The Grafton Peace Pagoda is a stupa of the Nipponzan Myohoji order, founded by the Japanese monk Nichidatsu Fujii, who worked alongside Gandhi and sent his order to build peace pagodas around the world. This one was begun in the 1980s by nuns, monks and volunteers, carried largely by hand up a forested hilltop in the Taconic Range, and consecrated in 1993. A temple, gardens and a walking trail through old-growth forest share the grounds, and the resident nuns hold morning prayers and drumming at dawn, peace walks, and interfaith ceremonies through the year.

The order's practice centers on chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, and the pagoda's calendar keeps that rhythm public: anniversary observances each October, cherry blossom events in spring, and the ordinary daily prayers that visitors can sit among. The nuns welcome visitors of all faiths and ask only that the hilltop be treated as an active place of prayer rather than a park.

Visiting

The pagoda's own contact page carries the address (87 Crandall Road, Petersburgh NY), hours (grounds open sunrise to sunset daily, year round) and the phone number for ceremony schedules; the Town of Grafton adds directions.

Photo: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PeacePagoda_GraftonNY.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0, Coonj.

Associated traditions & practices

Mantra & Mandala Practice

Traditions from this region

Traditions historically rooted in this region — offered as background context, not as a claim about this particular place.

Theosophy