Vishwa Shanti Stupa is located approximately 900m south-east of the main Buddhist complex at Sarnath, and I believe is associated with the adjacent Japanese Temple, which I sadly failed to visit.
The entrance to the stupa is heralded by a replica of one of the gateways at the great stupa (stupa 1) in Sanchi. Flanking the path up to the stupa are a further two replicas, this time of Ashokan pillars crowned by the lions capitaks. The original lion capital, which was adopted as the official emblem of India after independence in 1950, can be seen in the nearby archaeological museum.
The stupa was inaugurated on 25th November 2010, and is dedicated to the people of India and the world, with aspirations for a sustainable and peaceful planet. This stupa is quite hidden away in one of the back streets of Sarnath, so peace is certainly in abundance here.
The stupa was dedicated by H.E. Shri B.L. Joshi, the governor of Uttar Pradesh, and funded by the friends of Dharmachakra Indo-Japanese Buddhist Cultural Society.
If you plan to pay this stupa a quick visit, please be sure to see the Japanese Temple (Nichigai Suzan Horinji Temple) next door, I’d be interested to know what it’s like ! 🙂
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Categories: India, Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, Vishwa Shanti Stupa
Kevin Standage 