🌏 International
40,000 volunteers raise 108 stupas in a single day at Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City
In 60 seconds: About 40,000 volunteers built the outer structures of 108 stupas in a single day on Sunday at Gelephu Mindfulness City in southern Bhutan, on the border with India. Work began at 2 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m., four hours early, as about 200,000 people watched. Each stupa, called a Jangchub Chorten, is about 15 metres tall and placed 108 metres apart along the Mao Chhu river.
Why it matters
Gelephu sits right on the India–Bhutan border. A new hub there matters for India's closest Himalayan partner, which hopes it will create jobs and keep young Bhutanese from leaving.
Explain it simply
Like a village doing shramdaan to build a temple in one day, Bhutan turned stupa-building into a shared offering by tens of thousands of hands.
The 3-minute read
What happened
Buddhist masters from various schools gathered with crowds from around the world. GMC spokesperson Kinley Dorji called it a big historic and spiritual occasion, saying the stupas stand where India's plains rise into the Himalayas.
Background
Gelephu Mindfulness City was conceived by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck as an economic hub that puts ecological sustainability and citizen happiness above profit. It is now a small town of about 10,000 people, about 240 km south of Thimphu.
How it works
The stupas stand in a single file along the river, forming a 'procession' of monuments. In Vajrayana Buddhism a chorten represents the Buddha's enlightenment, and building one is seen as among the most meritorious acts. The number 108 is sacred in Buddhism.
What's next
The sealed stupas will now be filled with prayers, blessings, relics and spiritual texts.
What it means for you
Bhutan's Gross National Happiness idea is a frequent essay and GS topic. This is a fresh example of it being turned into a city plan.
Key numbers
- 108: Stupas built in one day
- 40,000: Volunteers who built them
- 15 m: Height of each stupa
Both sides
- Gelephu Mindfulness City: Project 108 is a collective offering to the world and a historic spiritual moment for Bhutan.
- The challenge: Bhutan faces rising unemployment, falling birth rates and skilled workers leaving; whether the city can reverse this is still to be seen.
Key terms explained
- Gelephu Mindfulness City
- A planned economic hub in southern Bhutan that aims to put ecology and well-being ahead of profit.
- Jangchub Chorten
- A type of stupa in Vajrayana Buddhism that represents the Buddha's enlightenment.
The story so far
- 1970s: Bhutan's fourth King puts forward Gross National Happiness as a goal above pure growth. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck said Gross National Happiness mattered more than Gross Domestic Product. The idea, rooted in Vajrayana Buddhist values, still guides Bhutan's policy.
- Dec 2023: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck announces Gelephu Mindfulness City on the Indian border. The King unveiled plans for a special economic hub in southern Bhutan that would put ecology and well-being ahead of profit. Danish architects designed it.
- Today: 40,000 volunteers build 108 stupas in a day in Bhutan's Gelephu
Exam notes (UPSC, SSC, Banking, PSC)
- Gross National Happiness was put forward by Bhutan's fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
- Bhutan's capital is Thimphu; Gelephu lies in Sarpang district on the border with Assam.
- The India–Bhutan Treaty of Friendship was signed in 1949 and revised in 2007.
- A chorten is the Tibetan-Bhutanese name for a stupa, a Buddhist monument that often holds relics.
Likely exam question: Can Gross National Happiness be a model for development in South Asia? Discuss with reference to Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City.