GANDANTEGCHENLING — Attraction in Ulaanbaatar

The Gandantegchinlen Monastery (Mongolian: Гандантэгчинлэн хийд, Gandantegchinlen khiid, short name: Gandan Mongolian: Гандан) is a Mongolian Buddhist 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 Avalokiteśvara. It came under state protection in 1994. The Gandantegchinlen Monastery (Mongolian: Гандантэгчинлэн хийд, Gandantegchinlen khiid, short name: Gandan Mongolian: Гандан) is a Mongolian Buddhist 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 Avalokiteśvara. It came under state protection in 1994. Gandantegchinlen Khiid monastery, having escaped this mass destruction, was closed in 1938, but then reopened in 1944 and was 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 Marxism in Mongolia in 1990, restrictions on worship...

The monastery was constructed by order of the 5th Jebtsundamba Khutuktu in 1809. The first temple was the Gungaachoilin Datsan. Only one wooden pillar remains from this temple. In 1838, the Gandantegchenlin Temple was built along with the private residence of the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu. The 13th Dalai Lama stayed in the residence in 1904. In 1840, the Vajradhara Temple was built. In 1869, the Zuu Temple was built. In 1913, the tall Avalokiteśvara temple was built. In 1925, the temple for keeping the remains of the 8th Jebtsundamba Khutuktu was built. It is now the monastery library.

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 15,000 lamas.

Gandantegchinlen Khiid monastery, having escaped this mass destruction, was closed in 1938, but then reopened in 1944 and was 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 Marxism in Mongolia in 1990, restrictions on worship...

While it's not the biggest temple by any means that I've been to, it and the surrounding complex offer plenty of things to see and experience. Gandantegchinlen Monastery is the main one, but there are numerous other temples in the same walled park-like complex.

I loved how people truly respected this temple though. I've been to many temples in many countries and often times, they are just filled with loud people just trying to get the next photo. Even locals are bad depending on the country. Here, the temple is now open, but with COVID restrictions in place. That said, you can still see the whole things. The architecture coupled with all the colours and rays of sunshine coming through make this a really serene experience.

It's Tibetan name meaning "Great Place of Complete Joy".

Like many Buddhist establishments, it and the Tantric monks who practice there have had a tumultuous history. During the period of Lenin, potentially over 10,000 lamas and 900 monasteries were eradicated. However, like many Buddhist structures standing today, they eventually went through a period of rebirth and are now thankfully...