Sikkim Mahinda Thero BY SHITAL PRADHAN I first heard about S Mahinda Thero in 2005 while in Kolkata when I was asked by one of the stamp dealers whether I was interested in a 20 paisa stamp of S Mahinda Thero issued by the Sri Lankan Postal Department in the early 1970s. I collected philatelic items on Buddhism, but I never understood who he was talking about. He told me, as I was from Sikkim, I might be interested to know more about the person, and he went on to add it was Sikkim Mahinda Thero, a Buddhist monk who is regarded as a national hero, a famous poet in the Sinhalese language whose poetry promoted patriotism and the revival of Buddhism to this part of the Island. He promised to send me the stamp of S Mahinda Thero from Colombo through the mail, but I have never heard from him since then. However, regarding my limited concern, it was enough to know that such a person keeps the name Sikkim with honor and pride in Sri Lanka. I had the name...
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This is a rare photograph and a wonderful one of the Sikkim Royal Family. Here sitting on left of Maharani Kunzang Dechen (daughter of Ragasha of Tibet)is Raja Tsodrak Namgyal Taring, eldest son of Maharaja Thutop Namgyal, and elder brother of Maharaja Sir Tashi, standing behind. Far left sitting is Rani Taring (wife of Raja Tsodrak). Far right sitting is Jigme Taring eldest son of Raja Tsodrak, and standing next to Sir Tashi is George Taring, younger son of Raja Tsodrak. In the late 1880's when the British invaded Sikkim, Maharaja Thuthop Namgyal, sent his eldest son Crown Prince Tsodrak Namgyal with his uncle to the sanctuary of Tibet. The young Crown Prince married daughter of Tibetan noble family Dode. He was given the estate of Taring by HH 13th Dalai Lama, and was well settled in Lhasa. His younger brother Sir Tashi requested his elder brother twice to become Chogyal of Sikkim, and declined each time. He was happy living in Tibet. The Taring family today would be the eldest unbroken line of the Namgyal dynasty of Sikkim.
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