Gandan Monastery

History

Gandan's story begins in 1809, when the Shar temple was built at Gungaachoilin. Between 1834 and 1838 the fifth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu built the palace that gave the monastery its name: Gandantegchinlen, Tibetan for "complete rejoicing", after Ganden Monastery in Tibet.

To celebrate independence from Qing China in 1911, the eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, the Bogd Khan, ordered the Megjid Janraisig temple. Completed in 1913 as Mongolia's tallest monastery building, it housed a gilded bronze statue of Avalokiteśvara 25.6 metres high.

The statue was broken apart during the purges (in 1937 by most accounts, though some give 1938 or 1943) and is thought to have been shipped to Moscow and melted down. The monastery was closed in 1939 and its assembly halls razed. In January 1944 Choibalsan reopened it, on Stalin's advice, as the country's only working monastery, which it remained until 1989. A new statue, 26.5 metres high and modelled on the old one, was dedicated in 1996.

What to See

• The Megjid Janraisig temple and its 26.5-metre statue
• Ochirdari Temple, built in 1840
• The Jüd temple, now housed in a ger

Visiting

• In Ulaanbaatar, easily reached by taxi from anywhere in the city.
• Allow an hour or two; check opening times locally before visiting.
• It is an active monastery: dress modestly, walk clockwise around temples and prayer wheels, and ask before photographing inside.

Distances and travel times are approximate. Check local conditions, opening hours and permits before you travel.