History
Dashchoilin Monastery is an important part of Ulaanbaatar‘s history, the capital of Mongolia. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was part of the Great Khuree(Ikh Khuree). The eastern part was a monastery called “Vangai and Erhemiin Dugan of the 30 Khuree aimags.” In 1651, Zanabazar reorganized his monastery and created the first seven aimags: Anduu, Jasyn, Sangai, Zoogoo, Khuukhen Noyon, Darkhan Tsikhin, and Orlu. He founded the Great Khuree in 1654 at the foot of the Khentii Mountains, but it was destroyed during the Khalkh-Oirad uprising in 1680. It was rebuilt in 1706, and by 1795, the Great Khuree had grown to 27 aimags. In the early 1900s, three more aimags were added, including the Ekh Dagina aimag in 1903, bringing the total to thirty aimags.
Dedicated to Dondogdulam Queen
This monastery was built for the eighth Bogd Gegeen queen, Dondogdulam, and it was the last temple built in the Great Khuree. It housed 1,000 monks and was renovated in 1940 for use as a state circus, guided by designer L. Namkhaitsereng. Today, it serves as a circus school. In 1707, the position of Khuree Khamba was created, and a special seal was made in 1723. The Great Khuree was divided into two districts: Zuun Khuree and Gandan. In the eastern district, there was a Battsagaan tsogchin temple in Mongolian-Tibetan style, which had 140 columns and a 50-foot-high Maidar god hall. It also included temples for medicine, astrology, justice, and Dechingalb, all with golden roofs, plus a khural dharma center for worship.
Until 1937, scholars and monks from all over Mongolia gathered in the 30 aimags of the Great Khuree to practice their religion and culture. However, during the Great Repression, the government closed its activities and destroyed many temples and mosques. Only a few temples, including those of Vangai, Erkhem, and Ekh Dagin aimags, survived. They were repurposed as warehouses, circuses, and other uses.
Restored and Protected
The Ulaanbaatar city government took care of the monastery building in 1971. Between 1981 and 1982, they restored the wooden ger-shaped temples. The monastery was officially protected by the state in 1994. On July 26, 1990, under the guidance of the great lama Ch. Dambajav and with support from the community, the Zuun Khuree Dashchoilin monastery was established, using the old temples from Vangai and Erkhemyn aimags. The Indian ambassador, Bakula Renbuche, named it Dashchoilin monastery.
Today, the Zuun Khuree Dashchoilin monastery continues to hold religious services at the site of the original temples from Vangai and Erkhemyn aimags, located in Khuree Guchin aimag. The old temples are called Tsogchin and Sahius. In 2000, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the monastery’s restoration, they built a new temple named Gandanchoinkhorlin, or the Togs Bayasgalant Temple, following the same design.
Inside the Monastery
The Gandanchoynkhorlin Temple is home to the “Zuun Khuree” College, which started in 1998. This temple features unique arrangements not found in other Mongolian temples. Inside, wall paintings show the eight disciples of Buddha, the sixteen Naidan Judugs, the Ten Hangals (or ten religious amulets), the four Mahranz who support each direction, the White Elder, the Dugar Zaisan, and the eight white stupas of Buddha.
The temple has a 2.5-meter-long life tree (sorogshin), which is the main idol. It stands next to the main Buddha image and has over 100 mantras written on it. These include the names of high lamas, the five gods of origin, the gods of the oath, the gods from the four Dandary aimags, and the mantras of the guardian goddesses of religion. The Buddha was offered with 108 volumes of Ganjuur, 400 sutras, many mantra scrolls, images of gods, amulets, casts, stupas, and 25 treasury items.
Khuree Tsam Dance
The temple supports more than 100 monks and organizes events like the Khuree Maidar Dance and the Khuree Tsam Dance each year. These events help revive traditional religious rituals and culture. Currently, they are restoring the Khuree Maidar god, one of Mongolia’s most treasured idols. Sculptor N. Orgil created a 16-meter-tall statue based on the original Maidar god statue by the first Bogd Zanabazar. More than 20 sutras related to the Maidar god will be built in the temple, with eight stupas of Buddha surrounding it. The first Maidar god was created in 1834 by Khamba Nomun Khan Luvsankhaidav at the suggestion of the 5th Bogd.
One day, monk Luvsankhaidav saw unknown footprints outside his house and realized that Maidar had come. He built a tall statue of Maidar, which stands 80 cubits high when measured with the elbow of a 5-year-old child. The statue was first carved in Dolonnuur. He also built a temple to hold the statue, which had 3 floors but was completely destroyed during the repression.
