The main Buddhist temple-monastery Gandan

Gandantegchenlin or, as it is also called - Gandan, the largest Buddhist temple and monastery in Ulaanbaatar. Today it is home to more than 150 monks. The main attraction of Gandan is the 26-meter statue of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

The full name of the monastery can be translated as “The Great Chariot of Perfect Joy” and if you compare the bright painted walls of the temples with the rest of the buildings of the city, it fully justifies itself. Gandan is a temple complex with several prayer pagodas, stupas-Suburgans, a library with 50,000 religious scrolls and books, a Buddhist school and three main temples. All the roofs are lined with bright tiles, inside there are a lot of greenery and Buddha statues. The walls of the buildings are decorated with ornament and skillful wood carving.

Entrance to the territory is free. The service begins early in the morning and ends by noon. Photography is not allowed everywhere, and warning signs at the door.