Temples Buddhist site in Kharkhorin Mongolia

The monastery is enclosed in an immense walled compound. Spaced evenly along each wall, about

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every 15m, are 108 stupas (108 is a sacred number to Buddhists). The three temples in the compound – Baruun Zuu, Zuu of Buddha and Zuun Zuu – which were not destroyed in the 1930s, are dedicated to the three stages of Buddha’s life: childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

Dalai Lama Süm was built in 1675 to commemorate the visit by Abtai Khaan’s son, Altan, to the Dalai Lama in Tibet. The room is bare save for a statue of Zanabazar and some fine 17th-century thangkas depicting the Dalai Lamas and various protector deities.

Inside the courtyard, Baruun Zuu, the temple to the west, built by Abtai Khaan and his son, is dedicated to the adult Buddha. Inside, on either side of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha), are statues of Sanjaa (‘Dipamkara’ in Sanskrit), the Past Buddha, to the left; and Maidar (‘Maitreya’ in Sanskrit), the Future Buddha, to the right. Other items on display include some golden ‘wheels of eternity’, naimin takhel (the eight auspicious symbols), figurines from the 17th and 18th centuries, and balin (wheat dough cakes, decorated with coloured medallions of goat or mutton fat), made in 1965 and still well preserved. Look out for the inner circumambulation path leading off to the left, just by the entrance.

The main and central temple is called the Zuu of Buddha. The entrance is flanked by the gods Gonggor on the left and Bandal Lham (Palden Lhamo in Sanskrit) on the right. Inside, to the right of the statues of the child Buddha, is Otoch Manal (the Medicine Buddha), while to the left is Holy Abida (the god of justice). The temple also contains statues of Niam and Dabaa, the sun and moon gods respectively, a few of the tsam masks that survived the purges, some carved, aggressive-looking guards from the 16th and 17th centuries, and some displays of the work of the revered sculptor and Buddhist, Zanabazar.

In the temple to the east, Zuun Zuu, there’s a statue depicting the adolescent Buddha. The statue on the right is Tsongkhapa, who founded the Yellow Hat sect of Buddhism in Tibet. The figure on the left is Janraisig (Chenresig in Tibetan, Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit), the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

As you walk north you will pass the Golden Prayer Stupa, built in 1799. The small locked temple next to it, with a blue-tiled roof, is thought to pre-date the monastery itself by around 200 years.

The large white temple at the far end is the Tibetan-style Lavrin Süm, where ceremonies are held every morning, usually starting at around 11am; the times vary so ask at the office. Visitors are welcome, but photographs during ceremonies are not. This temple is the most active and atmospheric part of the whole complex.