Spirituality

Volunteers build 108 Buddhist stupas in one day in Bhutan

Volunteers raised 108 Buddhist stupas in one day in Bhutan's planned Gelephu Mindfulness City, Al Jazeera reports. Officials said the work started after midnight and involved more than 40,000 volunteers.

About 200,000 people attended the ceremony, officials told AFP. Buddhist masters from different schools and denominations joined people from around the world, while monks and workers built the monuments and Buddhists prayed nearby, according to the Associated Press.

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The monuments line the river#

The stupas stand along the Mao Chhu river near the Indian border. According to the Associated Press and the Project 108 website, each structure is about 15 metres tall, with about 108 metres between them in one row.

A stupa is a domed Buddhist monument that can contain sacred relics and serve as a place for pilgrimage and meditation. The Associated Press reports that the new structures represent Buddha's enlightenment and that 108 is a sacred number in Buddhism.

The ceremony coincided with Lhabab Duchen, which marks Buddha's descent from heaven, and the king's 18th coronation anniversary, according to INSIGHTS IAS. Monastic assemblies performed consecration rituals with horns and collective recitation of Avalokiteshvara mantras.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck said he had been concerned that the work might not be completed in one day. "But everything went successfully, and for that, I am truly grateful," he said at the ceremony, according to Al Jazeera.

Gelephu's city project remains planned#

The king conceived Gelephu Mindfulness City, and Danish architects designed it, according to the Associated Press. The completed stupa raising is separate from the wider city development, which remains planned, London Daily News reports.

Bhutanese leaders hope the city can support economic growth and persuade more young people to stay, Al Jazeera reports. The plan seeks funding for education, tourism, financial services, green technology and sustainable business. Analysts have questioned whether Bhutan can attract enough investment to realise the project.

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