Kung Fu Nuns won UNESCO Martial Arts Education Prize 2021

Highlights:

• Prestigious “Martial Arts Education Prize 2021” was conferred to the world-renowned Kung Fu Nuns of Drukpa order of Buddhism.
• Prize was given to them from the UNESCO International Centre for Martial Arts to honour their brave acts of service.
• The Prize recognises the historic “acts of service and championing of gender equality in Himalayas” by the Kung Fu Nuns.
• Through martial arts, Drukpa nuns empower young girls with defending themselves, take leadership roles across their communities and build confidence.
• It also recognises work by Kung Fu Nuns in Indian and Nepali communities, who were hit especially hard by the covid-19 pandemic. 
• Pandemic had left the marginalised groups in need of supplies and education.
• The Kung Fu Nuns belongs to the Drukpa Lineage of Indian Buddhism. 
• They started learning Kung Fu in building strength and confidence. 
• They now use those skills to serve others by means of unimaginable acts of bravery including recent 2500 km “Bicycle Yatra for Peace” from Kathmandu, Nepal to Ladakh. 
• During the Bicycle Yatra, they speak out against human trafficking as well as to their refusal to evacuate after 2015 Nepal earthquake for delivering critical aid to neglected regions.

• Kung Fu Nuns are an order of Buddhist nuns, belonging to the Drukpa Kagyu lineage. 
• It is a thousand-year-old sect and is led by the Gyalwang Drukpa. 
• Their name comes from the proficiency order in Chinese martial arts. 
• They started learning Chinese martial arts in 2008 after the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa authorised training. 
• They are best known for their social activism and humanitarian work. 
• They occupy leadership roles across their nunneries.