Kick-Starting Gender Equality: Kung Fu Nuns Showcase Martial Arts Mastery

At Nepal's Druk Amitabha Monastery, kung fu nuns performed martial arts displays to celebrate the reopening of their nunnery after a five-year closure. These nuns, embodying the Drukpa lineage's principles of gender equality, aim to empower women and promote strength through martial arts, defying traditional roles.

The hills of Nepal echoed with cheers as a group of nuns demonstrated their martial arts prowess at the grand reopening of the Druk Amitabha Monastery nunnery. The event marked a significant comeback after a five-year hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Breaking stereotypes, these kung fu nuns, aged between 17 to 30, belong to the 1,000-year-old Drukpa lineage where they enjoy equal status with monks. This progressive ideology is fuelled by Gyalwang Drukpa, a senior figure in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, who championed martial arts training for women's health and empowerment.

The nunnery houses 300 members between the ages of six and 54, spreading across countries like Bhutan, India, and Nepal. They continue to practice kung fu as a tool for self-defense, community aid, and personal strength, promoting a message of gender equality and holistic well-being.

(With inputs from agencies.)