Vishwa Shanti Stupa

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The pristine white Shanti Stupa stands beside the Ring Road, a part of the much larger area known as Indraprastha Park. You can either walk into Indraprastha Park from one of its many entrances along the main road, and then walk through the park to get to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, or you can enter from the gate right outside the Stupa itself. My daughter and I chose to enter through the gate outside the Shanti Stupa. From this gate, it’s just a few metres in, to the stupa.

The stupa is located in the middle of a beautiful lawn, with flowerbeds and trees around, and the area beyond decorated in a way to evoke Japan and Buddhism: there are Japanese-style stone lanterns dotted across the space, and in the distance, there is a small-scale (and not very realistic-looking) plaster replica of Mt Fuji. This part, which also has some other plaster replicas, was however fenced off so we could not go and have a closer look.

The pathway to the stupa itself leads through an impressive carved stone gateway which looks like a replica of the one at Sanchi. The stupa, all beautiful white marble and with gilded figures of the Buddha placed in niches facing the cardinal directions, stands beyond this, with a series of plaques at its base, explaining the history of the stupa. This was inaugurated in 2007 with a view to helping foster world peace as envisioned by the Japanese Buddhist monk Fujii Guruji (1885-1985), who established the Nipponzan-Myohoji order of Buddhism. The Dalai Lama (who presided at the stupa’s inauguration) donated Buddhist relics to be housed here, as did dignitaries from Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Nepal.

Since my daughter and I visited on a hot and sunny day, we decided not to climb the stupa, since that would require taking off our shoes, and we guessed the stone would be very hot.

Near the entrance, opposite the stupa, is a rather less spiritual space: this includes a food court (which looks more like a set of very downmarket dhabas, and which we avoided) as well as a children’s play area, which was so dusty and rusted that I didn’t let my child get on there.

Entry to the stupa is free.

Post by Travelogist | Oct 27, 2025