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Buddhism

Buddhism was introduced to Mongolia from Tibet by Kubilai Khan during the late 13th century. Kublai Khan invited an eminent Tibetan lama, Pagba, to be empire’s religious representative. From the late 14th century onwards hundreds of Buddhist temples were rapidly built across Mongolia. Thousands of Mongolian males vowed to live as lamas at one point almost one seventh of the male population had taken robes. Until the beginning of the twentieth century Buddhism developed and spread across the country, playing an important role on both religions and intellectual spheres of life. The 1921 People’s Revolution swiftly installed a socialist regime, which officially prohibited any religious practice. The 1930′s political purges resulted in the destruction of more than 700 temples and the death of around 10,000 lamas. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that, as part of the rise of democracy, Buddhism was revived as Mongolia’s major religion. Mongolia’s largest monastery, Gandan, is in Ulaanbaatar. In October 1996, Gandan hosted a massive opening ceremony for its newly installed 25 meter high, 60 ton Megjid Janraisag statue, which is the symbol of the revival of Buddhism in Mongolia. The statue’s name translates as “the all seeing Lord”.

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