Bhutan held a ceremony for the planned Gelephu Mindfulness City on Sunday, Nov. 1, after volunteers completed 108 Buddhist stupas at the site as the country seeks economic growth and ways to persuade young people to stay.
Officials told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that more than 40,000 people took part in raising the monuments. Volunteers began the work after midnight Bhutan time — after 2 p.m. ET on Oct. 31 (18:00 UTC) — and finished the one-day effort, AFP reported. Officials told AFP roughly 200,000 people attended. Bhutan’s population is just under 800,000.
The 108 monuments line a 12-kilometer stretch of riverbank near India, AFP reported, and each is 15 meters high. Organizers estimated the total cost at $21 million.
Bhutan faces a declining birthrate and an outflow of young people seeking opportunities abroad. Bhutan hopes the proposed city will support economic growth and encourage more young residents to stay. It aims to attract investment across sustainable business, financial services, tourism, education and environmental technology.
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck established Gelephu as a special zone by royal charter in 2024. At the ceremony, he reflected on earlier doubts about completing all 108 structures in one day. He thanked the participants and said he was “truly grateful.”
The project added Gautam Adani, an Indian billionaire who heads a ports-to-power conglomerate, as a founding member in January. Bhutan plans to connect the site to India’s rail network in Assam. The city also opened a pedestrian immigration terminal at its India crossing on Oct. 22, EconoTimes previously reported.
Bhutan mines Bitcoin (BTC) using excess hydropower and has pledged to deploy digital assets in the city’s development. An international airport is planned for 2029.
