Japanese Peace Pagoda, Darjeeling
A 28.5 m white Buddhist stupa on Jalapahar hill, built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii and inaugurated in 1992, next to a Japanese temple.
Overview
The Japanese Peace Pagoda is a white Buddhist stupa on Jalapahar hill, with an adjoining temple where visitors can join daily prayers. Entry is reported to be free.
The Peace Pagoda in Darjeeling stands on the slopes of Jalapahar hill, a few kilometres from the town centre. It is one of the peace pagodas built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii (1885–1985), the Japanese Buddhist monk who founded the Nipponzan-Myōhōji order. Its foundation stone was laid on 3 November 1972 and the pagoda was inaugurated on 1 November 1992, after about 36 months of construction to plans by M. Ohka.
The white stupa is 28.5 metres high with a 23-metre diameter, and houses four Buddha avatars including Maitreya Buddha. It was designed as a focus for people of all races and creeds in a search for world peace. Beside it is the Japanese temple of the same order, where visitors are welcome to join daily prayers. Guide sites give temple hours of about 4:30 am to 7 pm, with prayers from 4:30 to 6 am and 4:30 to 6:30 pm, and two of them state there is no admission fee.
The pagoda is a quiet stop with views over the hills, and October to December is usually clearest. Remove shoes before entering the temple and keep voices low during prayers.
Entry fees
Entry
All visitors
'There is no admission fee' (Darjeeling-Tourism.com); TravelTriangle also says free admission.
Source: Darjeeling-Tourism.com – Japanese Temple and Peace Pagoda
Free
Free entry per two secondary sources; donations optional.
Opening hours
- Mon – Sun
- 4:30 AM – 7 PM
- Temple hours per Darjeeling-Tourism.com; TravelTriangle lists 4 am-7 pm.
About 4:30 am–7:00 pm daily; prayers 4:30–6:00 am and 4:30–6:30 pm (guide sites; one lists 4:00 am).
Hours are from secondary sources and may change.
Visitor information
- Best time to visit
- October to December
- Best time of day
- Early morning, to hear the prayers
- How long to spend
- 45–60 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Families
- Suitable for families
Good to know
- Remove shoes before entering the temple
- Keep quiet during prayers
Location
Peace Pagoda Road, Jalapahar, Darjeeling, West Bengal
Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
27.02756, 88.25900
Get directionsPhotos
The Peace Pagoda from its forecourt. Photo: JyotiPN / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Stupa detail. Photo: Amitabha Gupta / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 Buddha relief on the pagoda. Photo: Amitabha Gupta / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 Peace Pagoda from a distance. Photo: Mr. Debapriya Hore / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Frequently asked questions
Is there an entry fee for the Peace Pagoda?
No. Two secondary sources say admission is free.
Who built the Darjeeling Peace Pagoda?
It was built under the guidance of the Japanese monk Nichidatsu Fujii and inaugurated on 1 November 1992 (Wikipedia).
Information sources
Where the facts on this page come from, and what still needs confirming.
Information last checked 7 October 2026
Not yet confirmed
- exact opening hours (4:00 vs 4:30 am)
Not available yet
- official hours
- Darjeeling-Tourism.com – Japanese Temple and Peace Pagoda · Travel site
- Wikipedia – Peace Pagoda, Darjeeling · Encyclopedia
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