5 Reasons to see the Shanti Stupa, at Leh!

Shanti Stupa is located on a hilltop at an altitude of 11,800 ft in the Himalayan city of Leh—erstwhile capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh.

It's a beautiful structure built by a Japanese Buddhist, ‘Bhikshu Gyomo Nakamura’ in collaboration with, ‘Kushok Bakula’ a lama of Ladakh as part of the Peace Pagoda Mission. It’s construction began in 1983 and it was officially innaugurated in August, 1991.

5 Reasons to visit the Shanti Stupa at Leh, Ladakh!

• It’s located in the city and is easily accessible. You can choose to climb the steep set of stairs on the side of the hillock or take the road. The stairway to the Stupa offers a challenging climb and serves as a good exercise to help you acclimatize to the altitude.

• It faces the Leh Palace and is a peaceful place. If you enjoy meditating then you may want to come here. There’s an altar next to the Shanti Stupa where you can pray or meditate in peace. You may also practice Yoga at the Stupa early in the morning.

• If you love photography or filming videos then you can capture a stunning sunrise or a mesmerizing sunset followed by the moon rising over another cliff at a distance. The Stupa is famous for its religious significance as well as the incredible panoramic vistas all around it. I’d recommend you visit early morning or in the evening after 5 p.m.

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• There’s a good chance you will see the mighty Indian Air Force practice sorties in the midst of the mighty Himalaya. If you're lucky you will see a squadron of one of my favorite—Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, HAL LCA Tejas and MIG fighter jets amongst a variety of other airforce and civillian aircrafts ripping through the sky! If you love fast machines and fighter jets you’re in for a treat!

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They may seem small from a distance but it’s magnificent seeing these fighter jets flying around here! I wish I had the equipment to capture them in flight. I can only imagine what it must feel like to pilot a jet surrounded by the mountains.

• It’s a great place to visit to find inspiration and engage with your creative side. One can spend hours here enjoying the wind and the clean air writing, painting, photographing, pondering over life and the mystical nature of the Himalaya.

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In my last post I showed you a picture of Leh shot enroute to Khardung-La. The snow capped mountain in the background is the same. The picture in the post was taken from the road up there at over 16500 ft enroute to one of the highest motorable passes on earth. You can see Shanti Stupa as a dot in the picture.

The line on the mountain is the road to the summit.

Don’t miss seeing two great pictures courtesy wikipedia: 1 and 2

I look forward to reading your comments about the place and my article.

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If you liked this you may also enjoy:

1. View of the Himalayan city of Leh from 16500 ft
2. Gata Loops and Tsarap River
3. Mystical Himalaya
4. This is Firepower—My introduction!

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