Khamar Monastery
Khamar Monastery | |
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Danzanravjaa | |
Date established | 1820 |
Khamar Monastery (Mongolian: Хамарын хийд, Khamar Khiid), founded in 1820, was an important Red Hat sect Buddhist monastic, cultural, and education center in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert region until its destruction in 1937.[1] It was rebuilt in 1990. Today it is located in Khatanbulag district, Dornogovi Province, approximately 47 km south of the provincial capital Sainshand. At its height, the monastery reportedly accommodated over 80 temples and some 500 monks.[2]
History
Khamar Monastery was founded in 1820 by Dulduityn Danzanravjaa, a charismatic 17-year-old monk of the Nyingma 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).
Often referred to as “the Terrible Noble Saint of the
In 1937 the monastery’s lamas were driven from the grounds and the complex completely burned to the ground as part of Khorloogiin Choibalsan’s Stalinist purges. Many of the lamas were executed while others were forcibly laicized.
The current monastery was built after the
Gallery
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The entrance gate
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The main stupa
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Statue of Buddha
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The monastery
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Prayer wheel and stupas
References
- ^ "The Center of the World's Spiritual Energy". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
- ^ Brooks, Jessica (2020-06-22). "Khamariin Khiid Monastery". Eternal Landscapes Mongolia. Retrieved 2022-07-24.