AGLAG BUTEEL MONASTERY

This meditation center was built by Buddhist artist and lama G.Purevbat to practice meditation, educate oneself and write books. It is located 100 kilometers northwest of Ulaanbaatar and approximately 16 kilometers west of Bornuur soum in Tuv Province, at the foot of Daliin Khavtsal Mountain, a stunning mountain with larch forest.

As you follow a hiking trail and arrive at the temple, you will notice blue, white, and orange colored stupas, which represents the three most sacred deities worshipped in Mongolia. Blue color represents the Ochirvaani deity whose role is to protect the Mongolian land and people, white color represents the Janraisag deity who protects people from all sufferings and danger, and orange represents Manzushir deity who honors the mind. The stupas were made using unique formation of rocks and stones just like the animals from Buddhist legends.

You will see a Garida at the gate protecting the monastery as well as Gecko and Scorpion statues on a giant boulder inside the monastery.

G.Purevbat made up fairytales about the animals and statues in the temple. He used his collections of nature’s unique shaped rocks, tree roots, and other unique things to sculpt these animals he first saw in his meditation dreams.

On the second floor of the temple, there is a museum called “Strange Things” displaying G.Purevbat’s collections of unique and rare animal artifacts. For example, there is an anaconda’s skin, giant crocodile’s skin, a skull of what is said to be a “unicorn”, fourhorned ram, sixhorned antelopes, onehorned mountain goat, sixhorned pig, and five-headed fish with their description of where they were found.

After visiting the temple and the museum, travelers can hike along the hiking trails where they can see peculiar shaped natural rocks and trees.