The Peace Pagoda is an inspiring movement taking place across the globe. The building is a Buddhist stūpa, which is a mound-like structure that contains relics and overall is a place of meditation, a sight to practice peace and unity for people of all races and backgrounds. These buildings are used to encourage the search for world peace.
You may not know that one of the 80 Peace Pagodas around the world resides in South London’s own Battersea Park! The Peace Pagodas, including the site in Battersea, were built as part of Buddhist monk Nichidatsu Fujii’s (1885–1985) advocacy for world peace and non-violence. Fujii was from Japan and became the founder of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji Buddhist Order. The Nipponzan-Myōhōji is a religious movement from Japanese Buddhism and they constructed the Peace Pagodas as a spiritual focus site and to spread their plea for peace.
After an inspiring meeting with Mahatma Gandhi, Fujii began his journey to spread the word of peace across the world. It was in 1947 that he started the project of building the Peace Pagodas. Fujii was so beloved by Mahatma Gandhi that he was given the affectionate nickname ‘Guruji’!
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This project began in Japanese cities, with the Peace Pagodas becoming a symbol of tranquility in these areas. Two of these cities were Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the tragedy occured of atomic bombs taking the lives of over 150,000 at the end of World War II. From this, Peace Pagodas were being built across the globe, in Europe, Asia and the United States. In the wake of these disasters, the Peace Pagodas were there to comfort those affected, going on to promote world peace and harmony.
Loz Pycock
Battersea’s Peace Pagoda was offered to the people of London in 1984 by Nichidatsu Fujii, which became the 1984 Greater London Peace Year. The structure of the building contains a double roof that is 33.5m high, made from concrete and wood. The Battersea Peace Pagoda was in fact the second of these buildings to appear in a Western capital city, with the first being Vienna just the previous year in 1983. The first Peace Pagoda to be built in the UK was in Milton Keynes in 1980.
““My wish has been accepted without question by the people of London and the world. Nothing gives me greater happiness than this in my whole life.””
Loz Pycock
The Battersea Peace Pagoda is home to four gilded bronze statues of the Buddha on the four sides of the building. Each of them show some of the Buddha’s mudras, which are hand gestures. These gestures are meant to symbolise some of the events in the Buddha’s life and indicate a specific characteristic: birth, contemplation leading to enlightenment, teaching and death. The pagoda is obviously open to the public, but these statues are considered sacred and therefore should be respected as such.
Loz Pycock
The construction of the Battersea Peace Pagoda was thanks to a group comprised of nuns, monks and other followers of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji order and was completely merely weeks before Fujii passed at the impressive age of 100.
“‘Civilisation is not to kill human beings, not to destroy things, nor make war; civilisation is to hold mutual affection and to respect one another’”
Reverend Gyoro Nagase is responsible for the upkeep of this monument and regularly campaigns for a nuclear-free world, carrying on the legacy of Fujii. Reverend Nagase came to London from Japan in 1978 to help build the UK’s first peace Pagoda in Milton Keynes. After that, he moved to London in 1984 and joined the 50 volunteers that built the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park, finishing this project in 1985.
“‘In the park recently I met a man who lives in London but who happened to be in New York on September 11. He was stranded there for several days before he could fly home, during which time he thought of the Peace Pagoda and its significance in today’s world. When he arrived back in London he brought his young son, who had been very worried about his father, to find comfort here’.‘It is a very spiritual place. It is peaceful, there is no confrontation. People don’t even need to pray, they just find peace here.’ ”
Andrew Bowden
The volunteers were actually living in what is now the Children’s Zoo, but then they were offered a storeroom near the Old English Garden by Wandsworth Council as the project’s site expanded. From this, the site was converted into the temple we know it as today. Since then, the temple has evolved into a centre for peace and meditation. In fact, this Peace Pagoda site is so beloved that it attracts Buddhist followers from not only London, but people from China, India, Taiwan and more that are now living in the UK.
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The existence of this site means Budhists can get back in touch with their religion and feel renewed. As mentioned by Reverend Negase, non-believers are also encouraged to see this beautiful building, in the hopes they will discover their own peace and comfort in any troubles.
If you haven’t already, we strongly recommend to take a trip down to Battersea Park, even just to get a glance at the Peace Pagoda on your morning run. It is truly a magnificent building and acts as a constant reminder of the resilience of the human race and the beauty a common notion of peace can create.
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