Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
centuries, and some displays of the work of the revered sculptor and Buddhist, Zanabaz-
ar.
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 ceremon-
ies 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.
»
Other Sights
Apart from the main temples, there are several other interesting things to see. The
grave-
stones
of Abtai Khaan (1554-88) and his grandson Tüshet Khaan Gombodorj (the fath-
er of Zanabazar) stand in front of the Dalai Lama Süm and are inscribed in Mongol,
Tibetan and Arabic scripts. In the northeast of the monastery are the base stones of a gi-
gantic ger, now called the
Square of Happiness and Prosperity
, set up in 1639 to com-
memorate Zanabazar's birthday. The ger was reported to be 15m high and 45m in dia-
meter, with 35 concertina-style walls, and could seat 300 during the annual assemblies of
the local khaans.
Karakorum Museum
MUSEUM
MAP
(admission T5000; Apr-Sep 9am-8pm, Oct-Mar 9am-5pm Mon-Fri; )
Kharkhorin's new
museum is small, but highly impressive - probably the country's best museum outside
Ulaanbaatar. Everything is beautifully designed and well displayed. The building is fully
air-conditioned, there are English-speaking guides available, English captions throughout
and there's even free wi-fi in the small cafe (although the cafe itself is disappointing).
The camera/video fee is T10,000/15,000 extra.
The exhibits include dozens of artefacts dating from the 13th and 14th centuries which
were recovered from the immediate area, plus others that were found from archaeologic-
al sites in other parts of the aimag, including prehistoric stone tools. You'll see pottery,
bronzes, coins, religious statues and stone inscriptions. There's also a half-excavated kiln
sunk into the museum floor. Perhaps most interesting is the scale model of ancient