Project
108 Jangchub Chortens, each fifteen metres tall,
completed together in a single day.
What is being built
A physical form of prayer,
made permanent in stone and earth.
A gift that radiates merit
to all who pass it by.
A sealed structure, filled with prayers,
blessings, and sacred texts.
The architectural elevation
Read top to bottom — from earth to enlightenment.
Nyim-daMoon, Sun & Flame
Compassion, wisdom, and their union.
DhugThe Parasol
Spiritual protection from all negative influences.
KhorloThirteen Rings
The thirteen stages a practitioner passes through to reach Buddhahood.
LhakhangThe Niche
Holds the image of a Buddha — the presence of the enlightened mind.
Bum-paThe Dome
Vessel for sacred relics. Symbolises the pure body of the Buddha.
BangrimStepped Base
The Four Noble Truths — the progressive path to liberation.
ThriThe Pedestal
The Earth element. Solid foundation for all existence.
A comparative scale
15m
Eight times a person. Half-again a three-storey building. One Jangchub Chorten.
A number of completeness
In astronomy.
Earth to Sun: about 108 solar diameters. Earth to Moon: about 108 lunar diameters. Measurable, scientific facts — not metaphors.
In Buddhism.
108 volumes of the Kangyur — the complete teachings of the Buddha.108 beads on a prayer mala.108 strikes of the temple bell.108 circumambulations of the sacred.108 afflictive emotions to release.
In Hindu tradition.
108 Upanishads — the sacred philosophical texts.108 names of many Hindu deities.108 cycles of the sun salutation in yoga.
In mathematics.
11 × 22 × 33 = 108
A number of structural completeness — the hyperfactorial of three.
In Project 108, the number becomes physical.
108 chortens. 108 metres apart. One sacred procession.
From one to one hundred and eight
One sacred form, repeated
The formation
Centre to centre, in a single file along the Mau Chhu — the river that runs through Gelephu. Not a cluster of monuments. A procession.
A line of prayer
The procession bends with the land, marking a real river corridor end to end — a line of prayer across Bhutan's southern foothills.
If stacked vertically
138 mGreat PyramidWhy a single day
In Vajrayana Buddhism, aligned intention and action can transform a single moment. The act itself is the offering.
A workforce to rival history's greatest builds
Zhābto · voluntary communal work
The Bhutanese tradition of zhābto — work offered freely as spiritual practice — has drawn schoolchildren and retirees, monks emerging from retreat, farmers, doctors, and a planeload of diaspora from Australia. The corridor becomes a single coordinated body.
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108 sites · across the corridor
Project 108 is shaped by two forces: those who offer the chortens, and those who build them. Both are acts of merit. Both are needed.
Patronage
Offer a chorten.
FromUSD 200,000per chorten · flexible by conversation
Each Jangchub Chorten may be offered by an individual, a family, a community, or an institution. Patronage covers construction, sacred materials, and consecration by Buddhist masters.
Each chorten may be dedicated in honour of a patron, a loved one, or all sentient beings. A plaque provides permanent recognition.
Volunteer
Join the build day.
A workforce of40,000trained volunteers · across 108 sites
Tens of thousands are already at work along the Mau Chhu, clearing land and preparing sites. For the final act on 1 November 2026, when all 108 external structures will be raised together, at least 40,000 volunteers will be needed.
No specialist skills are required. What matters is willingness, discipline, and shared purpose.
A Royal initiative
We must do it to prove to ourselves that, as we face the challenges ahead, there is no limit to what we can achieve when we stand together.
His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel WangchuckKing of Bhutan · 21 February 2026
