Chief monk of Nipponzan Myohoji conducts a prayer at the Vishwa Shanti Stupa at Rajgir on Tuesday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Rajgir, Oct. 25: Japanese monk Nichidatsu Fujii had established the Vishwa Shanti Stupa on Ratnagiri hills at Rajgir, 110km from the state capital, in 1969. Today, two delegations from Japan, Buddhist monks, tourism minister Sunil Kumar “Pintu” and chief minister Nitish Kumar celebrated the stupa’s 42nd anniversary.

Peace and prayer ceremonies held at the 42nd anniversary celebrations of the Vishwa Shanti Stupa were dedicated to the memory of the victims of the March 11 earthquake in Japan and the resultant tsunami that killed thousands in the island nation.

The two Japanese delegations of 80 corporate officials from CGC group of companies and Santoku Corporation Limited and their heads specially came for the anniversary of the stupa.

Joined by monks from the Theravada and Mahayana sects, nuns, Vishwa Shanti Stupa chief monk Okonoji and other dignitaries, the devotees offered prayers to Lord Buddha and Fujii.

Beats of Otaiko and Buddhist chants filled the air at the shrine as the devotees encircled the stupa.

As Nitish and Sunil reached Vishwa Shanti Stupa, the Japanese guests, monks and devotees assembled for mass prayers with the chief monk of Japan’s Nipponzan Myohoji.

Nitish said: “This is the fifth time I have come here to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa — one of the tallest stupas in the country. This is a very holy place as Lord Buddha had preached for several years at the adjoining Gridhakuta hills. Lord Mahavira had also visited this place. The respected monk, Fujii, built this stupa with keen interest from Jawaharlal Nehru and Moraji Desai. It brings me a lot of inner peace to be here.”