Heritage Site · Qing period
Amarbayasgalant Monastery
One of Mongolia's great Buddhist monasteries, built by the Qing emperors as the resting place of Zanabazar.
- Location
- Baruunbüren, Selenge aimag
- Period
- Qing period
- Date
- Built 1727–1736
History
The Yongzheng Emperor ordered the monastery built in 1727 in honour of Zanabazar, the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, and it was completed in 1736 under the Qianlong Emperor. Zanabazar's remains were moved here in 1779. Set in the Iven valley below Mount Büren-Khaan, it is one of the finest examples of monastic architecture in Mongolia.
The monastery partly escaped the purges of 1937: the buildings of its central section survived, though many monks were killed and its treasures looted. Restoration began in 1988 with support from UNESCO and private donors. Of more than forty original temples, twenty-eight remain.
What to See
- The symmetrical temple complex in the Iven valley
- The Gongoriin Bumbum ceremony, held in mid-August
- Walks to the hillside stupas above the monastery
Visiting
- About 360 km northwest of Ulaanbaatar, roughly 5–6 hours by car via Darkhan; the final approach is on unpaved roads, and a 4x4 is recommended, especially after rain.
- There are ger camps nearby; many visitors stay overnight.
- It is an active monastery: dress modestly and ask before photographing inside the temples.