November 1, 2026
In the morning of the auspicious day of Lhabap Duchen and the anniversary of the king’s coronation, the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje attended the program for the raising of the 108 Jangchub Stupas that will anchor the new Gelephu Mindfulness City in Bhutan. This project, initiated and overseen by His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, consists of raising 108 fifteen-meter stupas spaced 108 meters apart along over eleven kilometers on the banks of the Mao Chhu River in Gelephu. All of these stupas were erected simultaneously on this auspicious day.
His Holiness has supported this dharma project not only with his presence but also by sponsoring, along with his students, the construction of three of the stupas as well as the illumination of all the stupas and the twelve-kilometer circumambulation path.
His Holiness was seated on the main daïs with His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche and His Holiness Ganden Tripa Rinpoche as well as His Majesty the King; Her Majesty The Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck; His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan; and other great lamas and dignitaries. They recited mani mantras together until the raising of all 108 stupas had been completed and the ceremony came to a close. In the afternoon, His Holiness returned to the site for the Tashi Drup ceremony offered by His Holiness the Je Khenpo, the chief abbot of Bhutan’s Central Monastic Body. The day ended with a spectacular drone show.
Following the ceremony, His Holiness granted an audience to H.E. Tingkey Goenjang Rinpoche and Ven. Sonam Lama, the minister of the Ecclesiastical Department of Sikkim, who extended an invitation to His Holiness to visit Sikkim. His Holiness received the invitation letter and enquired about the health and wellbeing of the Honorable Chief Minister of Sikkim, Shri Prem Singh Tamang. He offered his prayers for the peace and prosperity of the people of Sikkim and his sincere hope that he may be able to visit in the future.
The reasons why His Holiness came to India in the year 2000 were to take teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the great lineage masters in India, where the Buddhadharma was born and continues to flourish, and to reside in his official seat, Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. It has long been his wish to freely follow the footsteps of the 16th Karmapa and maintain his deep connection with the people of Sikkim.
In the evening, His Holiness granted audiences to devotees who had come to his residence, including the monks and nuns of several Kagyu monasteries and nunneries. A large crowd gathered outside His Holiness’ residence, and he came out to give a public audience to everyone there. In this way, people from throughout the Himalayan region were able to fulfill their long-held wish to make a dharma connection with the Karmapa, the embodiment of the activity of all buddhas.
