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Ongi Monastery

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Ongi Monastery, known as "Ongiin Khiid," is located in the Dundgobi province, in the heart of Central Gobi, at the base of Saikhan Ovoo Mountain. At its zenith, Ongi Monastery was one of Mongolia's most significant and revered religious institutions. Founded in 1660, it comprised two complexes on the North and South banks of the Ongi River.

During its peak, Ongi Monastery housed nearly 30 temples, four major Buddhist universities, and over 1000 monks. In the 1930s, the communist army destroyed the monastery, executed more than 200 monks, and imprisoned most of the survivors.

In 1990, after Mongolia's democratization, three monks returned to the monastery where they had received their religious education over 60 years earlier. They reconstructed a temple, and a small museum was established.

The site also features a cold spring, Bar Khamba, renowned for its healing properties, particularly in the treatment of "internal" ailments, often related to digestive issues.

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Available with the following tours: