Amazon Quiz (October 30): This is the Shanti Stupa. It is located in which of these places?

Kathmandu

Leh

Bangkok

Kuala Lumpur

Answer: Leh

A Buddhist white-domed stupa (chorten) known as Shanti Stupa is located on a mountaintop in Chanspa, Leh district, Ladakh, in north India. It was established in 1991 as a Peace Pagoda project by Japanese Buddhist Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura.

The 14th Dalai Lama placed the Buddha’s relics at the base of the Shanti Stupa. The stupa’s popularity as a tourist destination is owing to both its religious significance and its strategic location, which offers sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.

The Shanti Stupa, which offers sweeping views of Leh, the settlement of Changspa, Namgyal Tsemo in the distance, and the surrounding mountains, is perched above the city.

The optimal times to visit Shanti Stupa are thought to be just before sunrise and just after sunset. At night, lights are used to illuminate the stupa. Tourists can visit the stupa from 5:00 in the morning till 9:00 at night.

The stupa is constructed on two levels. Dharmachakra is depicted in relief in the centre of the first level, with deer flanking on each side. A platform with a golden Buddha picture in the centre and a representation of the “turning wheel of Dharma” (Dharmachakra).

Reliefs on the second level show Buddha’s “birth,” “death” (mahanirvana), and “defeating the devils” while meditating. There are numerous smaller reliefs of the Buddha in meditation on both floors.

The Shanti Stupa was constructed to honour 2500 years of Buddhism and to advance peace and prosperity throughout the world. It is viewed as a representation of the connections between the people of Ladakh and Japan.

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