Japanese buddhist temple Travel Guide

There is a wonderful Japanese temple located at a 10 minutes driving distance from the Darjeeling town center. The temple is also known as the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple. The two storied white building was built in a traditional Japanese style in the year 1972. Close to the temple is the Peace Pagoda that showcases four avatars of Lord Buddha. From the top of the Pagoda, you get a panoramic views of Darjeeling landscape including the Kanchenjunga range.Earlier the car could enter through the main gate of the temple premises and park right below the temple. These days you will need to walk for about 5-6 minutes from the main gate along a narrow road that first goes downhill and then uphill. On the way you will notice a few small houses on the right with prayer flags fluttering in front of them. As you walk along, you will reach another gate. Right next to the gate and on the left are some flights of stairs that lead to the Japanese Temple.As you enter the temple, there is picture of the founder Fujii Guruji. There is also a model of Buddha suggesting that it's a Buddhist religious temple. Fujii Guruji was the founder and preceptor of 'Nipponzan Myohoji', a Buddhist order for world peace. He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and had seen the tragedy of atom bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Walk up the wooden stairs and you will reach the large prayer room upstairs. The prayer timings are from 4:30am to 6am in the morning and again from 4:30pm to 6:30pm in the evening. If you can time it right, you can also join the prayers and get an opportunity for introspection and feel the divine peace the temple offers.