The monk who saved Ladakh and revived Buddhism, from establishing the demand for the Union Territory status for Ladakh, to supporting the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K... Kushok Bakula Rinpoche was an important figure in Indian history.
Rinpoche was born to a royal family in the Matho region of Ladakh in 1917. At the age of four, he was “recognised as 19th reincarnation of Arhat Bakula (one of the 16 Arhats in Buddhism, considered a close disciple of the Buddha Shakyamuni)”. When he was 10, Rinpoche was sent to Pethub Monastery in Leh which became his home for the rest of his life.
During the 1948 Pakistan invasion, it was under Rinpoche’s leadership that the locals rallied “behind India and helped the army to convert an open plot of land in Leh near his Pethub monastery into a makeshift landing strip”. The incident “secured India’s borders with Pakistan and saved Ladakh”.
Presenting my film on Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, the renowned Buddhist monk, and India's ambassador to Mongolia for a decade, at The Bodhipath Film Festival organised by @IbcWorldOrg March 11 at Seminar Hall I & II, India International Centre from 10:20 am to 1:00 pm. All welcome. pic.twitter.com/qaemQKmeER
— HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) March 8, 2025
“Had things gone otherwise, India’s political map would have been drawn differently and Ladakh would have been part of Pakistan and its Buddhist civilisation would have been subsumed by a hostile ideology,” former Deputy Secretary General of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP), Sonam Wangchuk Shakspo writes in an International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) newsletter.
The monk diplomat was a close friend of the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and on the prime minister’s advice, Rinpoche joined politics.
In his movie, ‘Kushok Bakula Rinpoche: The Extraordinary Story of An Extraordinary Monk’, director Hindol Sengupta has documented Kushok Bakula’s legacy—including the monk’s diplomatic as well as spiritual achievements.
The documentary features prominent names like Nambaryn Enkhbayar (former Mongolian President), veteran politician Karan Singh, Dr Dhammapiya (former Secretary General of the International Buddhist Confederation), and Sonam Wangchuk Shakspo himself, among others.
“Kushok Bakula Rinpoche is one of the most important characters of contemporary history in India and it is tragic that only a few people know about him,” said Sengupta. “When he walked the streets of Mongolia, people gathered to touch his feet and place babies in his hand for blessings.” Sengupta tells Rinpoche’s story through his film so that “his efforts are known to a larger audience”. Rinpoche served as the Indian ambassador to Mongolia for 10 years from 1990 to 2000.
In one of the scenes, former Mongolian president Nambaryn Enkhbayar refers to Rinpoche, saying, “He was a good model of a real Buddhist monk, a good ambassador, and a good envoy of the Indians. So, all these things combined earned him love and respect from the Mongolians. This helped immensely in the revival of Buddhism.”
The former Secretary General of the International Buddhist Confederation, Dr. Dhammapiya says that when Buddhism was declining in Russia and Mongolia, “it was Kushok Bakula who helped restore the religion in both countries”. Rinpoche is remembered as the ‘Elchin Bagsh’ or ‘Ambassador Teacher’ (in Mongolian) by the people of Mongolia.
Sengupta’s film was screened at The Bodhipath Film Festival at India International Centre in New Delhi on Tuesday.
