Chorten Dorji, Secretary of Bhutan’s Central Monastic Body.
| Photo Credit: Rutajeet Karmakar
THIMPHU
Bhutan, an island of tranquillity in a troubled neighbourhood, is eyeing the role of a spiritual global peacemaker in a world torn by conflicts, polarisation, and discord.
The Himalayan country’s Central Monastic Body said Bhutan tested the waters by bringing together religious leaders, scholars, and thinkers from three main branches of Buddhism — Mahayana, Theravada, and Vajrayana — for the first-ever Global Peace Prayer Festival (GPPF), being held in Thimphu from November 4 to 19.
The “overwhelming response” from Buddhists within and beyond the country has prompted Bhutan to plan the GPPF as an annual event on a larger scale, involving top practitioners of all or most mainstream and indigenous religions on Earth.
“His Majesty, the King of Bhutan, conceived the GPPF as a global platform for transformative spiritualism toward co-creating a future rooted in peace and happiness. Our success in bringing leaders from all branches of Buddhism is a step in the right direction,” Chorten Dorji, the Secretary of the Central Monastic Body, told The Hindu on Sunday (November 9, 2025).
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 GPPF has attracted lamas and other representatives from the Mahayana branch in China, Singapore, and Taiwan; from the Theravada branch in Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand; and from the Vajrayana branch in Bhutan, India, and the Tibetan region.
“We see the response as an encouragement to organise GPPF annually by inviting the participation of priests, spiritual leaders, and scholars from all religions. The concurrence of interfaith leaders, who play a major role in society, is necessary for lasting peace anywhere,” Mr. Dorji said.
The GPPF organisers made this intention clear by creating a window for Hindu priests and spiritual leaders from India to hold a mass recitation event on November 7.
The Central Monastic Body appreciated the help from the Government of India “in cash and kind” 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.
“The cooperation we have received from India has cemented the bond between our two countries. And the upcoming visit of India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has made the festival more globally significant,” Mr. Dorji said.
(This correspondent is in Thimphu on the invitation of the Government of Bhutan.)
Published – November 09, 2025 04:38 pm IST
