Mahaguru Phalgunanda () also known as "Mahaguru Phalgunanda" or Phalgunanda Lingden (1885–1949) was a leader of

Kirat The Kirati people, also spelled as Kirant or Kiranti, are a Sino-Tibetan ethnic group. They are peoples of the Himalayas, mostly the Eastern Himalaya extending eastward from Nepal to North East India (predominantly in the Indian state of Sikkim ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

in Nepal

Kirat people The Kirati people, also spelled as Kirant or Kiranti, are a Sino-Tibetan ethnic group. They are peoples of the Himalayas, mostly the Eastern Himalaya extending eastward from Nepal to North East India (predominantly in the Indian state of Sikkim ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

Early life

Falgunanda Lingden was born on 10 November 1885 in

Ilam district Ilam district ( ne, इलाम जिल्ला) is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. It is a Hill district and covers . The 2011 census counted 290,254 population. The municipality of Ilam is the district headquar ...

of Nepal.

Career

He is known as Mahaguru (the great teacher), especially among the Limbu, Rai, Sunuwar, Yakhkha, Lohorung, Dhimal and Jurel Kirat people. He is credited with the continuation of the ancient Kirat religion on puritan principles, which include vegetarianism, a ban on alcohol and following

Limbu Limbu may refer to: * Limbu people, an indigenous tribe living in Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan ** Rambahadur Limbu (born 1939), Nepalese Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross * Limbu language * Limbu script ** Limbu (Unicode block) Limbu is a Unicod ...

traditions and scripts. He is remembered for his socio-cultural and religious messages. His main message includes calling for a ban on

animal sacrifice Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...

since this taboo raises social expenditures on celebrations such as births, weddings and funerals. He also called for the elimination of social orthodoxies and supports running a school for children, especially through their mother tongue.

Beliefs

He believed education brings knowledge to wash one's heart clean, which alone is the key to emancipation. For Falgunanda, emancipation is the Ultimate Truth to realize God. His philosophy features love and

non-violence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

. He built many shrines. He died in 1949. The Nepal Postal Services Department issued a

postal stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...

in his honor as part of its Distinguished Personalities Series in 1993. He is the 16th luminary of Nepal.

References

1885 births 1949 deaths People from Ilam District National heroes of Nepal {{Nepal-bio-stub