Meditating dudes at the Peace Pagoda

We rented a rowing boat today and rowed over the lake, parked up then walked to the Peace Pagoda. Its about a 45 minute uphill walk once you get to the other side of the lake and is a pretty big, white, imposing monument situated at the top of the hill overlooking Lake Fewa and Pokhara.

The World Peace Pagoda of Pokhara is one of many similar stupa scattered around Nepal and other places in the world. It was initiated by Nichidastsu Fujii , the founder of the Nipponzan-Myohoji Buddhist Order, who decided to build the first World Peace Pagoda in Hanaokyama, Japan and promised to build a total of 100 throughout the world. His intention was to spread the message of peace after the devastating aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At the Pagoda itself there are many signs asking for silence and you take your shoes off to the climb the steps up. These two dudes arrived, lit some incense then proceeded to meditate with drums, bells and chants ... quite nice but not very peaceful. A group of school kids then turned up so we left and made our way back down to the lake.

We spent a lovely afternoon rowing around and just chilling in the middle of the lake before heading back to dry land before dusk.

Haiku
Push against the flow
To centre lake nowhere
With gongs and squiffyfish