Khamar Monastery (Mongolian: Хамарын хийд, Khamar Khiid).
SIGHTS OF INTEREST
DORNOGOV AIMAG
Khamar Monastery. Buddhist energy field
Khamar Monastery was established in the 1820's by famous 19th century Mongolian
educator and literary figure Danzanravjaa. The Monastery was an important centre
of the Buddhist "red sect", and seat of the Gobiin Dogshin Noyon Khutagt
("Terrible Noble Saint of the Gobi").
An outspoken critic of the society in which he lived, Danzanravjaa fought
against the rigid class and gender distinctions of his day. He devoted great
efforts to the cause of public education, which he promoted at Khamar Monastery
through the establishment of an inclusive public school, theatre, museum and
library.
The "Namtar duulakh datsan" (story-singing college), established at Khamar
Monastery in the 1830s, is recognized as being Mongolia's first professional
theatre. The nearby "Khuukhdiin datsan" (children's college) offered basic and
vocation, artistic training for local children, who often went on to become
singers and dancers, painters, sculptors, and other artists at the Monastery or
in its theatre company, In addition Khamar Monastery included a public library,
museum, poetry recital hall, and other facilities, making it an important
regional cultural centre, in the words of renowned Mongolian scholar
Ts.Damdinsuren: "Khamar Monastery was a perfectly harmonious location, having a
river whit many fine trees along its south part and rocky mountains with dozens
of caves along its north; and the place was filled with the noise of hundreds of
people playing the famous Saran Khokhoo drama...'
The local public was involved in many religious activities held at the
Monastery, including the Tsam dance festival and the Amaagiin Gandoi Ergekh
ceremony. Under Danzanravjaa's influence women were especially encouraged to
participate in these events; Khamar Monastery was unique in 19th century
Mongolia as a place where women were accorded greater respect and privileges
than men. Reflecting these liberal attitudes Danzanravjaa composed the song
Ulemjiin Chanar (Quality of Greatness) - which remains popular today - in praise
of a woman's qualities. To the north of the monastery were a series of caves
where monks would practice yogic exercises and meditate in isolation for 108
days at a time, hardening their bodies whilst expanding their physical and
spiritual powers. At the rear of the present-day monastery is a well initially
dug by Danzanravjaa, whose water is believed to be sacred? Danzanravjaa claimed
in his Adistet yosnii sudar (Blessed water sutra) that this water was helpful in
curing aliments to the stomach, intestines, bile and liver, and provided special
instructions for its drinking and use. Fossilized dinosaur bones, petrified
wood, and other rare palaeontological remains are widespread in the area
surrounding the monastery. Palaeontologists working in the region have dug up
most notably a skeleton of the herbivorous dinosaur iguanodon, which lived in
the Cretaceous period between 80 and 200 million years ago, At its peak Khamar
Monastery consisted of four main sections - East Khuree, west Khuree, Tsokhon.
and Dunkher - comprising four colleges (datsan) and the children's school, more
than eighty temples, and a resident population of over five hundred lamas. The
monastery was completely destroyed by the military in 1938 during Mongolia's
religious purge. Khamar Monastery was re-established in 1990s on the initiative
of Zuun-Bayan resident S. Zorigtbaatar and others, with the support of the local
religious community. Currently two small ceremonial temples and several
religious monuments have been reconstructed, with more than ten lamas now in
residence at the monastery. Plans are underway to reconstruct more elements of
this historic site in the near future. We hope you may enjoy your visit and
support our endeavours to revive this valuable part of Mongolia's heritage.
SHAMBALA LAND
Since time immemorial, Mongolians have known about Shambala Land. Shambala is a sacred land which human beings
can reach by enlightening and attaining intellectual perfection. In Shambala Land, a human being finds the complete serenity and
happiness unknown in the real human world. In the 1850s of the 19th Century, charismatic Noble Saint Danzanravjaa marked out
the foundation circle of Shambala Land to the north of Khamar Monastery, erected an ovoo (cairn) as the landmark, and wished
to meet his disciples in the mystical Shambala Land. This place is called as Shambala Land by believers - the most visited site of
Buddhists. The effort to visit is important for attaining enlightenment and spiritual perfection and, it said, everything to prosper and
flourish will be gained by the virtue and blessings of the great
charismatic nobles.
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