This monastery in Ömnödelger sum was first built in 1700. At its peak it was one of the three largest monasteries in Mongolia and home to 5000 lamas. Communist thugs destroyed it in the 1930s, but most of the buildings have now been restored, the main temple with its beautifully painted beams and dragon motifs revamped in 2010. Around 10 lamas are back, and if you're lucky, one of them will give you his blessing, chanting over you and anointing you with water. By the gateway to the temple complex is a map of a walking loop around the temple complex that takes in the most important ovoos, the Eej (Mother) Cave, which acts a purifying place for anyone who passes through it, and a hilltop viewpoint with spectacular views of the buildings and the plain below.
