Tuvkhun Monastery

MONGOLIA, Ovorkhangai

Also known as Tovkhon Monastery, it is located approximately 70 km west of Kharkhorin in the Orkhon Valley. The monastery was founded in 1653 as a meditation hut of Zanabazar, the First Jebtsundamba Khutuktu and a famous sculptor. He regularly lived, meditated, and worked here for 30 years. A couple of halls were built during the 18th century and a summer hall was added at the beginning of the 19th century. The monastery was destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. As part of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
The compound is bordered by rocks and wooden fences. The three principal buildings are the assembly hall, Bogd Hall, and residential hall. The assembly hall is in the middle and has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof and is surrounded by a veranda. Attached to the north of the hall there is the Protector Shrine, where there are statues and thangkas of Sakyamuni Buddha, the Medicine Buddha, and Tsongkhapa. There is a small statue of Zanabazar and a small rock said to bear the imprint of his hand. Next to the assembly hall is the with a double-eave pyramidal roof. In front of the Bogd Hall there is the offering hall or Hall of Eternal Butter Lamps. It has a very low-lying roof. The variety of roof styles is a feature of this monastery.
The residential hall or monastic quarters stands slightly apart from the others. It has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof which covers a veranda that surrounds the building. The hall houses a thangka of Yamantaka. There are three Tibetan-style stupas in the compound, and there are caves and rock formations nearby, including the cave where Zanabazar meditated.