Phalgunanda: The soldier who became the Mahaguru

By Bishnu Prasad Pokhrel

Damak, Nov. 11: Various programmes are being organised across the country to celebrate the 138th birth anniversary of national luminary Muhingum Angsimang Mahaguru Phalgunanda Lingden on Friday, with the main event scheduled to be held in Phungling, Taplejung.

Kaki Ram Lawati, general secretary of the organisation Kirant Chotlung Muhingum Angsi Mangenna Sewa, said that a statue of the great philosopher and social reformer constructed at the Takmedanda hill in Taplejung in the district would be unveiled on the occasion. He also said that Kirant faith leader Atmananda Saying would also arrive at the programme to be held at Phungling Market by helicopter.

According to Dakendra Singh Thegim, central president of the Kirat Religion and Literature Uplifting Association, special events will be organised in many districts including Taplejung, Panchthar, Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Tehrathum, Dhankuta, Sankhuwasabha, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Kaski Udayapur, Khotang and Bhojpur to celebrate Mahaguru Phalgunanda’s birth.

He also informed that programmes would be held in places outside Nepal in India, Bhutan, China, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, South Korea, Japan, the United States of America, Australia, Canada and Cyprus. 

The government of Province 1 has also declared Friday a public holiday for the birth anniversary.

Phalgunanda was a great personality who brought the Kirant religion, culture, language and script back from the brink of extinction and played a significant role in eliminating ill customs and superstitions from the community, Thegim mentioned.

Who was Phalgunanda?

Mahaguru Phalgunanda was born as the third son of father Jaganbaj Limbu Lingden and mother Hansamati Limbu on Kartik 25, 1942 BS, which would be November 8, 1885 AD. He was born on a Sunday at Ibhang, Chukchinamba in Ilam. 

Several books on his life mention that he did not cry for hours after his birth which made his family believe that he was dead. 

At birth, he was given the name Naradhwoj Lingden. But once, when he was a young boy, Phalgunanda fell severely ill and only recovered after he put iron bangles on his hands. This got him the moniker Phalam (Iron) Singh. 

As he became a young man, Phalam Singh followed his peers into the British Army where his name changed yet again to Phalgunanda.

In the British Army, Phalgunanda realised that war could never establish peace and so, resigned from his post and returned to Nepal. Once back in his birthplace, the Mahaguru launched a campaign of reform and preached the importance of staying connected to one’s roots. He asked people not to engage in antisocial activities under the influence of alcohol and not spend beyond one’s means for functions like marriage. 

He also was a strong advocate for gender equality and believed in respecting women and placing them in high regard in the society. To make his case, he reminded everyone that Yuma Sammang – a female deity – was worshipped as the mother of Earth and everything on it.

Sesehang Fyak, a writer and expert on Kirant religion, said that Mahaguru Phalgunanda devoted his entire life to the preservation and upliftment of the community. He also said that the policy of Satya Dharma Muchulka (Obligation to truth and religion) that the Mahaguru propounded has been adopted by the world.

Despite all his contributions, Phalgunanda was never recognised or acknowledged by the state in his lifetime. In fact, he was arrested and tortured multiple times by the then government and charged with treason. But he never stopped and until his death in 1949, he remained committed to the betterment of the Kirants of Nepal.

However, 60 years after his death, the government declared him a national hero on December 1, 2009.