By Carole Barclay
Pagodas
were once the follies of the landed aristocracy of the 18th century
during the craze for anything from the Far East. Nowadays these towers, also
known as stupas, that were originally built to house religious relics are
invariably linked with Buddhism. So it’s quite surprising to find one in plain
sight in a London park.
The London Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park
has been a landmark along the Thames for over 20 years. It was given to the
people of London by the Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist order as part of
the old Greater London Council’s Peace Year in 1984, back in Ken Livingstone’s
day.
The order’s founder, Nichidatsu Fujii,
dedicated his life to peace after meeting Mahatma Gandhi in 1931. After the
Second World War he called for the construction of Peace Pagodas as shrines to
world peace, it was completed in 1985. Sadly Nichidatsu Fuiji died at the age
of 100, just 12 weeks before the Battersea pagoda was opened.
Built in the Japanese style, the tower
stands at 33.5 metres high with four large gilded bronze sculptures on each of
its four sides that reflect important stages in Buddha’s life. A Buddhist monk,
who lives in a storeroom converted into a temple in the park, looks after the
pagoda, which is the focus for meditation and peace ceremonies throughout the
year – including a prayers for peace ceremony in June and a floating lantern
ceremony to mark Nagasaki day in August.
The pagoda is located within the grounds
of Battersea Park on the south bank of the Thames. The park has a boating lake,
all-year-round sports facilities and a small children’s zoo, as well as a
licensed café for drinks and snacks. It’s is open from 8:00am until dusk and
the nearest railway station is Battersea Park.
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