Agwa datsan
Read in Mongolian
Name(s) of Temple :
Agwa datsan,TIB: sngags-pa grwa-tshang,ENG: Agwa/Awag/Akhu monastic school, Tantric monastic school,Akhu datsan,
Rinchen Number :
0
Type of Temple :
Jasaa Assembly
Aimag Temple located in :
Ulan Bator
Sum Temple located in :
Next to Lenin Club
Old Aimag Name :
Ulaanbaatar
Description of location :
According to Dashtseren lama, Akhu datsan was situated near the present Lenin Club, which is south of Sükhbaatar Square (and north of Choijin lamiin süm, UBR 915 Rinchen 915).
GPS readings :
North 47° 54’ East 106° 54’
Revived temple on site :
No
Status of site at time of survey :
There are no remains. The GPS was taken on the east of Lenin Club, where it once supposedly stood.
Date of founding the monastery/temple :
1924
Date of closing and destroying the monastery :
Огноо нураагдсан:: Late 1930s - Ярилцлагын дугаар:
Old monastery/temple revived:
No
Үүсгэн байгуулагч хүний нэр болон цол хэргэм (мэдэгдэж байвал):
Date of Reviving:
Monks in Old Temple :
Notes :
According to Dashtseren lama, Akhu datsan was situated near the present Lenin Club, which is south of Sükhbaatar Square (and north of Choijin lamiin süm, Rinchen 915). Sereeter (p. 78.) claims that as well as the many temples of Choijin lamiin süm, a financial unit (jas) belonging to Awag datsan also operated in the area of the fenced-off courtyard of the temple complex. These two names, Akhu and Agwa seem to be used for the same temple, being two different Mongolian distorted forms of Tibetan sngags-pa meaning ‘Tantric’.
According to Dariimaa (p. 97.) the foundation of Awag datsan (Tib. sngags-pa grwa-tshang, a tantric monastic school) was laid in 1924. It was the last temple to be founded in Ikh Khüree before the destructions of the late 1930s. It was situated east of Choijin lamiin süm (Rinchen 915) and had the official privileged rights of a small datsan.
As for the initiation of the temple, Dariimaa claims (p. 97.) that a separated fenced-off courtyard and a gate was created. A huge golden statue of Chagdün Jandin Seded (Tib. phyag …? gdugs dkar, ‘seven armed (?) Sitatapatra’), an emanation of the goddess with the white umbrella (Seded or Tsagaan shükhert, Düger) was planned to be placed to the temple.
According to Dashtseren lama, Akhu datsan was a Gelukpa (Yellow Sect) temple. It was a big square shaped temple building with no lamas residing there and no daily chanting. Ceremonies were conducted here for specific purposes in which about 20-30 lamas from Gandan and Züün Khüree were invited to participate.
No other data could be gathered about this datsan. See UBNR 953 AM.pdf
All data on this temple is kindly provided by Kristina Teleki and Zsuzsa Majer who retain copyright. See relevant section in Monasteries and Temples of Bogdiin Khüree, Ikh Khüree or Urga, the Old Capital City of Mongolia in the First Part of the Twentieth Century: Zsuzsa Majer, Krisztina Teleki Budapest, Hungary. Ulaanbaatar 2006
Form Number :
UBNR 953
Survey Team :
Team C