On November 1–2, 2026, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, visited the newly raised 108 Jangchub Chortens (Stupas of Enlightenment) in Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) and granted audiences to lamas, tulkus, monastics, and devotees.
The visit formed part of Project 108, a royal initiative of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. On the auspicious day of Lhabab Duchen (marking the Buddha’s descent from the heavens) and the anniversary of the King’s coronation, approximately 40,000 volunteers simultaneously erected the external structures of 108 fifteen-metre-tall stupas. Spaced 108 metres apart, they form a roughly 11.7–12-kilometre sacred corridor along the banks of the Mao Chhu (Mau Chhu) River. An estimated 200,000 people attended the historic ceremony.
The Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, sat on the main dais alongside King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Queen Jetsun Pema, the Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche, the Ganden Tripa, and other senior masters. He supported the project by sponsoring three of the stupas through the Karma Leksheling Foundation and his students, as well as the illumination of all 108 structures and the twelve-kilometre circumambulation path. He described his presence in Bhutan as the fulfilment of a long-held aspiration.
Following the main ceremonies, His Holiness granted audiences to lamas and tulkus, including monks and nuns from several Kagyu monasteries and nunneries. He also received Kyabje Tingkey Goenjang Rinpoche and Sikkim’s Ecclesiastical Affairs Minister Sonam Lama, who extended an invitation for him to visit Sikkim. A large gathering of devotees later received a public audience outside his residence, allowing people from across the Himalayan region to form a direct connection with him.
The multi-day gathering (1–4 November) continues with prayers, circumambulations, and further teachings. On November 4, the Karmapa is scheduled to bestow a long-life empowerment. The event underscores the spiritual foundation of Gelephu Mindfulness City and the enduring ties between the Karma Kagyu lineage and the Kingdom of Bhutan.
