Gimpil Darjaalan Khiid The Gobi

This old monastery survived Stalin’s purges by becoming a warehouse and shop. The monastery was built in the late 18th century to commemorate the first ever visit to Mongolia by a Dalai Lama and was once used by about 500 monks. It reopened in 1990 and is now home to about a half-dozen monks. The spacious temple has a central statue of Tsongkhapa (founder of the ‘Yellow Hat’ sect of Buddhism), some large parasols and huge drums. Seek permission if you want to take photographs inside the temple.