MONASTERIES

Established by the Noyon Khutugt Danzanravjaa

Noyon Khutugt Danzanravjaa had established his first monastry at the place called “Ubur Khamar” in the year of Horse /1822/ when he was 19 years old. This monastery is known as ‘Khamar Monastery’ since that time.
Later, His Holiness had established many monastries all over mongolian Gobi Regions such as:
Monastery of Burden /This monastry was specifically for a Dzod pujas and located at the place called ‘Burden bulag’ in the present ‘Erdene’ sum of ‘Dornogobi’ aimag/.
Monastery of Red Protector /Galba gobi of present Umnugobi aimag/.
Monastery of ‘Tsagaan tolgoi’ (a white hill) /Galba gobi of present Umnugobi aimag/.
Monastery of Heruka /Galba gobi of present Umnugobi aimag/.
Monastery of ‘Tsogtsolokh’ / Once this monastry had over 300 monks and located ‘Khan Bogd’ sum of Umnugobi aimag/.
Monastery of Outer Guru Rinpoche Cave /This cave is located on the high mountain, and therefore one had to go on foot almost two kilometers following the way to it. There is the highly fixed platform that which is for the tanric practice of ‘gcod’ lamas in front of the cave. Even though cave door is very small it is much larger inside. The Monastery was located down side of the mountain. It was located present Umnugobi aimag, Mongolia/
Monastery of Inner Guru Rinpoche Cave /This monastery was located in the present ‘Alshaa’ Western Khoshuu (administration unit),Republic Of China /.
All those monasteries were as active as the centers for educating people until 1938.

 

KHAMAR MONASTERY

19th Century Mongolian a precious enlightener, a known poet, His Holiness Danzanravjaa had established ‘Khamar Monastery’ at the one of those beautiful view sites of Gobi region in 1822. This Monastery was established at the place called ‘Ubur Khamar’(southern side of a mountain) which there are some beautiful trees and a river on the front, a stony mountain with dozens of caves in the north. That’s why it is called as Khamar Monastery. Noyon Khutugt Danzanravjaa had been basically staying and creating most of his great creations in this monastery.
Khamar Monastery had four main parts such as Eastern Monasteries, Western Monasteries, aTsho-mkhan Monasteries, Dus-akhor Monasteries; four main aimag (divisions) such as Monks, mKhan-po’s (Abbot’s), blama or Guru’s, Chos-can’s; different gru-tshang (temples) such as sNgags-pa (Tantra), Chos-kyi tshong rdal (Buddhist philosophy ), Lam-rim (Graduated paths to Enlghtenment ), Dus-akhor (Kalacakra), Children’s; and also aTsho-mkhan, thos-rnog (hearing and contemplating), Idam , Nug-ne; Relics of IV, V, VI Noyon Khutugts, etc all together including His Holiness’ great palace well over 80 Monasteries. Khamar Monastery had also over 500 monks in the past. There had been performing many types of religious rituals and practices such as Kalacakra dance (tsam), circumambulation of Lha-mo and Maitreya deities, Story of Moon Cuckoo play, etc in the Khamar Monastery since 1827.
The Scholars consider Noyon Khutugt Danzanravjaa’s “The Story Singing Temple” as the first theatre of Mongolia.
Many dharma texts and sutras were printed in this monastery. So, there is a considerably big number of wooden blocks for printing different dharma texts and sutras are preserved at our time such as 216 pieces of wooden block for printing ‘Padma ka tan’ sutra. There were many women practitioners in the Khamar Monastery. Thus Noyon Khutugt Danzanravjaa had composed “Excellency of Qualities”, which is still favorite song among Mongolians and offered to buddhas as “Five Offerings”.
The Children Temple of this monastery was a school at which kids were taught Classical Mongolian scripts, a History of Buddhism, etc regardless of their sex.
The Disastrous Storm of Foreign Propaganda, that which had destroyed many hundreds of monasteries and transformed thousands of monks into victims of false political cases in Mongolia, 1930s. This disaster had also happened in the Khamar Monastery.
Russian troops had arrived and taken away all valuable objects from the Khamar Monastery in 1938. Before leaving away, they had completely burnt monastery’s dharma texts, sutras and razed all temples. According to archive materials 300 monks were arrested from the Khamar Monastery in that time. As far as we know, out of those monks 112 were killed and others were imprisoned for at least 10-15 years.

 

List of Tibetan names for some temples of Khamar Monastery

bsTan-pa jor jol ling /Dharma spreading and clarifying monastery/
Vandun marjudling
San agvan zadling
Dogdolgunsel ling
Gandan denshig dechenchoinkhorling
Givaadinravjailin
Mindolchoinkhorlin
Vandud tsogkhan ling