Erdene Zuu Monastery

I wasn't expecting much from the monastery; I've seen many Buddhist temples and monasteries in China, and the thought of one more didn't do that much for me. I was surprised at how different it felt!

The most obvious difference was environmental: the sky was blue and the air was clean, which made a surprising difference to both pictures and my state of mind. Inside the walls the grounds were empty and covered with grass, not paving stones — I'm guessing this is a legacy of the monastery's destruction, and that it was once filled with buildings, but I don't know if that is indeed the case.

After a few minutes inside I was struck by the real difference: there were very few visitors. Every site I've been to in China has been almost packed with people (usually coach tours of Chinese on holiday), but although there were visitors this place seemed practically deserted.

Like Tibet under the Dalai Lama, the Mongolia of the pre-Communist era was an ecclesiastical state, founded by the first Living Buddha, the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu who, on his 'discovery' in 1650, claimed descent from Genghis Khan. In such a curious monocultural society an ecclesiastical career was the only route to power for men of ambition, and the lamaseries became centres of intrigue and corruption that would rival any Asian court. The priesthood burgeoned as it became customary for every Mongolian family to send at least one of their sons to a lamasery for the status and influence this would confer. By the beginning of the twentieth century Mongolia had well over 100,000 lamas, a third of the male population, who inhabited 700 large monasteries and over 1000 smaller ones…

Stanley Stewart, In the Empire of Genghis Khan

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[Foreign visitors] routinely denounced [the monasteries] as feudal parasitic institutions that bore much of the responsibility for the backward state of the country. A heavy system of tithes, as well as the loss of productive manpower, were seen as a drain on the country's limited resources. Moneylending, at rates of up to 200 per cent, had become a profitable sideline for the monks. Bands of itinerate monks roamed the countryside selling indulgences, telling fortunes and generally preying on the credulous herdsmen. The epidemic of syphilis, which affected most of the Mongolian population by the beginning of the twentieth century, was blamed on the promiscuity of the lamas who kept harems of catamites and concubines.

Stanley Stewart, In the Empire of Genghis Khan

I decided not to go into most of the buildings, as these were the only parts of the monastery with any kind of crowd.

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This small museum was empty when I arrived, so I decided to try for a panorama. I ended up having to wait for some tourists to get out of the way, but in the end I think the wait was worth it!

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More Virtual Erdene Zuu Monastery

I made more virtual reality movies at Erdene Zuu Monastery. Click here to see them.

Wikipedia Article

The Erdene Zuu Monastery (Mongolian: Эрдэнэ Зуу) is probably the most ancient surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. It is in Övörkhangai Province, near the town of Kharkhorin and adjacent to the ancient city of Karakorum. It is part of the World Heritage Site entitled Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape.

The Erdene Zuu monastery was built in 1585 by Abtai Sain Khan, upon the (second) introduction of Tibetan Buddhism into Mongolia. Stones from the ruins of Karakorum were used in construction. It is surrounded by a wall featuring 100 stupas. The number 108, being a sacred number in Buddhism, and the number of beads in a Buddhist rosary, was probably envisioned, but never achieved. The monastery temples' wall were painted, and the Chinese-style roof was covered with green tiles. The monastery was damaged by warfare in the 1680s, but was rebuilt in the 18th century and by 1872 had a full 62 temples inside.

In 1939 the Communist leader Khorloogiin Choibalsan had the monastery ruined, as part of a purge that obliterated hundreds of monasteries in Mongolia and killed over ten thousand monks. Three small temples and the external wall with the stupas remained; the temples became museums in 1947. They say that this part of the monastery was spared destruction on account of Joseph Stalin's pressure. One researcher claims that Stalin's pressure was connected to the short visit of US vice president Henry A. Wallace's delegation to Mongolia in 1944.

Erdene Zuu was allowed to exist as a museum only; the only functioning monastery in Mongolia was Gandantegchinlen Khiid Monastery in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. However, after the fall of Communism in Mongolia in 1990, the monastery was turned over to the lamas and Erdene Zuu again became a place of worship. Today Erdene Zuu remains an active Buddhist monastery as well as a museum that is open to tourists.

On a hill outside the monastery sits a stone phallus. The phallus is said to restrain the sexual impulses of the monks and ensure their good behavior.