Altan Khaan of the Golden blood lineage (royal king’s blood) decided to build a Buddhist Monastery on top of the ruins of Kharkhorin, the ancient capital, in 1585. This monastery is called Erdene Zuu Monastery.
This monastery complex used to include 60 smaller temples and housed up to 1000 lamas at once. However, the communist purge badly damaged most parts of the complex in 1939. Some monasteries that were preserved were functioning as museums in 1945.
Before its damage, this specific Monastery allowed Tibetan Buddhism to take off in Mongolia later in the 17th century.
After communism collapsed, Tibetan-style monasteries here reopened to the public. With a big Mongolian Ger also serving as a Buddhist temple the Monastery started to serve the people from inside the stupa walls. Now, only the Chinese-style monastery of the Erdene Zuu complex works as a museum.
This destination offers you a good walk around its area visiting the temples. Furthermore, you can also visit the Kharkhorin Museum with findings from the ancient capital a short drive away.
