagnana in Bodh Gaya, India in 1926.

Bauddha Rishi Mahapragya (Nepali: बौद्धऋषि महाप्रज्ञा; born Nani Kaji Shrestha; 21 May 1901 – 1979) was one of the most influential figures in the revival of Theravada Buddhism in Nepal in the 1920s. In 1926, he was jailed and then exiled by the tyrannical Rana regime for converting to Buddhism from Hinduism.[1][2]

Mahapragya (alternative names: Bhikshu Mahapragya, Palden Sherab, M. P. Pradhan, Prem Bahadur Shrestha) was also a writer and is known for his Buddhist books, poetry and hymns in Nepal Bhasa and Hindi.[3]

  1. ^ Kondanya, Ven. (2011). "Updated Theravada Records in Present Nepal". Ananda Kuti Vihar. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  2. ^ Tuladhar, Kamal Ratna (31 August 2012). "The singing monk". The Kathmandu Post. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  3. ^ Bajracharya, Phanindra Ratna (2003). Who's Who in Nepal Bhasha. Kathmandu: Nepal Bhasa Academy. ISBN 99933-560-0-X. Page 34.