Visiting the Stupa of Enlightenment in Benalmádena

What the Stupa is

A stupa is one of the oldest forms of Buddhist monument. It is not a hall for services in the way a church is. It is a symbol of the enlightened mind, and in the Tibetan tradition its shape is read as the Buddha seated in meditation: the base is his throne, the steps are his crossed legs, the rounded body is his torso, the square section above it is his head and the spire is his crown.

The Stupa of Enlightenment in Benalmádena is built in the Tibetan style. It opened on 5 October 2003 and is run by the Asociación Cultural Karma Kagyu de Benalmádena, a Buddhist association of the Karma Kagyu lineage.

It was the last project of Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche, a Buddhist master from the Himalayas. In the last eleven years of his life he guided the building of 16 stupas in Spain, Germany, Austria, Russia, Switzerland and Poland, working with the architect Wojtek Kossowski. After his death, three more were completed in Denmark, Mexico and Greece, as he had wished. The one in Benalmádena is the largest stupa in the Western world.

Opening times and events change. Check the Stupa of Enlightenment official website before you go.

The Stupa in numbers

It stands on a panoramic platform on the slopes of the Sierra de Mijas. The gold spire at the top can be seen from much of the coastline below, which makes it a useful landmark when you are finding your way back to the flat.

• 33 metres (108 feet) tall
• 25.8 metres wide at the base
• A meditation hall of more than 100 m²
• Opened on 5 October 2003

What is inside

Many stupas are solid structures that you can only walk around. This one has a meditation hall that visitors can enter. Its walls are painted with the life story of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, in the traditional religious style of the Himalayas, by Nepalese artists.

Above the ceiling of the hall, all the way to the tip, the Stupa is filled with sacred objects, kept in treasure chambers that have been sealed for good. According to the association that runs it, they include:

• Around 6,000 clay reliefs of the Buddha, in six different aspects
• Half a ton of Buddhist prayers printed on cotton paper
• The complete teachings of the Buddha, the Kanjur in 108 volumes, and the commentaries on them, the Tenjur
• A 17-metre Tree of Life standing upright at the centre of the structure
• Relics from Buddhist sites in the Himalayas, including one of Buddha Kashyapa, and a small clay relief attributed to the 11th-century yogi Milarepa

Below the meditation hall there is an exhibition space about Tibetan Buddhism, Himalayan culture and stupas around the world.

Planning your visit

The Stupa is closed on Mondays. From Tuesday to Sunday it opens in two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The times change with the season, so check the official website before you go.

The official website also lists a guided meditation on Sunday evenings, a weekly programme of talks and events, guided tours, a shop and a café.

Visitor guides report that walking around the Stupa and entering the hall is free. The exhibition downstairs may have a small charge.

Most visitors spend one to two hours here, longer if they join a meditation or visit the exhibition.

Visiting respectfully

The Stupa is an active place of Buddhist practice, not only a viewpoint. The tradition is to walk around a stupa clockwise, keeping it on your right.

Inside the meditation hall people sit in silence, so keep your voice low and follow any signs about photos and shoes. Dress as you would for any place of worship: covered shoulders and no swimwear are a safe choice if you are coming up from the beach.

The view from the platform

The platform around the Stupa is open and high above Benalmádena, with the Costa del Sol and the Mediterranean spread out below. It is one of the best viewpoints in the area. Being exposed, it can be windy, so a light layer is useful outside the summer months.

Getting there from Atma

From the flat it is a five-minute walk. That makes it easy to go up more than once: for the view early in the day, and again later to see the hall once it opens.

If you are coming from elsewhere by public transport, take the local train to Benalmádena-Arroyo de la Miel, then local bus 103 to the stop called Stupa Tibetana.

What else is nearby

Monowa Butterfly Park is right next to the Stupa, so the two make an easy half day together. Colomares Castle, a monument to Christopher Columbus, is a short walk away, and the old village of Benalmádena Pueblo is within walking distance of the flat.