Gelephu Mindfulness City in Bhutan marked by 108 stupas built in a single day

Buddhist masters from many traditions and about 200,000 people gathered in Gelephu, Bhutan, on Sunday. The crowd came to watch volunteers put up 108 stupas in one day. The new structures form a key part of Gelephu Mindfulness City. Organisers said the work finished within about 12 hours.

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The external parts of all 108 stupas were completed on Sunday with help from about 40,000 volunteers. Officials said the planning and staging had taken months. Workers joined prefabricated sections while wearing construction vests and hard hats. The build began at 2 am and ended at 2 pm.

Gelephu Mindfulness City and 108 stupas

The stupas were built for Gelephu Mindfulness City, planned by Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Danish architects designed the city concept, organisers said. The plan aims to create an economic centre while giving priority to ecological sustainability. It also aims to support the happiness of citizens over commercial profit.

Gelephu is now a small town of about 10,000 people in southern Bhutan. It sits on the border with India, about 240 kilometres south of Thimphu. Many Bhutanese face rising unemployment, falling birth rates, and a loss of skilled workers abroad. Supporters hope the city will strengthen the economy and keep young people at home.

Project 108 plans 108 stupas, each about 50 feet tall, in a single line. The project website says each stupa is spaced about 354 feet apart. They run beside the Mao Chhu river so they look like a procession. The number 108 is sacred in Buddhism, which is widely practised in Bhutan.

Project 108 stupas and Buddhist meaning

In Vajrayana Buddhism, these stupas are called Jangchub Chortens. Vajrayana is a major branch that emerged in India around the 5th and 7th centuries B.C. The tradition teaches a path to enlightenment within a single lifetime. Organisers said the stupas represent the Buddha’s enlightenment.

"This is not merely an engineering feat, the statement said. In the Buddhist tradition, building a chorten is one of the most meritorious acts a person can undertake, a gift of spiritual benefit not just to those who build it, but to everyone who encounters it. Project 108 is a collective offering to the world.\"

Officials said the sealed structures will later be filled with prayers, blessings, relics and spiritual texts. This is meant to make each stupa a lasting physical form of prayer. Devotees gathered in large crowds at night near the site. Many held glowing yellow light balls, chanted, and offered prayers at the base.

Bhutan Vajrayana Buddhism and 108 stupas

Bhutan is the only sovereign nation where Vajrayana Buddhism is constitutionally set as the state religion. The religion is closely linked to governance, culture and legal systems. Gross National Happiness is one example used in public policy. It puts peace and shared well-being ahead of pure economic growth.

Vajrayana teachings also treat nature as sacred, with spirits believed to live in mountains, rivers and forests. This belief makes environmental care a religious duty for many followers. Bhutan’s chorten tradition is more than 2,500 years old. Early chortens were built to hold relics of the Buddha after death.

Kinley Dorji, spokesperson for Gelephu Mindfulness City, described Sunday’s gathering as historic for Bhutan. Dorji said the stupas stand at a key riverside location. The spot is where the plains of India rise into the Himalayas. Dorji said guests brought offerings and blessings for the new stupas.

\"We were initially expecting thousands, but now we have 100,000 coming together, he said. Guests, including Buddhist masters from temples and monasteries worldwide, have brought treasured offerings and blessings for the stupas.\"

Venerable Pannakara and 108 stupas

Among those present was the Venerable Pannakara, a Theravada Buddhist monk. Earlier this year, Pannakara completed a 108-day, 2,300-mile Walk for Peace. The walk ran from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. The delegation also included the Most Venerable Ratanaguna.

The visiting group described the Bhutan visit on social media as a sacred journey. Pannakara posted a video tour of the completed stupas on the Walk for Peace Facebook page. Pannakara said the build finished about four hours ahead of schedule. Pannakara said the build was done in about 12 hours.

\"We have come here to witness, to pray and see the results, he said. Its great to see that 200,000 people from all over the world came here to witness this special moment. AP\"

The stupas now anchor the early shape of Gelephu Mindfulness City along the Mao Chhu river. Officials said the outer structures were finished on Sunday, with fillings to follow later. The event drew major international participation, including Buddhist teachers and large volunteer teams. Bhutanese supporters continue to link the project with hopes for jobs and stability.

With inputs from PTI