Being Indian, we all have built in ingredient ‘peace’, and that puts us in a different platform from the rest.… our commitment towards peace is bound by relationships – Humans with Human, Animal, Object and Finally dedicated to ‘Vishwa Shanti’ …

The country has several Shanti Stupas located all over the country constructed at various times to promote peace and tranquility..

I am fortunate to visit all the Shanti Stupas we have in our country, but I realized that after visiting the Vishwa Shanti Stupa at Leh in April 2016 that within a span of 11 years I have been to all the Shanti Stupas in our country. My journey of Stupas started in way back 1995 when I was posted in Muzaffarpur in Bihar, barely 35 km away from the historical place of Vaishali. This is archeologically important because of two major historical events – Lord Mahavira was born here in 599 BC and Gautam Buddha preached his last sermon. The construction of the Stupa started in 1990 and was completed in 6 years. This was inaugurated by then President of India Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma, in October, 1996.

This 38-meter high Shanti Stupa is the highest in India was built by the Nippomjan Myohoji sect of Japan. It is based on the teaching of Saodharma Pundarika (the Lotus Sutra) to disseminate love and peace to create the pure land on the earth.

The construction of Stupas was initiated by the revered Nichidastu Fuji Guru after the destruction Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the atom bombs resulting in the end of the second World War in 1945.

The second Shanti Stupa I visited was in Rajgir, barely 100 km from the state capital Patna.. This Shanti Stupa was built in 1969 to spread the message of peace and non-violence.

In 1995, on my visit to Orissa, I could see the third Shanti Stupa at Dhaulgiri, just 30-km from the capital of Orissa namely Bhuvaneshwar. This place has historical relevance because of the Battle of Kalinga in 261 BC. This Stupa was built in 1970 on top of the hill.

When I visited Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal in April, 1997, I took out some time from my official engagement to see the Shanti Stupa majestically placed on the mountains.

A small village, Sevagram, just 8 km from Wardha in Maharashtra has a Shanti Stupa, where Mahatma Gandhi lived from 1934 to 1948. Fujii Guruji came to Wardha in 1935 to meet Gandhiji.

I always wonder why a Shanti Stupa at Wardha ? I realized the connect of this place with Mahatma Gandhi.
The work on Shanti Stupa in Delhi started in 2004 and was dedicated to the nation in November, 2008. I normally, see it almost on daily basis while travelling to Delhi from my residence .

I will never forget the afternoon of 8th April, 2016 when I visited the Shanti Stupa at Leh, and had aerial view of the entire city from the Shanti Stupa. The scenic beauty mesmerized me and the very early view is beyond description. People come to see sunrise and sunset from this place. My suggestion is that they may view from any place while staying in the city of Leh. This was built in 1991 as a two tier structure

My visit to all the Stupas in the country has been accidental, but I feel fortunate to achieve this unique feat. But, the beauty of the Shanti Stupa at Leh is class apart. I would suggest readers to visit all the Shanti Stupas (in India ) in order to believe in what I saw and to be at peace with yourself.

Image of Shanti Stupa at Leh in the State of Jammu &Kashmir taken in April 2016.