Shanti Stupa

INDIA, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh

Shanti Stupa is located on Mount Changspa in Leh. Its construction was started in 1980 and it was completed in 1985. It was built with the help of monastics from the Nipponzan Myohoji order, with the aim of commemorating the 2500th anniversary of Buddhism. It is one of the many World Peace Pagodas built by Nipponzan Myohoji around the world.
The stupa sits on a two-layer round base, with steps leading up to the body. The second layer features a large mural painted in bright colors depicting a Dharma wheel and two deer. The stupa body is in the shape of an inverted bowl and consists of two levels. The lower level contains niches on four sides, with a Buddha statue enshrined in the front niche and Buddhist reliefs in the other niches. The central statue is a depiction of a golden seated Buddha forming the Dharmacakra (Dharma wheel) mudra, with reliefs of deer and disciples beneath the throne, representing the Buddha giving his first teaching at the Deer Park in Sarnath. The reliefs inside the other three niches depict the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana. Other colorful reliefs of Buddha images encircle the remaining parts of the lower body, with the edges decorated with Dharma wheels, lotus patterns, and animal heads. The upper level of the body is white in color and unadorned. Above the body there is a square harmika and a spire of three stacked rings topped by a canopy and a golden finial.