A journey to inner peace: Discovering Vishwa Shanti Stupa

This was an opportunity I had been waiting for. It was my first visit to the state of Bihar. I was visiting Rajgir, which literally means the ‘city of kings.’ Rajgir holds the privileged distinction of being the dwelling ground of both the Buddha and Mahavira. Buddha was born a prince, called Siddhartha Gautam; disillusioned and searching for answers, he had travelled through this area extensively and finally found enlightenment in Bodhgaya, about 70 kms from Rajgir. Lord Mahavira was also born to royal parents and he too renounced all worldly pleasures to pursue meditation and attain spiritual awakening. He attained nirvana in Pawapuri, about 19 kms from Rajgir.

In my conquest of peace and having studied the historical significance of places like Rajgir and Bodhgaya in Bihar, I decided to go to see the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, the highest stupa in the world. 

Built by Nichidatsu Fujii, a Buddhist monk from Japan who founded the Nipponzan-Myōhōji Buddhist Order and was a great disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, the Vishwa Shanti Stupa was built along with six other peace pagodas in India, at Delhi, Wardha, Darjeeling, Bhubaneswar, Ladakh and Vaishali respectively. A peace pagoda is basically a stupa which stands for peace, inspiring people to focus and remain mindful irrespective of cast or creed. 

For me, this was like a trip in search of my inner self. The urbane chaos saps the balance, joy and peace from within me every now and then, and such trips become the balm to my tired soul.

Unique ropeway experience

As I had booked an early morning flight to Patna, I decided to head to Rajgir straight away. I wanted to experience the meditative aura of this mesmerizing place while it was still morning.
To my utter surprise, I found Rajgir beyond what I had imagined it to be.
It holds a special place in the history of ancient India as well a destination for peace globally. And to top all that, it is blessed with abundant natural beauty, being surrounded by five hills, namely Ratnagiri, Vipulachal, Vaibhavagiri, Songiri and Udaygiri.
From the airport, I immediately started for the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, which is about 2 and a half hours from Patna. It was a pleasant ride albeit uphill, inundated with greenery but at places, stripped of it too. I was amongst the first ones to line up for the ropeway that takes people to the peace pagoda on top of the hill. There is a pedestrian path too, which is in the form of wide stairs. I opted for the chair ropeway, which is one of the oldest in India. It proved to be an exhilarating experience with a magnificent view all around. I even got a glimpse of the white stupa under the sparkling rays of the autumn sun. We finally reached the top and I experienced what peace truly means.

A meditative experience beyond words

Built of white marble, the pagoda comprises of 4 beautiful golden statues of Lord Buddha – each representing a life period – of birth, enlightenment, preaching and death. Taking a flight of stairs to go around the Vishwa Shanti Stupa was the most surreal experience, feeling nature at its best and the Buddha’s presence, reminding me about the true flow of life. I sat down, closed my eyes and allowed the peace brimming around the magnificent stupa nourish and heal my soul. Those 20 minutes of solitude I got helped bridge a path between my inner core and the outer universe.
After this one-of-a-kind experience, I visited the adjoining Buddhist temple where prayers were being offered. The entire place seemed to be radiating peace, with the reverberations of drum beats adding to the extraordinary ambience.
The Stupa, surrounded by hills and lush greenery, truly stands testimonial to the supremacy of the divine that the universe has gifted us.
Even after weeks, it seems difficult to describe the peace, solace, happiness and contentment I felt during my stay at Rajgir’s heaven on Earth. Whether one sits consciously to meditate or simply looks around, one is sure to experience peace and feel stress and anxiety leave the body.
Energized and recharged, it was time to leave so I returned taking the joyous ropeway.

Visit to the serene Ghora Katora

As one reaches the base, a serene lake named Ghoda Katora awaits. I was told by the locals not to miss this so I hopped on an e-rickshaw to see the picturesque water body surrounded by hills. Once there, I had to pinch myself to see if I was actually in a popular hill station or in an ancient city of Bihar. It was one of the most divine experiences to gaze at the serene Buddha statue in the middle of a natural lake, surrounded by mountains on three sides. With easily available boat rides and a breezy weather all year round, this has to be one of the most pleasant experiences for any traveller.
The next day, I sadly bid adieu to the Buddha in Rajgir but felt the heaviness in my heart give way to calm and peace. I had experienced a truly unique journey, within and outwards.