Manzushir monastery

Manzushir Khiid or “Monastery” is located in the southern part of the mountain Bogd Khan Uul, at an altitude of 1800 meters above sea level. The monastery enjoys a beautifully stunning setting surrounded by a forest of Siberian larch with a backdrop of natural granite cliffs eroded into tors of huge rounded boulders. Many thousands have fallen from the cliffs to make a grassy spreading out to the forest. The monastery had over 20 temples and was once home to at least 300 monks but was destroyed in the 1930s. A reconstruction project is underway. The main temple has been restored and converted into a museum but the other buildings in the area remain in ruins. The ruins of the original monastery, dating from 1733, are clearly visible. A god image, carved in the granite rock at the monastery, is a unique historical and cultural exposition. There is a big boiling kettle with a diameter of 2.15 meters, a depth of 1.4 meters and capacity of one ton that is known to have been used here to cook food for 1000 people at one time. A brief visit to a small but interesting nature museum will introduce you to some of the wildlife and natural beauty of the area.