Amarbayasgalant Monastery was our last visit on our incredible journey throughout Mongolia. The monastery was originally built between 1727 and 1737 by the Manchu emperor Yongzheng, and dedicated to the Mongolian Buddhist and sculptor Zanabazar. The monastery is in the Manchu style, including symmetrical layout and imperial color scheme.
The communist destroyed 10 out of the 37 temples and statues during the Cultural Revolution but the monastery has been heavily restored in the past few decades. There are now new structures and statues of Buddha around the monastery (pretty cheesy for my taste).
The highlight of our visit was the lantern lighting ceremony, as we came during the annual festival (Gongoriin Bombani Hural). What an amazing sight...to see hundreds of paper lanterns floating up in the night sky!
Just outside the monastery, a "photo booth" was set up where people can get a photo dressed in the traditional Mongol costumes. Oddly, there was an option to wear a traditional Korean costume (han-buk)...I guess for the Korean tourists???
Location:Amarbayasgalant Monastery, Mongolia
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