Vishwa Shanti Stupa World Peace Pagoda Rajgir, Nalanda

- Aradhye Ackshatt

Perched atop one of the picturesque Ratnagiri hills is the Viswa Shanti Stupa, or the World Peace Pagoda. With a unique way of accessing its lofty location, this Buddhist pilgrimage site is a balm. On that note, bombs were the raison d'etre for the Peace Pagodas spread across the world. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Two prompted  Nichidatsu Fujii, a Japanese monk, to propagate the message of peace throughout the world.

When it came to building a Shanti Stupa in India, Rajgir was an obvious choice. The Vulture’s Peak, or Griddhrakūta, is nearby. It is a prime spot in Buddhism, since the Enlightened One is said to have preached the Lotus Sutra from here. Building World Peace Pagodas near such auspicious or holy sites seems to be a hallmark of Fujii’s Nipponzan-Myōhōji Buddhist Order.

Completed in 1969 and dedicated on the birth centenary of the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Rajgir’s Viswa Shanti Stupa is quite an architectural accomplishment by any and all standards. Towering over a hundred feet from base to peak, it fills one with a sense of awe and wonder. We went on a Sunday in December, so it was pretty well-visited, with the crowd ranging from Buddhist monks (understandably) to students to families - including ours. To access the Pagoda, there is a ropeway that has been functional ever since I can remember! I first visited it when I was a child, in the early nineties, when the ropeway had only single-seater chairs. What a thrill it was to dangle above the treetops, suspended by a seemingly frail cable…nostalgia hit.

Cut to today, and we were able to enjoy a much safer (although I must admit I missed the rush of adrenalin) ride instead of trudging up the steps, of which the more pious still have the option. There are 8-person-capacity cabins which allow all-around views as we ascend to the Pagoda. Tickets are reasonably priced at INR 120 for the round trip, and I suggest holding on to the stub!

Around the Viswa Shanti Stupa is a platform where people can rest, as well as a building where monks pray. A little way down is a giant bell, and a lookout point to click selfies, which attracted multitudes of Instagramming youngsters. For those who feel like a snack, there are many stalls on the way between the ropeway’s end and the Stupa’s entry - but we must warn you about the langoors who might launch sneak attacks upon unwary snackers! It is best, perhaps, to eat and drink before entering the pagoda, so that the threat of spreading litter is negated simultaneously.

I circumambulated the Pagoda, as I have done in Vaishali, and in Leh, and hoped that the message of world peace resonates with all people who visit these praiseworthy monuments.