KATHMANDU: Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn gave Phra Anil Shakya, also known as Sugandha Mahasthavira, the highly honored title of Dev Pada.
Monk Sugandha is the first Nepali to be honored with the Dev Pada stamp, the fourth highest title in the tradition of Thai Buddhism.
He has been in Thailand for over 40 years, and is known in Thailand as Phra Anil. 'Phra' in Thai refers to priest.
For his contribution to the Budhha Dharma and Thai culture, Anil is given the title Dev Pada. Monk Sugandha is deputy rector of Thailand's Mahamukut Bouddhist University.
It's reported that Thailand has more than 328,000 monks.
(With inputs from agencies)
