I was desperately searching for a different landmark when I ran into the Peace Pagoda. It was a 35-minute walk from my hotel, uphill.
When I realized I was never going to find my original destination, I ran into a couple from Germany who were on their way back from the Peace Pagoda. They insisted it was worth the trek.
Set in a forest, far away from the incessant beeping and music-playing and chatter, the generalized din that is India, the Peace Pagoda is a formidable compound. Huge golden gates urge visitors to remain silent. Anything that gets people in India to quiet down is powerful beyond description. Trust me on this.
When I was there, two monks were walking around the exterior of the Pagoda ringing a bell and chanting. It was the only sound. Incense (instead of exhaust and coal and feces and frying food) filled the air. The view from every point was pure green.
Two huge lions guard the smaller of the two temples that comprise the Peace Pagoda compound. Their faces are frozen in huge snarls. I like to think they spring alive and eat devour anyone who dares to disturb one of the truly peaceful places in noisy India.
That I think like this shows me how far I have to go to obtain that inner peace I so deeply crave.
