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Religion is experiencing a rebirth in Mongolia.

Not practiced (officially) during much of the 20th Century, it now is being freely adopted by those interested.  Though Christian missionaries of various denominations have arrived, there are mixed opinions about their success. Shamanism is widely practiced, however, more visible is Buddhism, introduced by Kublai  Khan during the 13th Century.

Old, abandoned temples are being reopened and have been slowly refurbished, an example being the Geser Temple. Beyond the entry doors is a patio, leading into a number of other rooms.  Interest is gaining among young men to become monks.  These three monks at the Geser Temple gladly wished to be photographed, however, they did not give permission to take photos inside the building to their left..

The largest Monastery in Mongolia is the Gandan. The side entrance (left photo below) does no justice to the massive compound that makes Gandan impressive. Poor quality housing surrounds the walled structure as shown below.  The main entrance (right photo) does a little better. The tall structure in the middle of the photo is the main building, where the 25 meter (75 foot) buddha statue stands tall.

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The Megjid Janraisig (the all seeing Lord) statue is the symbol of Buddhism revival in the country. Dedicated in 1996, the statue became possible in part, as democracy arrived causing major changes to occur and the country adopted Buddhism as its major religion.  Islam is practiced in the western part of the country and mostly by Kazaks and Kyrgyz ethnics.

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