Gandantegchinlen Monastery

The Gandantegchinlen Monastery (short name: Gandan), is a Tibetan-style monastery in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar that has been restored and revitalized since 1990. The Tibetan name translates to the "Great Place of Complete Joy." It currently has over 150 monks in residence. It features a 26.5-meter-high statue of Migjid Janraisig, a Buddhist bodhisattva also known as Avalokitesvara. It came under state protection in 1994.

History

The monastery was established in 1835 by the Fifth Jebtsundamba, then Mongolia's highest reincarnated lama. It became the principal center of Buddhist learning in Mongolia.

In the 1930s, the Communist government of Mongolia, under the leadership of Khorloogiin Choibalsan and under the influence of Joseph Stalin, destroyed all but a few monasteries and killed more than 10.000 lamas.

Gandantegchinlen Khiid monastery, having escaped this mass destruction, was closed in 1938, but then reopened in 1944 and allowed to continue as the only functioning Buddhist monastery, under a skeleton staff, as a token homage to traditional Mongolian culture and religion. With the end of communism in Mongolia in 1990, restrictions on worship were lifted. See Mongolian Buddhism for details.

The original statue, made of copper, was built after appeals to the Mongolian public; its intent was to restore the sight of Bogd Javzandamba (or the eighth Jebtsundamba, also known as Bogd Khan), who had claimed the title of Emperor of Mongolia. The building of the statue was carried out by Bogd Javzandamba's principal minister, Chin Wan Khanddorj. Russian troops dismantled the original statue in 1938. After the end of the Soviet era, the statue of Migjid Janraisig was rebuilt in 1996, from donations by the Mongolian people. It features 2,286 precious stones and is gilded with gold leaf.

External links

  • Photos
  • Article on Ulaanbaatar with a section on the monastery
  • Buddhism in Mongolia After 1990 [1]
  • An Interview with Glenn H. Mullin, Tibetologist [2]
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Loretta Bachmann
8 October 2013
Very interesting to see the temple. An experience to see all the pidgeons too. A must visit.
Alan Cordova
16 August 2011
Touristy, but not more than the rest of UB. Spin the prayer wheels, gawk at the giant statue of Avalokiteśvara and watch an ancient religion making a stunning comeback after 8 decades of repression.
Anu Harchu
13 October 2011
It is a serene place to be among the pigeonspig if you want some alone time.
Aggie De Wench
16 October 2011
Many pigeons here
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Map
0.4km from Amarsanaa Road, Ulaanbaatar 16040, Mongolia Get directions
Sun 9:00 AM–7:00 PM
Mon 9:00 AM–6:00 PM
Tue 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Wed 9:00 AM–6:00 PM
Thu 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Fri 9:00 AM–10:00 PM

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