History, Importance, Timings, Architecture, Interesting Facts and Travel Guide of Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Rajgir, Bihar, India
Vishwa Shanti Stupa is a big white Peace Pagoda near Gita Mandir in Rajgir, Nalanda District, Bihar. It is situated at an altitude of 400 meters on the highest point of Ratnagiri hill in Rajgir, giving it a holy aura. In four directions, Buddha statues are erected on the stupa. It also features a large park and a modest Japanese Buddhist temple. Near the stupa, there is a temple where prayers for world peace are offered.
The first pagoda was finished in 1969. In 1993, new initiatives resulted in the current form. It is one of roughly 80 Peace Pagodas created by the neo-Buddhist organization Nippon Zan Myohoji around the world. Nichidatsu Fujii's dream, inspired by Mohandas K. Gandhi, was to build the first and most well-known Vishwa Shanti stupa atop Ratnagiri Hill in Rajgir as a reply to Japan's atomic bombs.
There are 7 Shanti Stupas in India which are situated in places like Ladakh, Delhi, Darjeeling, Rajgir, Bhubaneswar, Wardha, and Vaishali. At 400 metres above sea level, the renowned pagoda is one of the world's highest Shanti Stupas. Ropeway and staircase are the two options for getting to the summit of the hill. The ropeway is the more adventurous of the two. The pagoda is made of marble and features four golden Buddha statues that represent the four stages of life: birth, enlightenment, preaching, and death. The stupa's design is quite magnificent.
