Аmarbayasgalant - The Monastery of Tranquil Felicity

Аmarbayasgalant - The Monastery of Tranquil Felicityis one of the three largest Buddhist centers in Mongolia is located near the Selenge River in the Iven valley, at the foot of Mount Buren Khaan of Selenge Province in northern Mongolia. The nearest town is Erdenet which is about 60 km to the southwest. The architectural design belongs to Zanabazar and the monastery itself was built to honor the memory of him. Looking for a site for building, the exploratory group met two boys, Amar and Bayasgalant, playing in a steppe, and decided to build the future monastery at that site and name the monastery after those children. Built between 1727 and 1736, it is one of the very few monasteries to have partly escaped the destruction of 1937, after which only the buildings of the central section remained. The entire contents: the tankas, statues and manuscripts were looted by the Communists or hidden until more fortunate times. Restoration work began in 1988 and some of the new deities were commissioned in Delhi, India. Construction - The beauty, decorations and construction of the monastery have made it one of the most magnificent architectural monuments not only in Mongolia, but in the whole Asia. The monastery was established by order of Manchu emperor Enkh-Amgalan Khan, to cherish and give respect to Zanabazar, his skills, wisdom, intellect and accomplishments. One hundred thousand langs (=3830 kg) of silver from the state fund were used to build a magnificently styled place for Buddha teaching and practice in honor Zanabazar. Originally, Amarbayasgalant Monastery consisted of over 40 temples built on the special terrace, surrounded by a wall, measuring 207x175m. Only 28 temples now remain, they have been under State protection since 1944. The size of its Tsogchin (main) temple is 32x32m. Its construction expresses the planning features of the Mongolian national architecture and engineering solutions are very original. One of the interesting solutions is routing of roof water through the inside of four columns, under the floor, through stone grooves and away from the Tsogchin temple. Today about sixty novices and ordained monks, who followed precisely the rule of Vinaya, are in residence and practicing Dharma to create great benefit for all sentient beings. The religious mask dancing “Tsam” was highly developed in the Buddhist monasteries of Mongolia in the middle of the 19th century, reflecting the ritual of Secret Tantra, but Tsam was last performed in 1937. In 2002, for the first time in 65 years the Tsam dance was performed again at Amarbayasgalant.

Gallery

Revelant Tours