Gelephu Prepares for 100,000 Visitors as 108 Stupas Rise in a Single Day

Gelephu expects around 100,000 visitors on 1 November as 108 stupas rise in a single day. Hotels are full and police have set traffic and parking rules.

Gelephu is preparing for an estimated 100,000 people to gather on 1 November 2026, when 108 Buddhist stupas are scheduled to be completed together in a single day.

Around 84,000 people had registered for Project 108 by 8 October. Hotels are nearing capacity, more than 30,000 vehicles have been registered for the journey and authorities are preparing extensive traffic and public transport arrangements.

Officials have described it as potentially the largest gathering held in Bhutan. International guests from around 20 countries are expected to join Bhutanese visitors, Buddhist teachers, monks and supporters of the project.

What Project 108 Is Building

Project 108 is taking place within Gelephu Mindfulness City, the highly autonomous special administrative region Bhutan is developing around Gelephu. The town lies in southern Bhutan beside the Indian state of Assam.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck announced the project in February 2026 during a volunteer service programme in Gelephu. The royal initiative calls for all 108 structures to be completed together on 1 November.

Each structure is a Jangchub Chorten standing 15 metres tall, roughly the height of a five-storey building. They are being built at intervals along the Mao River.

Chorten is the Bhutanese term for a stupa, a Buddhist monument that can contain sacred texts, relics and consecrated objects. Devotees traditionally walk clockwise around a chorten as a religious practice.

The Jangchub Chorten, also known as the Bodhi Stupa, commemorates the Buddha’s enlightenment. It is one of eight classical forms of Buddhist stupa.

The number 108 carries religious significance in several Buddhist traditions, where it is associated with spiritual completeness. Buddhist prayer beads commonly contain 108 beads.

Project 108 is separate from the wider collection of religious and contemplative landmarks planned across Gelephu Mindfulness City.

Trained Teams Will Complete the Chortens

Although tens of thousands of visitors are expected, they will not directly participate in assembling the structures.

The Gelephu Mindfulness City Administration has trained dedicated construction teams to undertake the work. Tashi Penjor, the administration’s Managing Director of City Development, said allowing large numbers of untrained participants onto the construction sites would not be practical or safe.

Visitors will instead observe the coordinated completion of the chortens and take part in the surrounding religious programme.

The scale of the operation distinguishes it from the usual process of constructing a chorten, which can take a community several weeks, months or years. More information about the design and purpose of the structures is available in Daily Bhutan’s guide to Project 108.

Buddhist Teachers From Around the World Will Attend

His Holiness the Je Khenpo, the chief abbot of Bhutan’s Central Monastic Body, is expected to arrive in Gelephu on 21 October. He will lead prayers and rituals of purification and blessing before the main event.

The Gelephu Mindfulness City Administration has also invited Buddhist teachers from Bhutan and other countries. Eight prayer galleries are being prepared for spiritual masters and monks to conduct prayers and rituals.

GMC Governor Dr Lotay Tshering, Bhutan’s former prime minister, said guests from around 20 countries are expected to attend. They will include Buddhist teachers, supporters of individual chortens, invited guests and representatives of organisations involved in the project.

Hotels Fill as Residents Prepare for Guests

Accommodation is becoming increasingly limited in Gelephu.

Hotel operators report that most of the town’s approximately 62 or 63 hotels are already fully booked. Some reservations were made between three and six months before the event.

Local residents are also preparing to accommodate relatives and friends. Some visitors have asked to pitch tents around private homes because of the shortage of rooms.

A designated campsite is being prepared behind the Gelephu Fishery Farm. Parking for campers will be available near the town’s sewage treatment facility.

The gathering will provide an early test of how Gelephu’s accommodation, transport and public services cope with substantially larger visitor numbers as the city develops.

More Than 30,000 Vehicles Have Registered

More than 30,000 vehicles have been registered for travel to Gelephu.

Around 22,000 are expected to use routes through India, while more than 9,000 will travel from Thimphu through Tsirang district. The total could increase as registrations continue.

The Royal Bhutan Police have encouraged visitors to travel together and use carpooling wherever possible. Government employees have received the same advice.

Traffic monitoring will be increased from 20 October. Police plan to use portable speed detectors, automatic number plate recognition systems and body cameras to manage traffic and enforce road safety rules.

Private Vehicles Will Be Restricted

Private vehicles will not be allowed to enter Gelephu town from 1 to 4 November. Their movement within the town will also be restricted during the event.

Around 100 buses and 1,500 taxis are being arranged to transport visitors between designated parking areas and the city.

The main parking arrangements are:

• Visitors arriving from Sarpang will park at Tashiling.

• Visitors arriving from Serzhong will park at Pelrithang.

• Visitors arriving from Umling and Tareythang will park near the nunnery below Norbuling Primary School.

Pick-up and drop-off services will operate from the designated parking areas.

Police have also announced that vehicles will not be permitted to travel from Gelephu towards Thimphu on 30 and 31 October.

Border Access Will Be Limited on 1 November

General access through the Gelephu border gate will be restricted on 1 November.

Entry will be permitted for invited guests, Bhutanese nationals and members or associates of the Bhutan-India Friendship Association.

Visitors travelling through India have been advised to carry Indian rupees for highway charges and to observe local road safety requirements, including seatbelt rules.

A toll-free number, 108, will provide information about traffic, directions and safety during the programme.

Preparations Enter Their Final Weeks

Traffic monitoring is scheduled to begin on 20 October, followed by the arrival of the Je Khenpo on 21 October. Travel restrictions will take effect in the final days of the month before the chortens are completed on 1 November.

With registrations continuing and accommodation already limited, visitors will need to plan their journeys carefully and follow the transport arrangements announced for the event.

Beyond its religious significance, Project 108 will test Gelephu’s ability to manage a gathering on a scale that Bhutan has not previously experienced in one location.