Volunteers erect 108 Buddhist stupas in Bhutan’s new Mindfulness City

Buddhist masters and about 200,000 people gathered in Gelephu, Bhutan, as volunteers constructed 108 stupas in a single day, completing the external structures ahead of schedule.

The 50‑foot monuments, spaced 108 meters apart along the Mao Chhu river, form the core of the Gelephu Mindfulness City, a project conceived by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and designed by Danish architects to promote ecological sustainability and citizen happiness.

Officials say the city is intended to address Bhutan’s economic challenges, including unemployment, low birth rates and skilled‑worker migration, by creating a vibrant hub that encourages young people to stay.

Around 40,000 volunteers helped assemble prefabricated pieces in roughly 12 hours, while Buddhist leaders from around the world, including a Theravada monk who walked from Texas to Washington, D.C., offered prayers and blessings.

The event highlights Bhutan’s unique integration of Vajrayana Buddhism into governance and its Gross National Happiness philosophy, linking spiritual practice with national development goals.