Located immediately south of Sükhbaatar Square amid the modern skyline of central Ulaanbaatar, a walled precinct of five historic timber temples with azure glazed-tile roofs and dragon-carved grey brick facades preserves an atmosphere of solemn seclusion. Stepping past the spirit screen wall and through the crimson Gate of Honor, visitors enter the esoteric world of Vajrayana Buddhism filled with wrathful Dharmapala guardians, gold-embroidered silk thangkas, and ritual dance masks encrusted with tens of thousands of red coral beads.
Known in Mongolian as Choijin Lamyn Süm and bearing the imperial Chinese title Xingren Si (興仁寺, Temple of Developing Compassion), the complex was constructed between 1904 and 1908 as the monastic seat of Luvsankhaidav (1872 to 1918), younger brother of the Eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu (Bogd Khan) and State Oracle of Mongolia. Across more than a century, this sanctuary has survived intact as one of East Asia's foremost museums of Buddhist architecture and sacred art.
IState Oracle Luvsankhaidav and the courtly mediumship tradition
The title Choijin Lama derives from the Tibetan term Chökyong (rendering the Sanskrit Dharmapala, meaning Protector of the Dharma), designating a tantric master trained to serve as the ritual medium into whom wrathful protector deities descend during trance states to deliver prophetic counsel for the protection of the faith and realm. In late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Mongolia, the supreme holder of this office was Luvsankhaidav (1872 to 1918), biological younger brother of the Eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu (Bogd Khan).
Born in Lhasa, Tibet, into the family of an official serving the Dalai Lama's court, the young Luvsankhaidav accompanied his elder brother, the Eighth Jebtsundamba, to Ikh Khüree (Ulaanbaatar) in 1874. In 1883, at the age of eleven, Luvsankhaidav was formally initiated and enthroned as the Choijin Lama (State Oracle) of Mongolia by the Tibetan oracle master Setevdorj and the senior tutor Yonzon Khamba Baldan Choephel.
Wrathful Dharmapala protectors at Xingren Si: Unlike public scholastic monasteries, Choijin Lama Temple specialized in Highest Yoga Tantra (Anuttarayoga Tantra) liturgies and the invocation of the Five Great Dharmapala Kings, foremost among them the red-armored war god Begtse (known in Mongolian as Jamsran, the sword-wielding protector of Mongolia) alongside Dorje Shugden and Pehar Gyalpo. During state oracle ceremonies inside the Zankhang annex, the Choijin Lama donned vestments weighing dozens of kilograms and a five-skull crown, entering a trance state to answer affairs of state for the Bogd Khan.
The Xingren Si imperial plaque and the embalmed relics of Master Baldan Choephel
Upon the completion of the temple complex in 1908, the Qing Guangxu Emperor bestowed a quadrilingual dedicatory plaque inscribed in Mongolian as Örshööliig Khögjüülegch Süm, in Tibetan as Brtse'phel Gling, in Chinese as Xingren Si (興仁寺), and in Manchu, all signifying the Temple of Developing Compassion. Later, the Bogd Khan conferred an additional Mongolian title meaning the Temple that Subdues Evil Forces of the Dark Quarter.
Inside the Main Temple (Gol Süm), flanking the eighteenth-century gilded bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni on the central altar, stand two remarkable portrait figures: on the right sits a lifelike portrait statue of Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav himself, while on the left sits a gilded statue encasing the preserved, embalmed body of Yonzon Khamba Baldan Choephel (who passed away in 1899), the revered teacher of both the Bogd Khan and the Choijin Lama.
IIConstruction of the royal monastery and its preservation as a national museum
Before the present complex was erected, an earlier temple for Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav had been built in the eastern district of Ikh Khüree between 1899 and 1901, but that structure was destroyed by fire in 1903. The following year (1904), under the patronage of the Bogd Khan and Khalkha nobility, construction of a grander sanctuary began at the current site under the direction of master Mongolian architect Uran Ombo, who led more than three hundred skilled carpenters, bronze casters, and painters.
After four years of intensive labor from 1904 to 1908 at a total cost of 88,940 taels of silver, the complex was consecrated and served as the esoteric ritual center of the Bogd Khan's court until Luvsankhaidav's passing in 1918.
- 1883 - 1884Enthronement of Luvsankhaidav as Choijin LamaAt age eleven, Luvsankhaidav, younger brother of the Eighth Jebtsundamba, was enthroned as the Choijin Lama (State Oracle) of Mongolia.
- 1899 - 1903Building and fire of the first oracle templeThe first monastery built for the Choijin Lama between 1899 and 1901 burned down in 1903, prompting the court to commission a permanent new complex.
- 1904 - 1908Master architect Uran Ombo constructs the present complexArchitect Uran Ombo and over 300 Mongolian artisans built the five main temples over four years at a cost of nearly 89,000 taels of silver, receiving the imperial title Xingren Si in 1908.
- 1918Passing of Choijin Lama LuvsankhaidavMaster Luvsankhaidav passed away at age 46, while the resident monks continued tantric rituals and Tsam ceremonies until 1937.
- 1938 - 1942Preservation and conversion into a museumClosed in 1938, the complex was saved from demolition in 1940 by the Mongolian Scientific Committee as an architectural monument and opened as a Museum of Religion in 1942.
- 1960 - 1961Major restoration and National Monument designationFollowing restoration in 1960, the compound was designated a State Historical and Cultural Monument and opened to international visitors as the Choijin Lama Temple Museum.
- 2020Inclusion on the World Monuments WatchThe World Monuments Fund (WMF) placed the Choijin Lama Temple Museum on the World Monuments Watch to support the conservation of its historic timber roofs and garden setting.
The survival of all five timber halls alongside the exact 1908 liturgical arrangement of more than 6,000 ritual implements, statues, and thangkas is credited to scholars of the Mongolian Scientific Committee in the early 1940s. They persuaded state authorities to preserve the monastery as a monument of classical craftsmanship and transferred priceless seventeenth-century gilt-bronze statues by Zanabazar from other endangered monasteries into its halls for safekeeping.
IIIFive historic timber sanctuaries and the masterpieces of Zanabazar
Choijin Lama Temple is laid out along a north-south axis, beginning with the grey brick spirit screen wall (Yampai) sculpted in relief with auspicious emblems, followed by the five-bay Gate of Honor roofed in green glazed tiles and the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings (Maharaja). Inside the walled enclosure stand five distinct sanctuaries blending Mongolian, Tibetan, and Chinese timber architecture of the early twentieth century, each dedicated to a specific liturgical function.
At the center stands the Main Temple (Gol Süm), joined directly on its northern rear side to the Zankhang annex where Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav sat upon his ceremonial throne during oracle trances. Flanking the main courtyard to the east, west, and rear are the Zuu Temple of the Buddhas of the Three Times, the private Yidam (Yadam) Tantric Temple, the Amugulang (Peace) Temple dedicated to the First Jebtsundamba Zanabazar, and the Khotol Chuulgan (Mahamaya) Temple. Notably, architect Uran Ombo designed the Khotol Chuulgan Temple as a two-story octagonal structure inspired by the traditional Mongolian felt yurt (Ger) crowned with upturned timber eaves.
Houses an eighteenth-century gilt Shakyamuni statue flanked by the portrait statue of Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav and the embalmed body of Master Baldan Choephel. The attached Zankhang chamber preserves the oracle throne and wrathful protector murals.
The private meditation sanctuary of Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav (historically closed to all outsiders), enshrining gilt-bronze statues of tantric meditational deities in Yab-Yum union including Kalachakra, Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara, and Vajrabhairava, alongside statues of the 84 Indian Mahasiddhas.
The museum safeguards hollow-cast mercury-gilded bronze masterpieces created by the First Jebtsundamba Zanabazar and his school in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, celebrated for their serene facial expressions, fluid drapery, and seamless lotus bases.
A masterpiece of Mongolian papier-mâché mask art weighing approximately 30 kg: its entire surface and five-skull crown are inlaid by hand with more than 30,000 natural red coral beads, turquoise, and gold leaf.
Dedicated to Buddha Shakyamuni and the Buddhas of Past, Present, and Future crafted in gilded papier-mâché, with the 16 Arhats seated inside sculpted artificial rock grottos along the side walls.
Seamless lost-wax bronze casting of the Zanabazar school: The seventeenth-century gilt-bronze statues housed in the Amugulang Temple and Yidam Temple are acclaimed by art historians alongside masterpieces of the European Renaissance. Master Zanabazar perfected a lost-wax casting technique that cast the entire deity figure and circular lotus pedestal in a single seamless piece without soldered joints, finished with thick fire-gilding burnished with agate stones.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
In the sacred urban geography of early twentieth-century Ikh Khüree, the seat of the State Oracle was positioned on the valley floor between the Bogd Khan's Green Palace on the banks of the Tuul River to the south and the administrative heart of the capital to the north. The following section examines the topographical setting of Choijin Lama Temple through the classical landform tradition of this library.
Situated at 47.91500 degrees North latitude and 106.91833 degrees East longitude on the level alluvial plain of central Ulaanbaatar, all five sanctuaries of Choijin Lama Temple sit North and face South. Within the macro-landform of the Ulaanbaatar basin, the compound receives the descending mountain vein from the Chingeltei range to the north as its distant rear backing (Rear Backing Mountain (Hou Zhen)), while the Tuul River flowing from east to west roughly 1.5 kilometers to the south forms the outer water boundary.
The defining geomantic feature of Choijin Lama Temple is its direct southern axial alignment toward Tsetsee Gün Peak (2,261 meters) of the sacred Bogd Khan Uul mountain range. Before modern high-rise buildings rose in the late twentieth century, standing before the Gate of Honor and the Yampai spirit screen wall afforded an unobstructed view across the river plain to the pine-clad slopes of Mount Bogd Khan Uul, which stood as a majestic front screen (Front Table Mountain (Qian An)). The masonry Yampai screen wall positioned directly in front of the southern entrance blocks rushing wind currents while retaining calm, concentrated qi within the inner tantric courtyards.
VThe Jamsran Tsam dance tradition and contemporary museum heritage
Between 1908 and 1937, Choijin Lama Temple was renowned across the Mongolian capital for its performance of the sacred masked Tsam (Jaham) dance and wrathful protector invocations. Whereas the Tsam ceremonies at Gandantegchinlen and Erdene Zuu centered on Dharmaraja Yama (Erlik Nomun Khan), the Tsam liturgy at Choijin Lama Temple placed the red-armored war god Jamsran (Begtse) at the center of the mandala to invoke martial protection for the nation.
Since 1942, the compound has operated as the Choijin Lama Temple Museum under the cultural authorities of Mongolia, hosting exhibitions of national treasures, traditional music performances, and architectural conservation programs in its historic courtyards.
| Period / Date | Ceremony or Event | Cultural Significance at Choijin Lama Temple |
|---|---|---|
| 6th Lunar Month (Historically 1908 - 1937) | Jamsran Tsam Masked Dance Assembly | Monks wearing gold-brocade vestments and coral-inlaid papier-mâché masks performed sacred tantric dances in the stone courtyard to purify obstacles. |
| Upon Royal Convocation (Historically 1908 - 1918) | State Oracle Trance Rituals in the Zankhang Annex | Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav invoked the protector deities into his person amid skull-drum and thighbone-horn music to deliver prophetic counsel to the Bogd Khan. |
| May 18 Annually (Gregorian Calendar) | International Museum Day and Zanabazar Treasure Exhibitions | Curated exhibitions highlighting seventeenth-century gilt-bronze casting by Zanabazar, silk appliqué thangkas, and ritual implements. |
| June to August (Summer Season) | Night at the Temple Museum and Traditional Performing Arts | Evening cultural programs in the historic courtyard featuring Morin Khuur horsehead fiddle music, Khoomei overtone singing, and staged Tsam mask dances. |
| Autumn Annually | Timber Architecture Conservation and Heritage Weeks | Academic symposia and preservation workshops organized in partnership with the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and the Arts Council of Mongolia. |
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Genden Street, Khoroo 1, Sükhbaatar District, Ulaanbaatar 14210, Mongolia (Улаанбаатар хот, Сүхбаатар дүүрэг, 1-р хороо, Гэндэнгийн гудамж)
- Getting there
- The Choijin Lama Temple Museum is located on Genden Street in Sükhbaatar District right in downtown Ulaanbaatar, approximately 500 meters south of Sükhbaatar Square and Government Palace (a 5- to 7-minute walk).
- Coordinates
- 47.915, 106.91833
When visiting the Choijin Lama Temple Museum in central Ulaanbaatar, please observe museum conservation rules strictly: do not touch the gilt-bronze statues, silk thangkas, coral masks, or carved timber elements dating from 1908. Inside the five historic temple halls, photography and video recording are restricted or require a special permit in order to protect seventeenth- to nineteenth-century mineral pigments and gold leaf from flash exposure. Visitors are encouraged to walk through the courtyards clockwise and maintain a quiet demeanor.
Nearby places in the library
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?Quick Questions
For whom was Choijin Lama Temple built?
The temple complex was constructed between 1904 and 1908 for Luvsankhaidav (1872 to 1918), younger brother of the Eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu (Bogd Khan). Luvsankhaidav held the title of Choijin Lama, serving as the State Oracle of Mongolia.
How did Choijin Lama Temple survive the demolitions of the late 1930s?
After the monastery was closed in 1938, scholars of the Mongolian Scientific Committee successfully petitioned to preserve all five timber temples and their more than 6,000 original artifacts as a monument of historic architecture and craftsmanship, converting the site into a museum between 1940 and 1942.
What materials were used to make the famous Jamsran Tsam mask?
The celebrated mask of the war god Jamsran (Begtse) weighs approximately 30 kilograms and was crafted in the early twentieth century over a papier-mâché core inlaid by hand with more than 30,000 natural red coral beads, turquoise, and gold leaf.
What makes the Yidam (Yadam) Temple inside the compound unique?
The Yidam Temple served as the private esoteric meditation chamber of Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav and was historically off-limits to the public. It houses a rare collection of gilt-bronze statues depicting the 84 Indian Mahasiddhas and tantric meditational deities in Yab-Yum union.
Whose embalmed body is enshrined inside the Main Temple?
To the left of the central Shakyamuni altar inside the Main Temple (Gol Süm) sits a gilded portrait statue containing the embalmed mortal remains of Yonzon Khamba Baldan Choephel (who died in 1899), the senior Tibetan tutor of both the Bogd Khan and Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav.