Shanti Stupa ( hi, शांति स्तूप, ur, , pa, ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ ਸਤੂਪ) is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monument in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, India, intended as "a symbol of universal brotherhood and peace." It is one of several

Peace Pagoda A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa; a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Most, though not all, peace pagodas built since World War II ...

s in the world. Started by the

Nipponzan-Myōhōji-Daisanga , often referred to as just Nipponzan Myohoji or the Japan Buddha Sangha, is a Japanese new religious movement and activist group founded in 1917 by Nichidatsu Fujii, emerging from Nichiren Buddhism. "Nipponzan Myōhōji is a small Nichiren Buddh ...

religious order of Buddhism, it was inaugurated by the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

on 4 November 2007.

Description

Shanti Stupa measures in height and in diameter.

History

Shanti Stupa opened on 14 November 2007 in the city of Delhi near

Humayun's Tomb Humayun's tomb (Persian language, Persian: ''Maqbara-i Humayun'') is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum under her patronage in 1558, an ...

, though earlier plans were to construct the stupa at Buddha Jayanti Park. It features a

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

surrounding it. Buddhist monk

Nichidatsu Fujii was a Japanese Buddhist monk, and founder of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji order of Buddhism. He is best known for his decision in 1947 to begin constructing Peace Pagodas in many locations around the world as shrines to world peace. Fujii was bor ...

of the

religious order originally planned the erection of Shanti Stupa with independent India's first prime minister

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

. Starting in 2004 in collaboration with the

Delhi Development Authority The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is a planning authority created in 1957 under the provisions of the Delhi Development Act "to promote and secure the development of Delhi". It is responsible for planning, development and construction of h ...

and the

Lieutenant Governor of Delhi The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is the constitutional head of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The post was first established in September 1966, when The Delhi Administration Act, 1966 came into effect. Thus the former Delhi Legislativ ...

, three years were spent on the construction of Shanti Stupa. The

inaugurated the stupa. Indian dignitaries at the inauguration ceremony included

Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai Akhlaq Ur Rehman Kidwai (1 July 1921 – 24 August 2016) was an Indian chemist and politician. He served as governor of the states of Bihar, West Bengal and Haryana. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliamen ...

, governor of

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...

; Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, governor of

Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sch ...

;

Tejendra Khanna Tejendra Khanna (born 16 December 1938) is the former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi twice, from January 1997 to April 1998 and again from April 2007 - July 2013. He also served as Chancellor of Delhi Technological University, Indraprastha Instit ...

;

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

, former president of the

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

; and Dinesh Rai, Vice Chairman of the

. Several Buddhist monks and nuns participated as well. During the liturgy,

Sheila Dikshit Sheila Dikshit () (née Kapoor; 31 March 1938 – 20 July 2019) was an Indian politician. The longest-serving Chief Minister of Delhi, as well as the longest-serving female chief minister of any Indian state, she served for a period of 15 yea ...

, the

Chief Minister of Delhi The chief minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi is the head of government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. According to the Constitution of India, the lieutenant governor is the National Capital Territory of Delhi's ''de ...

, proclaimed: "We are all proud that Lord Buddha was born in this great country and his message of peace and compassion has become universal and has timeless relevance". The

14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...

Tenzin Gyatso blessed the Shanti Stupa, hoping that it "would encourage the spread of the message of universal peace and brotherhood, which he said lies at the core of Buddhism." The Shanti Stupa receives 2.5 million visitors every year. Around 80 other such

s built by the Nipponzan-Myōhōji-Daisanga religious order exist.

Gallery

Elephants sculpture, Gate of Shanti Stupa at Indraprastha Park, New Delhi, India.jpg, Sculpture at the gate of Shanti Stupa File:IndraprasthaPark-Stupa-2.jpg,

Pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

at Shanti Stupa File:IndraprasthaPark-Stupa-3.jpg,

Murti In the Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' ( sa, मूर्ति, mūrti, ) is a devotional image such as a statue, or "idol" (a common and non-pejorative term in Indian English), of a deity or saint. In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon. Thus ...

of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

at Shanti Stupa File:Shanti Stupa at Indraprastha park , New Delhi, India.jpg, Front view of Shanti Stupa

References

External links

Vishwa Shanti Stupa Project
{{Coord, 28, 36, 08.6, N, 77, 15, 12.4, E, display=title Religious buildings and structures in Delhi Parks in Delhi 2007 establishments in Delhi Religious buildings and structures completed in 2007

Description

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links