:: Introduction

The Dharmodaya Sabha was established in 1944 in Benaras,Saranath, India to protest against the expulsion of five Buddhist monks from Nepal, the country where Lord Buddha was born in 623 B.C. by the then Rana Prime Minister of Nepal. The family regime of the Rana was the most undemocratic and autocratic family of the Ranas. It was gross injustice to expel the Buddhist monk from Nepal know in the history of Nepal as the land of the Buddhas as mentioned in the Swayambhu Purana of Nepal. It was gross violation of the human rights by the autocratic Ranas and also of these Buddhist legacy and spiritual culture of Nepal. This reactionary and anti Buddhist action of the Ranas exposed them as the most inhuman and autocratic rulers of self-declared political authorities of Nepal.

The Dharmodaya Shifted Kalingpong, India

The Dharmodaya Sabha in order to launch long struggle against the anti - Buddhist policy of the Ranas purchased a house in 10th mile in Kalingpong to set up it's permanent Head Quarter to continue it's struggle against the Ranas. It was thus mobilizing the Buddhist people to raise their voice against the Ranas for their anti - democratic and anti - Buddhist and anti human regime. By and by public opinions was created against the Ranas for their oppressive family regime.

The Political revolution lunched in 1950

In this struggle against the anti - Buddhist policy of the Ranas the lone struggle of Dharmaditya Dharmacharya, the most daring Buddhist monk and scholar against the anti - Buddhist policy of the Ranas by bring out the monthly magazines in Nepal Bhasa and in English language, "Buddha Dharma wa Nepal Bhasa" and "Buddhism in Nepal and India" is very appreciable. He was living in Calcutta in those days as a preacher of Buddhism besides being a student. Later he did his postgraduate class in Business Management and he did his M.A. in Pail language from Madras University. He continued his struggle against the ante - Buddhist policy of the Ranas for a long time.

In 1949 Major Political Party started armed political revolution against from Biratnagar, an eastern city of Nepal. The revolution spread like wild fire through out the kingdom and by 1951 the Ranas had to surrender to His Majesty King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Deva who had triumphantly returned from his political exile in Delhi and declared Nepal a democratic country by forming The first ever Rana-Nepal Congress coalition cabinet. His Majesty King Tribhuvan was also gracious enough to sing the first ever Democratic Interim Constitution thus ending once and for all the 104-year-old autocratic regime of the family autocratic regime of the Ranas. The Interim Democratic Constitution of 1951 guaranteed the fundamental right of Nepalese people.

Top

The Dharmodaya Sabha in Kathmandu

After the declaration of Nepal as a democratic state with the guarantee of fundamental right of the people well preserved by law the Dhadrmodaya Sabha was brought in Kathmandu and it's head office was set up in Srigha Buddhist monastery donated the Buddhist monks for their stay in Kathmandu by Bhaju Ratna Kansakar a welknown Business man and Buddhist Upasaka. His elder son Maniharsha Jyoti, the Hony . Treasures of the Sabha was involved in the activities of the Dharmodaya Sabha right from it's inception.

In Kathmandu the Dharmodaya Sabha was reorganized, as the too much aged Ven Chandramani Mahasthabir was physically week to be actively involved in the Buddhist activities in Nepal. Similar was the case of Ven. Bhadanta Anada Kausallyan, the Vice President of Dharmodaya Sabha. So in it's reorganization undertaken in 1952 Rev.Amritanada was unanimously elected as the President and the Nepal Bhasa Poet Chitta Dhar Hridaya and Ven Subodhananda as the two vice-presidents. Prof. Soorya Bahadur Sakya and Prof. Asha Ram Sakya were unanimously elected as the Secretary General and Assistant Secretary respectively. Mr. Main Harsha Jyoti was also unanimously elected as the Hony. Treasurer. Ven Mahanam, Ven. Dhammaloka, Ven Aniruddha were also unanimously elected as the member of the Dharmodaya Shabha. The other unanimously elected member of the executive committee of the Dharmodaya Sabha were Mr. Samyak Joti and Mr. Bhai Sahu Tuladhar.

The first thing the Dharmodaya Sabha decided to undertake is to the possibility of hosting the international conference of The world Fellowship of Buddhists set up in Sri Lank by Prof. Malalasekhara, the most celebrated Buddhist scholar and politician of Sri Lanka. He was at that time the President of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress. Rev. Amritananda and Mr. Mani Harsha Jyoti had represented the Buddhists of Nepal in the first conference of The World Fellowship of Buddhist held in Ceylon in November 1950.As per provisions laid down in the constitution of the WFB the International Buddhist Conference was to be held every two year in different countries. Rev. Amritananda and Mr.Maniharsha Jyoti reported to the Dharmodaya Sabha after returning from the conference and suggested that it would be a wonderful program for the Dharmodaya Sabha to foster unity among the Nepalese Buddhists of different vehicles and start the renaissance in Nepalese Buddhism. In 1952 Japan offered to host the second International Conference of the WEB. Rev. Amritananda, Mr. Maniharsha Jyoti and Mr. Keshar Lal, the Personal assistant of Rev. Amritananda participated in the conference though he was not a member of the Dharmodaya Sabha.

Later the Dharmodaya Sabha decided to hold the 4th international conference of the WFB in 1956 after the 3rd International Conference was held in Yangoon, Burma in1954.

Top