S. Mahinda

Venerable Sikkim Mahinda Thera , commonly known as S. Mahinda Thera , was a Buddhist monk from the former country Sikkim. He was a poet and author, and participated in the Sri Lankan independence movement. Although he was from Sikkim, he identified himself as a Tibetan, presumably because it was more well known in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

S. Mahinda Thera arrived in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) at a young age and was ordained as a Buddhist monk by Ven. Dodanduwa Sri Piyaratana Tissa Mahanayake Thera. Having learned the Sinhala language, he became a poet, creating several literary works inspiring patriotism among the Sinhalese and urging them to fight for their freedom during the Sri Lankan Independence movement. He is now considered a national hero of Sri Lanka and one among the greatest of Sinhalese poetry figures of all time.

Early life Sikkim Mahinda was born around 1901 in Sikkim and named Pempa Tendupi Serky Cherin. His family lived in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. He had three brothers; the first would later become a lecturer of the University of Calcutta, the second would be the prime minister of the king, and the third would join the Buddhist priesthood who was known as Punnaji Thera. Their elder half-brother, who looked after the family following the death of their father, was Kazi Dawa Samdup. His childhood friend Tashi Namgyal would become the King of Sikkim. S. Mahinda had used his name as a pseudonym in Sri Lanka, leading to the belief that it was his real name.

Literary work and nationalism S. Mahinda soon became fluent in the Sinhala language, and established himself as a poet and author. He has written over 40 books, most of them are poems inspiring patriotism. His first book was Ova Muthu Dama, which was written around 1921. His final book is believed to be Sri Pada. He also appears to have created a number of unpublished works. He also wrote several books for children as well, and in these too he has tried to inspire patriotism upon the reader. His most famous works include Nidahase Dehena, Nidahase Manthraya, Lanka Matha, Jathika Thotilla, Ada Lak Mawage Puttu, Nidahasa, Videshikayakugen Lak Mawata Namaskarayak and Sinhala Jathiya.

He was also a member of the temperance movement, which served as the basis for the independence movement of Sri Lanka. After the country gained independence in 1948, he was acknowledged as a national hero for his literary works inspiring the independence movement. He died on 16 March 1951.