Location: Leh, Ladakh Region, J&K
Also Known As: Peace Pagoda
Opened In: 1983 By Dalai Lama
A
relatively new addition to the rocky skyline around Leh is the
toothpaste white Shanti Stupa above Changspa village, 3km west
of the bazaar. Inaugurated in 1983 by the Dalai Lama, the "Peace
Pagoda", whose sides are decorated with gilt panels depicting
episodes from the life of the Buddha, is one of several such
monuments erected around India by a "Peace Sect" of Japanese
Buddhists.
The Dusky Beauty
The site of the Stupa is particularly atmospheric at dusk, when
the drums played at evening Puja seem to set the pace of growing
shadows as the sun sinks behind the mountains in the west.
HOW TO GET THERE
Road: The Shanti
Stupa can be reached by car, or on foot via a steep flight of
five hundred steps, which winds up the ridge from the end of
Changspa lane.
