Vishwa Shanti Stupa Bihar

Constructed in 1965, this blazing-white, 40m stupa stands atop Ratnagiri Hill about 5km south of town. Recesses in the stupa feature golden statues of Buddha in four stages of his life – birth, enlightenment, preaching and death. A fun but wobbly single-person chairlift runs to the summit, which affords expansive views of hills and a few Jain shrines dotting the landscape. Next to the stupa, a Japanese-built peace pagoda reverberates to the rhythmic sound of meditative drum beats.