(By Tsem Rinpoche)

Few aspects of Man’s nature showcase his ingenuity more clearly than his talent for cruelty and conflict. Fortunately, another of those aspects is his capacity for compassion and forgiveness. It is from roots borne of these two diametrically opposite traits that the Pokhara Shanti Stupa – and 79 other Peace Pagodas like it – stand at sites across the world.

A Peace Pagoda is a monument to peace dedicated to the entire human race. The idea of erecting these shrines came from a Japanese Buddhist monk, Nichidatsu Fujii (1885–1985) who founded the Nipponzan-Myōhōji Buddhist Order.

Fujii first discovered that his calling was to create a worldwide peace movement in the early 1930s, on a trip to India where he met Mahatma Gandhi. After returning to pre-war Japan, he spoke out against the nation’s militarisation at a time when it was exceedingly dangerous to do so. The monk redoubled his efforts after witnessing the aftermath of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended the war.

History

Nepal may be the birthplace of Lord Buddha but seventy Shanti Stupas had been built around the world before the nation became home to its first, the Pokhara Stupa. The structure is known in Nepali as the Bishwo Shanti Stupa, which translates into the World Peace Stupa. Another Peace Stupa has since been built at Lumbini, where Lord Buddha was born.

Bishwo Shanti Stupa had a difficult gestation, facing repeated delays and roadblocks before and during construction. The foundation stone was first laid on 12 September 1973 by Fujii himself and he also used the occasion to consecrate the ground with relics of the Buddha.

However, it was only on 21 May 1992, seven years after the monk’s passing that the foundation was re-laid and construction began unencumbered. The building was finally officially completed on 30 October 1999 and consecrated the following week.

The tireless efforts of Nipponzan-Myōhōji monk Morioka Sonin, nun Dharmashilla Guruma, and Nepal’s former deputy defence minister Min Bahadur Gurung were instrumental to the fruition of Fujii’s dream.

Location

For most of us who live in cities around the world, it is hard to imagine that the city of Pokhara is Nepal’s largest in terms of area, second-largest by population and even considered metropolitan. However, it only gets that last tag as the hub of the nation’s tourism industry, which is overwhelmingly focused on nature and religion.

Location of Pokhara

Pokhara is located 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of the national capital, Kathmandu and itself serves as the capital of Gandaki Pradesh province. The Pokhara Peace Stupa is built at the top of Anada Hill in Pumdi Bhumdi Village, approximately 7 kilometres from the main market. It looks out onto the world from an altitude of 2,100 metres above sea level.

And what a sight there is to look out upon! Across the Pokhara Valley, a mere 24 kilometres (14 miles) away, lies the snow-capped Annapurna Range. This majestic wonder is home to three of the world’s ten tallest mountains – Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu.

Closer to the hill is the serene, mirror-like surface of Phewa Lake (or Phewa Tal). Some visitors choose to come to Pokhara Stupa via boat across the lake, which lies over 1,100 metres below the crest of the hill. The sound of the water and the nearing sight of the mountains and the brilliant stupa can be an inspiring prelude to any visit.

You may also travel along the side of the lake to get there. Either way, there is a winding uphill track from this point so if you want to reach the stupa, be prepared for a moderately arduous climb. It takes about an hour to cover the route.

The Structure

You can tell you have reached the summit of the hill when you see a path lined on both sides with colourful Tibetan prayer flags.

The Pokhara Peace Stupa complex is spread over 11,000 sq. m of land, a beautiful monument made even more so by the beauty of its surrounding. Painted in brilliant white, the building shines resplendently in the bright sunlight so common to mountainous regions. Some say that it resembles the peaks of the Annapurna range in the background when they wear their own veneer of white snow.

The building has a circular footprint and is three times as tall as it is wide: 105 metres (345 feet) in diameter and 35 metres (115 feet) high. From a wide rectangular platform at the base of the stupa, a tapering stairway of 37 steps leads to the central structure. Visitors can circumambulate the stupa either on the first level at the base of the stairs or on the balcony around the stupa on the second level.

The stairs lead to the stupa’s second tier and end at a large roofed alcove in the white wall within which sits a golden Buddha. There are four statues of the Buddha around the stupa, each placed at a cardinal point of the compass. Each of these statues is different and they each depict an important milestone in the Buddha’s life. The four statues were donated by four different countries.

The statue at the north is ‘Dharmachakra Mudra’, a gift from Japan. On the west of the stupa is ‘Bodh Gaya’, an idol of Buddha donated by Sri Lanka. Thailand gifted the 6-feet-tall ‘Kushinagar‘ statue that sits on the west. ‘Lumbini’ which is placed at the southern point was created by a local sculptor and donated by Nepal.

Above the main hall is the Dharmachakra, a Sanskrit name that means the Wheel of Dharma. It is a symbol of the cycle of life, the teachings of Lord Buddha and the Dharma. Above it, at the very top of the stupa is the ‘gajur’, a golden structure shaped to a point. Within, it houses a crystal stone, a gift from Sri Lanka that represents grace and intellect.

On auspicious days like the birthday of Lord Buddha, rituals and pujas are performed within the stupa as well as in the Dhamma Hall, a prayer hall built alongside it. The Dhamma Hall also contains statues of the Buddha and has 12 guestrooms. It was the first building erected on the site, completed on 28 November 1973.

Adjacent to the stupa is a small bust of Min Bahadur Gurung, Nepal’s first deputy defence minister, who donated the land on which the stupa is built on.

Visiting the Stupa

Admission to the Pokhara Peace Stupa is free, as it is at each of the other 79 Peace Stupas around the world. However, there are opening and closing times which vary by season.

In the summer months between April and September, the pagoda is open to the public from 5:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. In the winter months, this window is shortened to 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. because of the lower temperatures and darkening days.

Note that the blazing sun beats ferociously down on the hilltop from a nearly cloudless sky in the summer. This can make the platforms extremely hot and uncomfortable since footwear is not allowed beyond the base of the stairs. Visit in the earlier or later hours for an experience that features less hopping.

Give yourself about 3 hours to complete the entire trip from across the lake and back again.

Visiting Pokhara

The Pokhara region is one of the most popular tourist areas in Nepal. This is both because it hosts numerous cultural and religious sites holy to Buddhism and Hinduism, and also as it is a gateway to the imposing Annapurna Range. Besides the Peace Stupa, several temples and monasteries dot the area.

Getting There

Over the years, the government has helped create a dense network of road and air connections between Pokhara and the rest of the country. Pokhara Airport is well served by domestic and international flights that operate regularly throughout the year.

Most foreign visitors arrive here via a flight from Kathmandu which takes approximately half an hour. A new airport currently under construction in the southwest of the city will soon give tourists the option of flying directly to Pokhara.

Accommodation

The Pokhara tourism scene is centred largely on the northern shore of picturesque Phewa Lake. There are literally hundreds of hotels and inns in the area, ranging from a couple of 5-star establishments (Phulbari Resort & Spa and Pokhara Grande) to an unending list of no-star choices.

The mid-range options will be to most visitors’ satisfaction.

Getting Around

Pokhara Peace Stupa is popular with local, regional and international pilgrims and tourists. Because of this, there is no shortage of transport options and the public transport system includes local and regional buses, micro-buses and metered taxis. There are also several informal businesses that rent out scooters.

Note that the uphill track to the Pokhara Peace Stupa can be a challenge for a spluttering 50 cc machine. While having your own transportation can mean freedom, maintenance standards for these vehicles are virtually non-existent and your ride may be an adventure or misadventure in its own right.

For visitors who want to balance convenience and affordability, the local private bus network is often the best option. If you wish to travel regionally, the nearby Purano Bus Park is the main regional interchange for routes that cover the country.

In fact, there are services from Pokhara Airport directly to Phewa Lake and even straight to Pokhara Shanti Stupa. The first is convenient for those who wish to rest after their trip to Pokhara. It has the added advantage of an option to take a boat trip across the lake.

The downside is that there is still the uphill trek to the stupa and, although it is not very arduous, the journey will still take about an hour to complete. On the bright side, there is absolutely no shortage of restaurants and cafes along the route so you can replenish and rejuvenate.

Taxis, buses and other vehicles make their way up via Kalimati of Pumdi Bhumdi Village. A cable car service is about to be launched that will take visitors from the edge of the lake to the summit of Anada Hill. This will be very helpful for the elderly and those with mobility impairments.

What to Do

Pokhara is one of the stops on the Annapurna Circuit and, so, has long been accustomed to hosting religious pilgrims. Now, though, there is a new breed of tourists that are drawn to its rugged terrain for both mountaineering and adventure sports.

The region has a very rich landscape and there are a number of waterfalls and rapids in the vicinity popular with both locals and outsiders. Activities like skydiving, bungee jumping and paragliding have gained a lot of traction in recent years, too. The Phewa Lake area is especially conducive because of its steep topography and wonderful vistas.

An International Mountaineering Museum, the world’s first, showcases the amazing achievements of Nepalese and other enthusiasts in the field. There is also a Gurkha Museum dedicated to one of the world’s most feared fighting forces.

Pokhara is one of the main stops along the route taken by Tibetan refugees fleeing the Chinese occupation of Tibet. There is a Tibetan refugee camp craft museum in the city that is worth a visit.

Working Towards an Elusive Goal

Many people had assumed that the nightmarish scenes broadcast around the world after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would forever turn the human race off warfare. But how easily we forget.

Even in these ‘enlightened’ times, innocent people across the planet are killed every day for holding different religious beliefs, unpopular political opinions or even for having a skin tone too light or too dark.

Nichidatsu Fujii said that he wanted to build 100 Peace Pagodas around the globe. We are currently at 80 and worldwide efforts continue to bring that goal closer every day. In the meantime, the Pokhara Stupa and the 79 others like it across the planet were never more important to the spiritual sanctity of the human race than they are today.

For more interesting information:

• Nepal Pilgrimage full videos
• Photo Album: Sacred Sites in Nepal
• Nepal is the land of spirtuality, beauty and Mystery
• It’s in the scriptures they exist…
• Yeti Exhibition in Pokhara, Nepal
• Japanese Mountain Climbers Say They Found Yeti Footprints
• Sasquatch (Bigfoot)!!!
• Quick Photos from Nepal Trip
• Philip describes his recent trip to Nepal!!
• Look at this picture!!!
• Great Articles in GOING PLACES on Kathmandu
• Aerial view of Bodha Stupa
• Puja at Naropa’s Cave, Kathmandu, Nepal
• Jan’s a Hero~Saving beings~Kathmandu Nepal!
• Making Nepali Momos
• My Dream House in Nepal Mountains

Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:

If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team