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Location: 23 km (14 mi) South-west from Ulan Ude along highway A165, Buryatia Map
Open: daily
Admission: free (25 rubles- $0.80 for camera)
Official site
Ivolginsky Datsan is a Buddhist Temple opened in 1945 in the region of Buryatia, 23 km from Ulan Ude. Interestingly enough it was constructed during Soviet anti- religious campaign. Ivolginsky Datsan is one of the best known and most visited datsan in Buryatia (center of the Russian Buddhism) as well as Asia. The site of Ivolginsky Datsan is located close to Verkhnyaya Ivolga (Верхняя Иволга) village. The name of destination comes from a name for a bird "ivolga" or Golden Oriole and "datsan" a term used to describe monasteries that often contains an university. Buddhist university "Gandan Dashi Choinkhorlina" (Tibetan for "monastery Wheel Teachings, bringing joy and perfect hapiness") was opened in 1991 on the grounds of Ivolginsky Datsan.
The Buddhist tradition in the USSR was completely destroyed in the
1930s. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, temples, churches,
mosques, and datsans began to open in the country. The Decree of the
Council of People's Commissars of the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet
Socialist Republic dated May 2, 1945 No. 186-zh “On the opening of the
Buddhist temple“ Khambinskoye Sume ”in the Srednyaya Ivolga ulus”
allowed the construction of a new datsan. The Buddhist community began
collecting money and religious utensils. With the funds raised in the
Ivolginskaya Valley in the area of Oshor-Bulag, a wooden house was
built, which was given the appearance of a dugan. According to legend,
the place of the temple was indicated by a white horse, which itself
came to this place.
Believers, having learned about the opening
of the temple, began to take an active part in the construction work.
On December 12, 1945, the first open service "Sahyusan Khural" was
held, led by gebshi Galsan Haidub. In February 1946, New Year's services
- "Sagaalganai Khural" - were held in compliance with all religious and
ritual canons. The first Tsogchen-dugan was erected in 1948, with the
construction of the second Tsogchen, it became the Choira-dugan of the
Faculty of Philosophy.
In 1951, the authorities officially
allocated land for the monastery complex. Residential houses for lamas,
household and service buildings were built. Most of the datsan temples
were built in the 1970s. In 1970, the second eight-walled Tsogchen-dugan
was built, with the construction of the third (modern) cathedral temple
in 1976, transformed into Devazhin Sume.
In 1991, the Buddhist
University “Dashi Choynhorlin named after A.I. Darzha Zayaev Dam.
In the fall of 2002, the Ivolginsky datsan acquired the imperishable
body of Khambo Lama Itigelov. In January 2003, a decision was made to
build a temple-palace to store the sacred relic. The temple was built
according to the design of the unpreserved Devazhin-dugan of the
Yangazhinsky datsan, designed and built by Itigelov himself back in
1906. On October 31, 2008, the consecration ceremony of the Blessed
Palace of Khambo Lama Itigelov was held. The imperishable body of the
Teacher was solemnly conveyed to the temple.
Currently, khural
services are held in the datsan dedicated to the most important events
of Buddhist history, daily rituals in honor of the protectors and
keepers of the teachings - Sahyusans and other rites that help and
protect believers from various negative forces.
Dasha-Dorzho Itigilov
The monastery complex includes:
Tsogchen-dugan -
the main cathedral temple (built in November 1976);
Choira-dugan -
the temple of the Faculty of Philosophy Choira - the first
Tsogchen-dugan (built in 1947-1948);
Devazhin-sume - the Pure Country
of Buddha Amitabha - the second Tsogchen-dugan, an eight-walled adobe
two-story building (built in 1970);
Temple - the palace of Khambo
Lama Itigelov - the place of storage of the sacred relic - the
imperishable body of the great Teacher;
Dugan of the Green Tara (bur.
Nogoon Dara Ekhyn sume) is a temple dedicated to the female bodhisattva
Green Tara;
Zhud-dugan - tantric temple;
Maanin-dugan - the
temple[4] of the bodhisattva of compassion Avalokiteshvara
(Aryaa-Baala);
Gunrik-dugan - the temple of the Buddha Vairochana;
Maidarin-sume - a small wooden temple of Maitreya Buddha (built in the
1970s);
Sahyusan-sume - a square-shaped wooden dugan dedicated to the
dharmapalas - the defenders of the Teaching (built in 1986);
Greenhouse for the sacred Bodhi tree.
In addition, on the territory
of the monastery there is the residence of the Khambo Lama, the library
building, the educational buildings of the Buddhist University "Dashi
Choynhorlin", a summer hotel, a museum of Buddhist art monuments, sacred
stupas-suburgans, various office premises and houses of lamas, an aviary
for roe deer.
At the datsan there is a visitor-information center
where you can find out information about the schedule of khurals,
accommodation in guest houses and other information. At the left
entrance on the territory of the datsan there are souvenir rows where
you can find various Buddhist attributes.
Behind the fence of the
monastery on the south side there is a small stadium where competitions
in traditional Buryat sports are held - wrestling, archery. To the east
of the datsan there is a hippodrome.
Buddhist University "Dashi Choynhorlin" began work in 1991, having received a license of a higher educational institution. The university is a non-state institution of higher religious education. In 2003, it was renamed in honor of the first Pandito Khambo Lama to the Buddhist University "Dashi Choynhorlin named after. Darzha Zayaev Dam. Currently, more than 200 huvarak students are studying at four faculties: philosophical, tantric, iconographic and medical.
On September 17, 2019, the museum of the history of the center of traditional Russian Buddhism was solemnly opened in the building of the Buddhist University in Ivolginsky Datsan. The appearance of the museum became possible thanks to funds received from the Presidential Grants Fund for the joint project with the National Museum of Buryatia "Preservation of the historical monument Ivolginsky datsan" Khambyn Khuree ". The museum presents unique historical exhibits that were previously inaccessible due to the lack of specially equipped premises.
5 km south of the monastery is the federal highway A340 Ulan-Ude - Kyakhta. From Ulan-Ude there is a bus with a transfer in the village of Ivolginsk.