Kiren Rijiju, Bhutan PM Drive Together To Attend Stupa Construction Ceremony

At 2:00 AM on Sunday, the construction of the 108 Jangchub Chortens (Stupas) will commence in Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City. The sacred event will begin with the resonant echo of 58 ritual trumpets blowing to invoke the spirits and deities, accompanied by the mass chanting of the compassion mantra 'Om Mani Padme Hum'.This mantra is the most famous and is widely recited in Tibetan Buddhism and dedicated to Avalokiteshvara (known as Chenrezig in Tibetan), the Bodhisattva of Compassion.Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju will be representing India at the ceremony. In a post on X, Rijiju wrote, "Honored to be warmly received at Paro Airport by the Prime Minister of Bhutan, H.E. Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Foreign Minister Lyonpo D. N. Dhungyel, the Foreign Secretary, and the Ambassadors of Bhutan and India".He added, "Travelling to Gelephu to witness the grand ceremony of the raising of 108 Stupas (Jangchub Chortens), an initiative conceived by His Majesty The King of Bhutan. A moment of deep spiritual and cultural significance."Honoured to be warmly received at Paro Airport by the Prime Minister of Bhutan, H.E. Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Foreign Minister Lyonpo D. N. Dhungyel, the Foreign Secretary, and the Ambassadors of Bhutan and India. Travelling to Gelephu to witness the grand ceremony of the raising of 108 Stupas (Jangchub Chortens), an initiative conceived by His Majesty The King of Bhutan. A moment of deep spiritual and cultural significance. @tsheringtobgay @MEAIndia @Indiainbhutan— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) October 31, 2026The Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dashi Tshering Tobgay took to the wheels as Rijiju arrived in Gelephu for the ceremony. "It's a huge honour, as Prime Minister of Bhutan, H.E. Dasho Tshering Tobgay drove the car upon reaching Gelephu to witness the grand ceremony of the raising of 108 Stupas (Jangchub Chortens), an initiative conceived by His Majesty The King of Bhutan," Rijiju said. It's a huge honour, as Prime Minister of Bhutan, H.E. Dasho Tshering Tobgay drove the car upon reaching Gelephu to witness the grand ceremony of the raising of 108 Stupas (Jangchub Chortens), an initiative conceived by His Majesty The King of Bhutan. https://t.co/NDSECI3FvK— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) October 31, 2026Bhutan's biggest spiritual event will see the raising and consecration of 108 stupas at one location at the same time which is also likely to create a Guiness Record. Speaking about the process and the significance of the ceremony, Choten Dorji, a Principal Secretary in the Central Monastic Body, which is the official state monastic order of Bhutan, said, "This is a sacred ceremony of Vajrayana Buddhism and it is seen as the awakening of the Buddha himself. A stupa has to empower itself to have divine power and become a sacred monument and that process begins on Sunday morning with the raising of the stupas and the consecration after they are completed."The practice of building stupas is a sacred Buddhist tradition of constructing architectural monuments that symbolise the Buddha's enlightened mind, body and consciousness. The practice started immediately after the death of Maha Parinirvana of Guatam Buddha in the 5th century BC. The Buddha's cremated remains were divided into eight portions and buried under eight dirt mounds. Emperor Ashoka opened the original relic mounds, divided the Buddha's relics into 84,000 parts, and initiated a massive empire-wide construction of stupas.However, in recent times the construction of 108 stupas at the same time and place has been born out of the vision of the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk.In terms of volume, this is the largest volume of stupas anywhere in the world. Each stupa will receive the Zung according to the ancient practices in Bhutan. Manuscripts, sacred relics, and images along with mantras will be placed inside the stupas. Each stupa will have the Buddha's bone relics, hair relics that have been received from Thailand."Project 108 has been blessed by the presence of overwhelming presence of donors and over a 100 spiritual masters will be attending the ceremony," Choten Dorji added. For the relics that are being installed in the 108 Jangchub Chortens, several countries have participated in the effort. "We had offers for more relics. Relics have arrived from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and India apart from Bhutan. The relics that arrived from Thailand and Malaysia have their primary origins in India," Choten Dorji added.The sacred ceremony to raise and consecrate 108 stupas in one place in one day will begin early in the morning before sunrise and continue till the afternoon. 18 monks will be deployed at each stupa for the ceremony with 12 engaged in installing the relics and the others engaged in ceremonial rituals. Once this process is over, the 70th Je Khenpo Chief Abbot of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan, Zhung Dratshang, will conduct the consecration ceremony. The Chief Abbot serves as the highest spiritual authority in Bhutan and heads the Commission for Monastic Affairs.