The younger brother of the Eighth Bogd Khan, Luvsanhaidav, was widely known by the name “Chojin Lama,” and the temple was built in his name in 1908. It was a personal temple dedicated to him and belonged to the Yellow Sect of Buddhism. Religious services and teachings were held there until 1936, but the temple was closed in 1938. Since 1942, it has functioned as a religious museum and currently consists of five exhibition halls. The Mongolian name for the Chojin Lama Temple Museum translates to “The Temple of Developing Mercy.” Although the Eighth Bogd Khan practiced the Yellow Sect, he respected the Red Sect, which is why he visited this temple four to five times every month.

Luvsanhaidav, the younger brother of the Eighth Bogd, was born in 1872 in a place called Sholao in Tibet as the fifth son of Gonchigzeren. At the age of two, in 1874, he came to Mongolia. In 1883–1884, the Bogd Khan’s teacher, a monk named Baldanchoymbol (the Yongzhon Khambo), recognized that the Chojin protector deity resided in Luvsanhaidav. He invited a special Tibetan monk, Chojin Settev, to begin the process of making Luvsanhaidav the Chojin Lama. Mongolian monks from the capital, including Luvsanpeljee, taught him all the rituals related to the Chojin. A monk named Gombo, also known as Soivon Lama, served as his interpreter during the rituals. When Luvsanhaidav first performed the Chojin ritual, the Eighth Bogd Khan himself came respectfully bearing a khadag (ceremonial scarf). After the establishment of the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, Luvsanhaidav was honored with the titles and seals related to the “Holy and Devout Protector of Mongolia’s Buddhism,” including the seal of the Chojin protector and the seal of the Temple of Developing Mercy. The Zankhan Temple was built to commemorate Luvsanhaidav’s Chojin rituals, which he performed at least six times a month. In 1918, while performing a ritual, he fainted and passed away.

The Main Temple

At the center of the temple are statues of Buddha Modgoljibuu and his two disciples, Shaaribuu. On the right side platform sits Chojin Lama himself, and on the left platform is his teacher, Yongzhon Khambo. Chojin Lama passed away during a religious ceremony in 1918; his body was completely burned, making traditional embalming impossible. Instead, his image was crafted using paper-mâché. His teacher, however, was embalmed and died seated in meditation in 1910.

The main temple houses four throne seats for important lamas who succeeded Chojin Lama, ceremonial masks used in cham dances, religious musical instruments used during daily services, stone reliefs depicting the 16 Nalden disciples, thangka paintings of the Three Protectors of Life, and cham dance costumes—all masterpieces created by 19th-century artisans from the monastery. One of the museum’s prized exhibits is the cham dance mask and costume of Jamsran Buddha, created by the famous craftsman Puntsag-Osor. The mask contains 7,000 red beads and weighs 30 kilograms; the entire costume weighs about 70 kilograms. The eyebrows, beard, and belt are made of gold and embroidered with exquisite stitching. Opposite is the cham costume and mask of Gombo Buddha, decorated in white with ivory ornaments, another valuable artifact. The museum also displays a steel drum made from the shin bone of an 18-year-old woman, a drum made from skull bone, copper repoussé statues of the 16 Nalden disciples, thousands of Buddha and Bogd Zonkhov clay statues, a statue of the King of Hell, paintings depicting “hot and cold hell,” wooden carvings called “The Place of Maidari and Avid,” and rare embroidered khadags known as the “Eight Otch” scarves.

The Zankhan Temple (adjacent to the main temple)

At its center is the throne of the Eighth Bogd Khan, who visited four to five times a month to seek advice on the future of the state and religion through the Chojin rituals. The Chojin Lama would invoke the spirits of fierce deities, performing their movements and actions himself—a ritual known as “Chojin buukh.” On the right side of the temple stand about 2-meter-high statues of Chojin or fierce deities including Ochirvaan, Naijingchoijin, Damdinsamduv (protector of horses), Bogd Zonkhov (founder of the Yellow Sect), Lovon Badamjunai (founder of the Red Sect), Jigjid Buddha holding the “Yum,” Perengleijalboo (creator of works), Zemerchoijin (war god on horseback), Dashtsermee (protector goddess of women), Dorzhugden (powerful wealth god), and the heroic Ridendagva who defeats heretics. Hanging from the ceiling are paintings depicting hell, illustrating the suffering of souls condemned to the underworld due to their sins.

The Temple of the Century (built for Buddha)

At its center are statues representing the past, present, and future Buddhas: Odser, Buddha, and Maitreya. The previous altar holds the Seven Treasures of the State, and the walls display paper-mâché statues of the 16 Nalden disciples meditating. At the entrance is the statue of Baldanlam, one of the Ten Protector Buddhas, and to the right is the statue of Naijingchoijin, a protector deity.

The Sacred Yadam Temple of Secret Mantras

This temple was reserved exclusively for Chojin Lama’s private meditation. It houses paired deities symbolizing the union of wisdom and compassion. The central statue is of Dvuchinnagvajud, one of the 84 miraculous Buddhas of India and Chojin Lama’s main deity. Above it is a wooden statue of Gongen (protector deity), White Tara, Ayush, and Judernamjil, the Buddhas of Life. On the altar are the Eight Religious Relics, and on the eastern wall is a wooden carving of Jamsran Buddha. Hanging on the upper right wall are sculptures representing the peoples of the five continents, connected by cords symbolizing unity of mind and language. Two pillars hold symbolic guns that produce sound to repel evil spirits.

The Temple of Peace (built for the First Bogd G. Zanabazar)

At its center is a self-portrait statue of G. Zanabazar, flanked by Ayush Buddha and Buddha with his two disciples. Above is a paper-mâché of the Three Protectors of Life. The temple also contains statues crafted by Zanabazar and his disciples, sculptures featuring Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese styles—including a bronze statue of Bogd Zonkhov brought by Zanabazar from India. The walls display paper-mâché portraits of the 16 Nalden disciples, each illustrating different human characteristics such as anger, calmness, jealousy, boredom, laziness, compassion, cunning, diligence, joy, pride, and kindness.

In 1939, the temple was granted first-class state protection. Behind it, the Government Palace was built in 1951, symbolizing that the Chojin protector deities safeguard the Mongolian state. The national flag atop the palace aligns with the golden chain of the main temple of the Chojin Lama Temple Museum. Until 1960, the museum operated as a closed research center, serving foreign delegations with special permissions. This museum was originally built to honor a prominent lama influential in Mongolian Buddhism and preserves unique masterpieces of religious art, reflecting the spiritual power and revered status of the lama to inspire the public.