Page 60 - World Buddhist Heritage Through Stamps

MONGOLIA
Erdene Zuu Monastery

The first Gelug Buddhist

monastery in Mongolia

Year of Inscription: 2004

⾦塔 Jin Pagoda 三座⼤佛殿 Three Large Buddha Temple

(蒙古 Mongolia: 2003) (蒙古 Mongolia: 1986)

The first Gelug Buddhist monastery in Mongolia called Erdene-Zuu Monastery was built on ruins of Kharkhorin.

It was built in 1586 AD at the initiative of Avtai Khan. The Erdene-Zuu monastery preserves marvellous works of

Mongolian artists, painters, cutters, sculptors, embroidery and craftsman of the 17th to 19th centuries AD.

Erdene-Zuu Monastery was destroyed in 1939 during the political purge. Surprisingly, many Buddha images

and statues,

tsam masks and thangkas were able to be saved by locals. The monastery was closed until 1965 and

reintroduced as a museum to public. After democratic revolution in 1990, religious freedom was restored and

monastery became active again.