LOCATION: BAYANGOL DISTRICT, ULAANBAATAR
Gandantegchenling (Gandan) monastery in Ulaanbaatar is the central Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. Ikh Khuree, the precursor of modern-day Ulaabaatar, was founded in 1809 in Dalkhyn Denj under the name of Shar Sum. A Great Khot Mandal Temple was established here in 1838, and this structure continues to form the core of today’s Gandan. In 1911, at the initiative of Mongolia’s ruler Bogd Khan, an 80-foot-tall golden statue of the Bodhisattva Megjid Janraisig was installed at Gandan. This was replaced in 1991 through popular donations. The present-day statue stands at 26.5 meters high.
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