Kripasaran
Venerable Kripasaran Mahathera was a 19th and 20th century Bengali Buddhist monk and Indian yogi, best known for reviving Buddhism in British India.[1] Kripasaran led a renaissance of Buddhist thought and culture in nineteenth century India.
Venerable Kripasaran | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | 22 June 1865 Unainepura, Chittagong |
| Died | 30 April 1926 (aged 60) |
| Religion | Buddhism |
Early life
He was born in the village of Unainepura, Chittagong (in modern-day Bangladesh), on 22 June 1865.[2] His parents were members of the Barua Magh community, a group of mixed Bengali-speaking Arakanese who had migrated north to southern Chittagong after the Burmese conquest of Arakan in 1785.[3]
Career
Kripasaran became fully ordained as a bhikkhu at the age of 20 under Candramohan, the respected elder of the Sangharaja Nikaya.[3] He founded Buddha Dharmankur Sabha (Bengal Buddhist Association) in Calcutta in October 1892.[3] He authored Sakpura Bauddha Batak Samity in 1908 and Satbaria Mahila Sammelani in 1917. At his insistence, higher studies in Pali were introduced in the Calcutta University by Sir Ashutosh.[4] He opened Gunalankar Library in 1909.[3]
In 1907, he established branches at Simla and Lucknow. In 1908, he opened Dibrugarh and Shillong. He started a facility in Ranchi in 1915 and in 1922. He renovated Buddhist templates such as the Vihara of Noapara in 1913, Unainepura in 1921 and Rangamati in 1921. He organised a World Buddhist Conference from 6 Dec 1924 at Nalanda Park, Calcutta.
He died on 30 April 1926. His 150th birth anniversary was celebrated by Bangladesh Bauddha Kristi Prachar Sangha.[5]
References
- Barua, Dipen (2020-06-26). "Bengal Buddhist Association Celebrates 155th Birth Anniversary of Ven. Kripasaran Mahasthavir". Buddhistdoor Global.
- Congress, The Library of. "LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- Ober, Douglas Fairchild (2016). Reinventing Buddhism : conversations and encounters in modern India, 1839 - 1956 (Thesis). University of British Columbia.
- "Life of Kripasaran Mahashtavir". Dharma Documentaries. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
- "The 150th birth anniversary of Karmayogi Ven". Nirvana Peace.