Ariyabal Meditation Temple

The Ariyabal Meditation temple is located 60 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar, near Melkhii Khad or Turtle Rock on Khuukhen Mountain. Stairs leading up to the temple were erected alongside it between 1998-2004 with stones shaped like an elephant's trunk. When you enter the temple's gates, there are information boards with Buddhist quotations along the way.

The rear wall of the temple has statues of Buddha and the eight-armed Ariyabal or Migjid Janraisig. At the bottom of the roof, strange depictions of three realms, or heaven, earth, and hell, surround the temple construction. Additionally, whirling the 108 prayer wheels around the temple is thought to be similar to saying the mantra "Om mani Padme hum" several times.

The Myal Bogd cave, located northwest of the temple, is one of the key "symbols" of meditation for Mahayana Buddhists. Portraits of the three great Bodhisattvas Manzushir (Manjushri), Ariyabal, and Ochirvaani (Vajrapani) are found hanging on the cave wall, representing wisdom, compassion, and indestructible might. There is also a Buddha footprint constructed with 80 symbols and 32 patterns based on the real size of Buddha's feet.

The Ariyabal Meditation temple was determined to be erected after a Tibetan monk thought the place was ideal owing to its high natural energy and proximity to a spring.

Location: Terelj National Park, Mongolia