Buddha Dharma wa Nepal Bhasa (magazine)

Cover of Vol. 5, No. 1 issue dated August 1929.
Dharmacharya in ca 1930.

Buddha Dharma wa Nepāl Bhāsā (बुद्ध धर्म व नॆपाल भाषा "Buddhism and Nepalese") was the first magazine in Nepal Bhasa.[1] It was published in 1925 from Kolkata, India by Dharmaditya Dharmacharya.

The inaugural issue came out on the festival marking the anniversary of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and nirvana. The magazine was known as Buddha Dharma until 1927.

History

Dharmaditya Dharmacharya (1902-1963), born Jagat Man Vaidya in Lalitpur, worked for the revival of Theravada Buddhism in Nepal and development of Nepal Bhasa journalism.[2] Government suppression of Buddhism[3] and Nepal Bhasa[4] in Nepal led Dharmaditya to carry out his activities 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 in various magazines emphasizing the importance of Buddhism in Nepal. In 1925, he published Buddha Dharma containing articles explaining its basic principles as given in ancient texts. He also wrote articles calling for celebration of the Buddha's birth anniversary in Lumbini, his birthplace in southern Nepal.[5] 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.[6]

See also

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. "Theravada Buddhism in Modern Nepal". Lumbini Nepalese Buddha Dharma Society (UK). 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  3. Dietrich, Angela (1996). "Buddhist Monks and Rana Rulers: A History of Persecution". Buddhist Himalaya: A Journal of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  4. Hutt, Michael (December 1986). "Diversity and Change in the Languages" (PDF). CNAS Journal. Tribhuvan University. Retrieved 28 June 2011. Page 10.
  5. Murti, Ven. PaĪĪā (2005). "A Historical Study of Pariyatti Sikkhâ in Nepal" (PDF). Bangkok, Thailand: Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. Retrieved 30 June 2011. Pages 15-16.
  6. 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.
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