Erdene Zuu monastery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Erdene Zuu monastery (Mongolian: Эрдэнэ Зуу) is a Buddhist monastery located in Mongolia, and is one of Mongolia's most ancient monasteries. It is in Övörkhangai Province, near the town of Kharkhorin and adjacent to the ancient city of Karakorum, which Genghis Khan built to be his capital of the Mongol Empire.
The monastery was built in 1585 by Abtai Sain Khan,[1] upon the introduction of Buddhism into Mongolia as the state religion. Stones from the ruins of Karakorum were used in construction.[2] It is surrounded by a wall featuring 108 stupas, 108 being a sacred number in Buddhism,[3] and the number of beads in a Buddhist rosary. The monastery was damaged by warfare in the 1680s, but was rebuilt in the 18th century and by 1872 had a full 62 temples inside.
In 1939 Mongolian strongman Horloogiyn Choybalsan, at the behest of Joseph Stalin, largely destroyed the monastery, as part of a purge[4] that obliterated hundreds of monasteries in Mongolia and killed over ten thousand monks.[5][6] Three small temples and the external wall with the stupas remained; the temples became museums in 1947. This small remant was due principally to a request made of Stalin by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt in 1944.[7]
Erdene Zuu was allowed to exist as a museum only; the only functioning monastery in Mongolia was Gandantegchinlen Khiid Monastery in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. However, after the fall of Communism in Mongolia in 1990, the monastery was turned over to the lamas and Erdene Zuu again became a place of worship. Today Erdene Zuu remains an active Buddhist monastery as well as a museum that is open to tourists.
On a hill outside the monastery sits a stone phallus. The phallus is said to retain the sexual impulses of the monks and insure their good behavior.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Erdene Zuu Monastery. Culture Mongolia. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
- ^ Karakorum. Culture Mongolia. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
- ^ Snipe, Lynn "Jnana". Buddhism in the Numbers. Urban Dharma. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
- ^ http://www.ciaonet.org/atlas/countries/mn_data_loc.html#a6
- ^ "Dalai Lama's visit shines spotlight on Mongolia's explosion of faiths", USA Todays.com, 2006-08-24. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
- ^ Terror Years. Issue 6. Mongolia Today. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
- ^ Kollmar-Paulenz, Karénina (2003). "Buddhism in Mongolia After 1990". Journal of Global Buddhism 4: 18-34. ISSN 1527-6457. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
- ^ Kharakhorum (Karakorum). Sights of Interest in Mongolia. Legend Tour. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Article with pictures
- Encyclopedia Britannica article on Karakorum and Erdene Zuu.
- Photo collection at Culture Mongolia
- A few pictures
- Excerpt from article "The Life of Zanabazar"; discusses the construction of Erdene Zuu
