Gandantegchenlin Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery, is located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, in the city center, in the historic Gandan Hill district. It is currently home to over 150 monks. The monastery houses the famous 26-meter-tall statue of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, “Megzhid Zhanraiseg.”
A brief history of the monastery is as follows:
In 1809, a special school for the study of Tsanid was established from the Bogd Gegeen Monastery. It was named “Gandan,” after the Ganden Monastery of the same name in Lhasa. The first wooden building for the new monastery was founded in Ikh-Khure in 1835, at the direction of the 5th Bogd Gegeen, who wanted to move his residence there, away from the capital’s Chinese trading quarter. The first stone building was constructed in 1840-1841.
At the beginning of the 20th century, approximately 14,000 monks lived on the monastery grounds, which became the most important center of Buddhist education in Mongolia. In 1938, during the years of repression against the Buddhist clergy initiated by Choibalsan, the monastery was closed. However, in 1944, Gandan was reopened at the request of believers, and under the leadership of Abbot Erdenepel, it became the only officially operating Buddhist monastery in socialist Mongolia. This status was maintained until 1990, when, following restoration work, two functioning temples—the Cathedral (Mongolian: Tsokchin) and Dzu—reopened.
Since 1970, Gandantegchenlin has housed the Buddhist University, the largest institution of religious education in Mongolia. A Buddhist school also operates at the Badma Yog datsan, which is part of the monastery.
Statue of Avalokiteshvara. “Megzhid Zhanraiseg.”
The statue of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was originally created in the early 20th century as a symbol of Mongolian independence, and also with the intention of restoring the sight of the 8th Bogd Gegeen. In 1911, immediately after the abolition of Chinese rule in Urga, a separate temple was erected for the statue. The temple stands 42 meters tall, with a roof supported by 24 wooden columns, each 23 meters high. The 25.6-meter-tall statue was crafted using 45 kg of gold, 56 kg of silver, and 400 precious stones. At the beginning of World War II, the statue was dismantled, its main part being removed by Soviet soldiers. In 1996, the Avalokiteshvara statue was restored with public donations. The statue is inlaid with 2,286 precious stones and covered in gold leaf.
Prepared (and photographs) by Prof. T. Chagataikhaan
