His Holiness the 10th Sangharaja Jyotipal Mahathero, who was simultaneously a great spiritual monk, Buddhist philosopher, writer, researcher, social reformer, father of orphans and a Dedicated person to get international support for the liberation of Bangladesh visiting many countries during the war in 1971, recipient of Bangladesh Governments’ highest state honor, Independence Medal (posthumously), Asian Peace Gold Medal and United Nations World Citizenship.
Barigaon
is a well-known village in Laksam upazila of Cumilla district and His Holiness
Sangharaja Jyotipal Mahathero was spent for a long time and established many
organizations for his various non-communal social welfare activities. In order
to develop the light of education in the area, he established the first girls’
high school “the Barigaon Girls’ High Schoo” and the Barigaon
Orphanage for the benefit of orphans and poor students where Hindu, Buddhist
and Muslim students have a huge opportunity to study together. The
organizations has been running.
Ven.
Sugato Bhikkhu lost his father at a very young age. His father, Mr. Manmohan
Singh, passed away in 1986 due to an incurable disease. Due to financial
difficulties of the family, elder brother Jahar Lal Singha postponed his
studies and took the helm of the family. Mother Kanan Bala Singha admitted her
other two sons Uttam Singha and Sujit Singha (Ven. Sugato Bhikkhu) to the
Barigaon Orphanage. On February 2, 1995, under the patronage of Pandit
Sangharaja Jyotipal Mahathero, he was initiated into the samanera at Barigaon
Temple. From there, Ven. Sugato passed the secondary school and moved to the
World Peace Pagoda in Chittagong in 1997 in his master’s temple.
There
his new life began, he began to take the teachings of the master with
reverence. Gradually, inspired by the preceptor’s ideals, he decided to take
initiation into monasticism, and on 30 October 1999, at the Konakchaitya Vihara
in Barigaon, he received the Upasampada (became a monk) under the preceptor of
Sangharaja Jyotipal Mahathero. As usual, he returned with his preceptor to the
World Peace Pagoda in Chittagong. Meanwhile, Sangharaja laid the foundation
stone for the construction of a magnificent World Peace Pagoda in the presence
of His Holiness the 8th Sangharaja Shilalankar Mahathero. But when the
construction work will start, still enough money is needed. 3 years have passed
like this. Meanwhile, Sangharaj Jyotipal Mahathero fell ill and passed away in
2002 at the age of 94. Since then, the construction of his Master’s dream
‘world peace pagoda’ has not started.
In
2006, Ven. Sugato Bhikkhu went to Thailand for higher education. The first year
there he had to suffer a lot. In the second year he got the opportunity to stay
at Wat Phutthabucha, Bangkok. He was allowed to stay in the kuti where the most
Venerable chief abbot Bhante used to live.
Wat
Phutthabucha, It is a well-known Buddhist monastery in Bangkok. In particular,
the chief of the temple, whom people know as a high-ranking spiritual monk, is
the most Venerable Phrathep Mongkolyarn (Soun Analayo). There are 60 monks in
the monastery. He has built a meditation center where people from far and wide
come and practice meditation every Saturday-Sunday. He has also built a
religious school, which has provided religious education to the people of the
area. The most interesting thing is that the monastery has a beautiful high
pagoda built by the Venerable Phrathep Mongkolyarn (Soun Analayo) and which was
next to the Kuti of Venerable Sugato Bhikkhu.
Origin
of the World Peace Pagoda Analayo: Every day when Ven. Sugato open the window
of the room, he can see the beautiful tall pagoda next to the house. It went on
like this for a long time. In the meantime, Ven. Sugato began to think how
beautiful pagodas there are in Thailand. But his master Sangharaja Jyotipal
Mahathero could not do it in Bangladesh due to financial reasons. He thought to
himself If I could build such a like this Thai beautiful pagoda and then,
fulfill the hopes of my preceptor His Holiness Sangharaja; One day, while
thinking, he started preparation: first he sat down at his computer and made a
design in the shape of a pagoda of Wat Phutthabucha, then he discussed the
matter with the devotee Upasika Chitra Phetvongs. At that moment, the Venerable
Phrathep Mongkolyarn (Soun Analayo) sat in a wheelchair and went out to see the
various activities of the monastery. Without delay, Ven. Sugato took the design
made by himself in his hand and went straight to the Venerable Phrathep
Mongkolyarn with the devotee Upasika Chitra Phetvongs and told about his plan
and handed over the design to him and took permission. Venerable Phrathep
Mongkolyarn (Soun Analayo) assured all possible cooperation in the project.
The objective of the World Peace Pagoda Analayo:
1.
To Fulfilling the hopes of Sangharaja Jyotipal Mahathero
2. To revive the lost Buddhist Heritage in Cumilla
3. To create an opportunity for all Buddhists in Bangladesh to come to the historic Shalban and practice religious culture
4. Creating a religious bridge between Bangladeshis and Buddhists in Thailand
