Gandan Monastery

Gandantegchinlen, usually shortened to Gandan, means the Great Place of Complete Joy, and it is the centre of Mongolian Buddhism. The monastery sits on a rise in the north of the city centre, a short walk from the Holiday Inn area and a quick taxi ride from Sukhbaatar Square. It dates to the early nineteenth century, survived the 1930s purges that destroyed most of the country's monasteries, and reopened for worship in the 1940s. Today it houses hundreds of monks and a Buddhist university. The headline sight is the Migjid Janraisig temple, whose gilded statue of the bodhisattva of compassion stands about 26 metres tall and is a replacement for an earlier statue lost under communism. Around it are smaller temples, prayer wheels that visitors spin as they walk clockwise, and courtyards full of pigeons, incense and elderly worshippers. Because it is a living place of worship rather than a museum, what you see depends on the hour: morning prayers with chanting, horns and drums are the highlight, and a quiet afternoon visit feels very different.

Plan to arrive in the morning, when the monks gather for prayers and the temples fill with the sound of low chanting. Walk the outer path clockwise, spin the prayer wheels with your right hand, and step quietly into whichever temples are open. Inside, photography is controlled: the monastery sells a photo permit for interiors, and in some buildings cameras are not welcome at all, so ask before you raise one.

Dress for a place of worship, with shoulders and knees covered, and in November that is no hardship because you will be in layers anyway. Remove hats indoors and never point your feet toward an altar or a monk.

Entry arrangements vary by building. Walking into the grounds is inexpensive or free depending on the day, while some temples and the main statue hall ask for a small pass, so carry a little cash in tögrög. Do not assume every building is open in winter: heating is limited, some halls run on shorter hours and ceremonies follow the Buddhist calendar rather than a visitor schedule.

A guided city tour is a good way to see Gandan without worrying about the rules, and the tour we link combines Gandan with the Chinggis Khaan National Museum and the central square, which makes a satisfying morning on foot or by car. Allow an hour to ninety minutes inside the complex.

The winter visit has real advantages. Crowds are thin, the gilded roofs glitter against clear cold skies, and the smell of juniper incense hangs in the frozen air. Wear insulated, grippy boots because paths ice over, and bring gloves you can slip off to spin the wheels. Expect the temples to be cold inside, since they are not heated like a hotel lobby.

Gandan sits within an easy walk of several restaurants and cafes along the nearby streets, so you can warm up afterwards with a bowl of hot noodle soup or milk tea before continuing to the palace museum or the square.