Bhutan’s 108 Stupas by the Numbers: One Day, 40,000 Volunteers, One New City

Volunteers in Bhutan completed the outer structures of 108 Buddhist stupas in a single day on Sunday, Nov. 1, at the site of the planned Gelephu Mindfulness City, according to ABC News and Al Jazeera. Officials say the project is meant to anchor a new economic zone that the kingdom hopes will keep young people at home.

Crowds of visitors, including Buddhist masters from several schools, gathered along a riverbank in the south of the country to watch the work. ABC News reported that preparations had been underway for months, and that the sealed structures will later be filled with prayers, blessings, relics and spiritual texts.

The central numbers

• 108 stupas: The number is sacred in Buddhism, which is widely practiced in Bhutan. The project is known as Project 108.
• About 40,000 volunteers: ABC News put the figure at about 40,000, while Al Jazeera said more than 40,000 took part. Officials described the result as a physical form of prayer made permanent in stone and earth.
• About 12 hours: A monk who watched the work told ABC News that crews assembled prefabricated pieces from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m., about four hours ahead of schedule.
• About 200,000 people: Officials told the AFP news agency that roughly this many attended, or nearly a fourth of the population. A city spokesperson told ABC News the organizers had first expected thousands and then 100,000, so attendance figures differ by account.
• 50 feet (15 meters): The height of each stupa, according to ABC News. They stand about 354 feet (108 meters) apart in a single file along the Mao Chhu river, and Al Jazeera said they stretch along 12km (7.5 miles) of riverbank.
• About 10,000 residents: The current population of the small town where the city is planned, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of the capital, Thimphu, near the border with India.

What is behind the project

The city was conceived by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and designed by Danish architects. Al Jazeera reported that the king created the special zone by royal charter in 2024. Both outlets say Bhutan faces rising unemployment, falling birth rates and the departure of many skilled workers, and that leaders hope the city will bring jobs and investment.

The king told the ceremony he had worried that raising 108 stupas in one day might not succeed, but that everything went well. Nima Gyeltshen, who heads a group that helps young Bhutanese find work, said the day would be remembered for generations.

In Vajrayana Buddhism, building a stupa is considered one of the most meritorious acts a person can undertake, ABC News reported. The country’s tradition of such monuments is more than 2,500 years old.

Why it matters for Bhutan and investors

Bhutan has a population of just under 800,000 and sits between China and India, Al Jazeera reported. The city is designed to draw investment in sustainable business, green technology, education, tourism and financial services, while keeping with the country’s Gross National Happiness policy, which weighs well-being alongside economic growth.

Analysts have questioned whether Bhutan can attract enough investment to deliver the plan, Al Jazeera said. Indian billionaire Gautam Adani joined as a founding member in January. The site is expected to connect to India’s rail network in neighboring Assam, with an international airport slated to open in 2029. Al Jazeera also linked the project to Bhutan’s cryptocurrency plans: the kingdom mines Bitcoin with surplus hydropower and has pledged to use digital assets to support the city’s development.

What happens next

The stupas are to be filled and consecrated. According to ABC News, a delegation that included an American Theravada monk traveled to Bhutan for the consecration, which it described as a sacred journey.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News, Al Jazeera