May peace prevail. That was the message at the inauguration of the biggest stupa in South Asia in Lumbini last week. At 41.5 m in height and 59 m in diameter, the World Peace Stupa towers above Nawagram and is part of the Lumbini Master Plan designed by Japanese Professor Kenzo Tenge to commemorate the Buddha's birthplace. The stupa, constructed from 900 metric tonnes of cement and 411 metric tonnes of torsteel iron, is the largest of more than 70 stupas constructed worldwide by Nippozan Myohoji, a Japanese Buddhist Organisation that wants to realise the dreams of Nichidatsu Fuji, a Japanese Buddhist ascetic.