Bhutan, an island of tranquillity in troubled South Asia, organised the first-ever Global Peace Prayer Festival (GPPF), attracting more than 50,000 Buddhist lamas or monks from 20 countries, including next-door neighbours India and China.
The highlight of the 16-day festival from November 4 to 19, coinciding with the 70th birthday of the Himalayan country’s fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, was the unprecedented convergence of spiritual leaders from three distinct schools of Buddhism — Mahayana, Theravada, and Vajrayana (practised in Bhutan, India, and the Tibetan region).
Beyond Buddhism, Hindu priests from India and elsewhere across the globe were given space for a special prayer session.
The Centre for Bhutan & Gross National Happiness Studies and Bhutan’s Central Monastic Body, which steered the festival with help from India in “cash and kind”, want the peace prayers to be truly global by involving leaders of other faiths for this event.
It will be planned annually with an aim to minimise global conflicts and increase happiness of all sentient beings.
The GPPF was a display of colours, motifs, spiritualism, community discipline, and an emotional attachment to Bhutan’s royalty at 2,334 metres above sea level, with the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, the country’s capital, as the hub of the festival.
The Bhutanese government’s confidence in undertaking the event on a grand scale stemmed from similar festivals held annually across the country’s 20 dzongkhags (districts) to pray for world peace and the healing of humanity.
The Central Monastic Body appreciated the help from the Government of India to organise the GPPF and transport Lord Buddha’s relics from the National Museum in New Delhi to the Grand Kuenray hall in Thimphu for public veneration from November 12 to 18.
(Text and Photos by Rutajeet Karmakar)
Song and spirit: Buddhist monks pray collectively for world peace and happiness for all sentient beings
Blessed sight: The Jabzhi Dhoechog, a temporary structure adorned with offerings for global peace and happiness, faces the Buddha Dordenma, a gigantic statue of the Shakyamuni Buddha on one of the highest points around Thimphu.
Sacred perch: Tiger’s Nest Monastery, the source of Bhutan’s Vajrayana Buddhism, is on a cliff at more than 10,000 ft above the mean sea level.
Kindred soul: A Buddhist woman waits for her companions to join her from inside the prayer festival venue.
Sartorial assistance: A participant at the Global Peace Prayer Festival helping another drape the kabney, a silk sash worn as a part of the traditional male attire in Bhutan
Regal readiness: Royal guards gearing up for a parade.
Festive weave: Monks and volunteers prepare a ceremonial scarf as part of a rite to welcome religious heads.
Massive gathering: Devout Buddhists from 20 countries converged at Thimphu’s Changlimithang for the prayer festival.
Musical interlude: Members of the royal band take a break from the rehearsals to welcome dignitaries.
Published – November 23, 2025 09:33 am IST
