Gandan monastery in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, was one of only a few to survive the Communist purges. A Tibetan style monastery, it houses several temples and is an active teaching monastery. The temple of Avalokiteshvara contains a statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara which rises 26.5 meters high and is covered with gold and precious gemstones. It was rebuilt after the original was destroyed by Soviet troops.
