Acharya Kishore Kunal

Who is Acharya Kishore Kunal?

Kishore Kunal is a retired IPS Officer and Sanskrit scholar from the state of Bihar, India. He is chairman of the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts. Kunal is also secretary of the Mahaveer Temple Trust, Patna, and previously of Mahavir Arogya Sansthan, in which capacity he was involved with the promotion of healthcare for the poor.

Acharya Kishore Kunal has always led by example. As chairman of Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts, he has launched a campaign to root out corruption from religious places in the state. While on one hand he has appointed Dalit priests in Mahavir Mandir, on the other hand, he has raised his voice against encroachment on government land by religious bodies.

In 2008 he received the Bhagwaan Mahaveer Award for his contribution to community and social services. The award, presented to Kunal by the President of India Pratibha Patil, is instituted by the Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation, Chennai. Acharya Kunal is the first individual from Bihar-Jharkhand to get this award. His selection was made by a jury headed by Justice Shri M. N. Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice of India.