Guwahati: Bhutan’s Gelephu witnessed a major religious gathering on Sunday as Buddhist masters from different schools and denominations joined thousands of volunteers to erect 108 stupas in a single day at the Gelephu Mindfulness City project site.
Around 200,000 people from across the world gathered to witness the construction, while nearly 40,000 volunteers helped complete the external structures of the sacred monuments in about 12 hours, project officials said.
The stupas, known as Jangchub Chortens in Vajrayana Buddhism, symbolise the Buddha’s enlightenment. Each structure is expected to stand around 50 feet tall, with the 108 monuments arranged in a single line along the Mao Chhu river, approximately 354 feet apart.
The initiative, known as Project 108, is part of the Gelephu Mindfulness City envisioned by Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Designed by Danish architects, the proposed city aims to develop into an economic hub while placing ecological sustainability and citizens’ well-being at the centre of its development model.
The construction of the stupas involved months of preparation. Although their external structures were completed on Sunday, the monuments will subsequently be filled with prayers, blessings, relics and spiritual texts.
In Buddhist tradition, building a chorten is considered a meritorious act, believed to bring spiritual benefit to both those involved in its construction and those who encounter it.
Kinley Dorji, spokesperson for Gelephu Mindfulness City, described the gathering as a historic and spiritual occasion for Bhutan. He said the project had initially expected thousands of visitors, but the turnout grew significantly, with Buddhist masters and devotees travelling from monasteries and temples around the world.
Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his father, former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, were also present at the site during the ceremonies.
The event also drew the Venerable Pannakara, a Theravada Buddhist monk who earlier this year completed a 108-day, 2,300-mile Walk for Peace from Texas to Washington in the United States. He visited the site with his teacher, the Most Venerable Ratanaguna, and other members of the delegation.
Pannakara said volunteers and workers assembled the structures using prefabricated components, completing the construction in approximately 12 hours, from 2 am to 2 pm.
The 108 stupas are being built along a prominent stretch of the river where the Dooar plains meet the foothills of the eastern Himalayas.
Gelephu, currently a small town with a population of around 10,000, lies in southern Bhutan along the Indian border, approximately 240 km south of the capital, Thimphu.
The Gelephu Mindfulness City project is seen as a major economic initiative amid Bhutan’s challenges, including unemployment, declining birth rates and the migration of skilled workers. The proposed development seeks to create opportunities for young Bhutanese while promoting a model that combines economic growth with environmental protection and the principles of Gross National Happiness.