Monastery in thunderstorm

Day #74: Gandan Khiid

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June 22nd 2013
The main temple (the Migjid Janraisig Sum) at the Gandan monastery doesn't look that spectacular from the outside, but the inside houses an enormous Buddha statue, around 80 feet tall. I thought the temple must have been built around the idol, because they are more or less the same height, but the statue is apparently new, a replacement after the Soviets destroyed the original. A Buddhist m ... read more

Asia » Mongolia » Ulaanbaatar

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The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually ... ... read more