Khamar Monastery (, ''Khamar Khiid''), founded in 1820, was an important

Red Hat sect ''Red Hat sects'' is the English language translation of the Tibetic languages term ''shamar'' (uchen Tibetan script: ཞྭ་དམར)—"red hat" or "red hats"—collectively denoting the three oldest of the four primary sects of Tibetan Buddhi ...

Buddhist monastic, cultural, and education center in Mongolia’s

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (, , ; ) is a large, cold desert and grassland region in North China and southern Mongolia. It is the sixth-largest desert in the world. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word ''gobi'', used to refer to all of th ...

region until its destruction in 1937. It was rebuilt in 1990. Today it is located in Khatanbulag district,

Dornogovi Province Dornogovi (, ''East Gobi'') is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordering PR China's autonomous region of Inner Mongolia. Dornogovi is located in the Gobi Desert and frequent sand- and ...

, approximately 47 km south of the provincial capital

Sainshand Sainshand (; ) is the capital of Dornogovi Province in Mongolia. It is located in the eastern Gobi Desert steppe, on the Trans-Mongolian Railway. Administration The territory of Sainshand sum consists of 5 ''bags'' (communes). The first three ...

. At its height, the monastery reportedly accommodated over 80 temples and some 500 monks.

History

Khamar Monastery was founded in 1820 by Dulduityn Danzanravjaa, a charismatic 17-year-old monk of the

Nyingma Nyingma (, ), also referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingma school was founded by PadmasambhavaClaude Arpi, ''A Glimpse of the History of Tibet'', Dharamsala: Tibet Museum, 2013. ...

red hat school of Buddhism. Danzanravjaa chose the site of the monastery believing the surrounding area radiated with a spiritual energy fostered by the Gobi desert. To the north of the monastery lie a series of caves where monks would retreat and practice high levels of meditation for 108 continuous days (108 being a sacred number in Buddhism). Danzanravjaa Museum of Sainshand-1

Often referred to as “the Terrible Noble Saint of the

Gobi The Gobi Desert (, , ; ) is a large, cold desert and grassland region in North China and southern Mongolia. It is the sixth-largest desert in the world. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word ''gobi'', used to refer to all of th ...

”, Danzanravjaa was an educator, poet, and harsh critic of Mongolian society. He supported the idea of public education and respect for women and he founded the monastery in the desert to serve as a model of a more enlightened society. The monastery was deeply engaged with the surrounding community and contained a public library, a museum, and a poetry recital hall. It was also home to Mongolia’s first ever professional public theater, the ''Namtar Duulakh Datsan'' (“story singing college”) which sponsored a touring company of some 300 artistes that performed throughout the Gobi region. By the 1830s the Khamar Khiid included a school for children, the ''Khuukhdiin Datsan'' that provided a non-religious education in Mongolian and Tibetan literature, mathematics, natural science, and history. In 1937 the monastery’s lamas were driven from the grounds and the complex completely burned to the ground as part of

Khorloogiin Choibalsan Khorloogiin Choibalsan (8 February 1895 – 26 January 1952) was a Mongolian politician who served as the leader of the Mongolian People's Republic as the Prime Minister of Mongolia, chairman of the Council of Ministers (premier) from 1939 unt ...

’s

Stalinist purges The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the assassination of Sergei Kirov by Leonid Nikolae ...

. Many of the lamas were executed while others were forcibly laicized. The current monastery was built after the

1990 Democratic Revolution in Mongolia The Mongolian Revolution of 1990, known in Mongolia as the 1990 Democratic Revolution (), was a peaceful democratic revolution which led to the country's transition to a multi-party system. It was inspired by the economic reforms of the So ...

and restoration efforts continue.

Gallery

Gobi, Klasztor Chamaryn (01).jpg, The entrance gate Gobi, Klasztor Chamaryn (02).jpg, The main stupa Gobi, Klasztor Chamaryn (03).jpg, Statue of Buddha Khamar Monastery.jpg, The monastery Gobi, Klasztor Chamaryn (07).jpg, Prayer wheel and stupas

References

External links

Khamar Monastery

"Treasures of the Sand" — The Legacy of Danzan Ravjaa
{{Authority control Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples in Mongolia Khatanbulag Gobi Desert Religious organizations established in 1820 1820 establishments in Asia 1934 disestablishments in Asia Religious organizations established in 1990 1990 establishments in Mongolia