In May 1999, His Holiness the Dalai Lama opened and consecrated the Tibetan Peace Garden next to the Imperial War Museum, London, UK. The Peace Garden was commissioned by Tibet Foundation and built on land kindly provided by Southwark Council. It has been donated to the people of Britain for all to enjoy.

The Tibetan Peace Garden honours one of the principal teachings of His Holiness - the need to create understanding between different cultures and to establish places of peace and harmony in the world. It is hoped that it will create a deepening awareness of His Holiness’s thoughts and words.

The Tibetan Peace Garden has a unique location. The park in which it is built houses The Imperial War Museum and so attracts large numbers of visitors from all over the UK and abroad. It is within walking distance of Waterloo Station and is close to the Houses of Parliament, Lambeth Palace, the London Eye, the South Bank Centre and Tate Modern.

Simply and yet perhaps most deeply, Samten Kyil means Garden of Contemplation and is a place where anyone can come and enjoy a time of peace and tranquillity. For the spiritually minded, this is no longer an ordinary place, because it has been both consecrated and blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to have a spiritual life of its own.

In a very practical sense by offering this garden, it is hoped that it will encourage people to become aware of Tibet Foundation's activities and so enable us to achieve more with our existing programmes, and to initiate new ones. Anyone who knows the plight of Tibet and her people will know how much there is to do.