Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There's not much to see except the outer walls (with gates in the north and south), a
Buddhist stupa
and the ruler's
kagan
(castle), in the southwest corner. From the walls
you can see the rows of stupas on either side and the remains of irrigated fields in the
surrounding countryside. The city had an elaborate plumbing system, which brought wa-
ter into the city from the nearby river.
The ruins are in Arkhangai aimag, but are only 33km northwest of Kharkhorin, so are
best accessed from there. Take the road from Kharkhorin towards Tsetserleg for 20km,
then follow rough dirt tracks another 13km to the site.
Tövkhön Khiid
Hidden deep in a pine forest in the Khangai mountains, this scenic
monastery
(GPS: N47°
00.772', E102° 15.362'; admission T3000)
has become a major pilgrimage centre for Mongoli-
ans. Zanabazar founded the site in 1653 and lived, worked and meditated here for 30
years. The monastery was destroyed in 1937 but rebuilt with public funds in the early
1990s.
The monastery is situated at the top of Shireet Ulaan Uul, and Zanabazar apparently
liked the unusual formation of the peak; the rocky outcrop looks like an enormous
throne. It was here that Zanabazar (
Click here
) created many of his best artistic endeav-
ours, some of which can be found now in the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts (
Click
Six or seven monks live here year-round, although sometimes more are here. Several
pilgrimage sites
have grown up around the temple and hermits' caves, including one
that is said to be Zanabazar's boot imprint. Local monks will likely instruct you to
squeeze through the narrow
rebirth cave
, representative of a woman's uterus, although
this is not recommended if you have a fear of heights, are susceptible to claustrophobia
or have the frame of a sumo wrestler.
The temple is in
Khangai Nuruu National Park
(admission T3000)
and best reached
with your own vehicle. A good 4WD can drive the steep road up to the monastery in 20
minutes, but old Russian jeeps and vans can't make the trip so you'll have to walk (one
hour) up the hill through the forest. From the car park it's 2.5km. The route is obvious
and in summer locals offer horse rides (T10,000 return) to the top and back. It's a pleas-
ant hike to the top, although swarms of flies can plague your ascent in summer; wrap a T-
shirt, bandana or towel around your head to keep them away. A small shop at the top
sells bottled water and snacks.
