Tövkhön Monastery ( mn, Төвхөн хийд, ''Töwhön hÃd''), one of Mongolia's oldest Buddhist monasteries, is located on the border of
Övörkhangai Province and
Arkhangai Province in central Mongolia, about southwest of
Kharkhorin.
Tövkhön Monastery was first established in 1648, by the 14-year-old
Zanabazar, the first
Jebtsundamba Khutuktu and spiritual head of
Tibetan Buddhism for the
Khalkha in
Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia was the name of a territory in the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China from 1691 to 1911. It corresponds to the modern-day independent state of Mongolia and the Russian republic of Tuva. The historical region gained ''de facto' ...
.
He determined that the location on the Shireet Ulaan Uul mountain, overlooking a hill at 2,600 meters above sea-level, was an auspicious location. The first physical structures were built upon his return from studying in
Tibet in 1653. Zanabazar, who was a gifted sculptor, painter, and musician, used the monastery, originally called ''Bayasgalant Aglag Oron'' (Happy Secluded Place), as his personal retreat over the course of 30 years. While there he created many of his most famous works. It was also where he developed the
soyombo script.
The monastery was destroyed in 1688 by
Oirat Mongols, during their military campaign against Eastern Khalkha Mongols. Restored in 1773, the monastery suffered severe damage during the
Stalinist purges of the late 1930s, as Mongolia's communist regime sought to destroy the Buddhist religion in the country.
Religious activities at the monastery restarted in 1992, and restoration of the monastery's grounds was completed in 1997. Two original temples and two stupas from the 17th century still stand, along with additional temples built in the 18th century. Ceremonies were staged to re-consecrate the monastery and a new statue of Gombo Makhagal (Mahakala) was carved and placed there. The monastery was inscribed as a
UNESCO World Cultural Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
site, in 1996. Several monks now reside and practice at the monastery full-time.
Gallery
File:TövkhönKhiid1.jpg, Tövkhön Monastery
File:Soyombo example zanabazar.png, Zanabazar's name in soyombo script
File:YesheDorje.jpg, Depiction of Zanabazar
File:Zanabazar4.jpg, White Tara: Sculpted by Zanabazar
Notes
External links
Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia
Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia
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