Tens of thousands of volunteers build 108 stupas in a day for Bhutan's 'mindfulness' city

Summary

Tens of thousands of volunteers helped raise 108 Buddhist stupas in Bhutan on Sunday, as part of the kingdom's plans for Gelephu Mindfulness City, a project meant to drive economic growth and persuade more young people to stay. The 15-metre solid towers, sacred monuments found across the Himalayas, stretch along 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) of riverbank near the Indian border, at the site of the future city. The South China Morning Post reported that more than 40,000 volunteers took part in building them. ABC News reported that Buddhist masters gathered in Gelephu to witness the construction of the 108 stupas in a single day.

Timeline

1. South China Morning Post

   1 Nov 2026, 13:30 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that tens of thousands of volunteers helped raise 108 Buddhist stupas in Bhutan on Sunday, as part of the kingdom's plans for a mindfulness city aimed at driving economic growth, with more than 40,000 volunteers taking part along 12 kilometres of riverbank near the Indian border.

2. ABC News

   1 Nov 2026, 20:03 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Buddhist masters gathered in Gelephu, Bhutan, to witness the construction of 108 stupas in a single day.

3. Al Jazeera

   2 Nov 2026, 01:31 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Bhutan is building a 'mindfulness' city to drive economic growth and persuade more young people to stay, with tens of thousands of volunteers building 108 Buddhist stupas for the project.

4. The Japan Times

   2 Nov 2026, 07:04 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that thousands of people built Buddhist monuments, 15-metre-tall solid towers stretching along 12 kilometres of riverbank near the Indian border, at the site of the future Gelephu Mindfulness City.