This article continues the visual ethnography series using images and close observation to examine how people live, make meaning, and give those meanings form in practice. Please refer to the Index of Artscapes and Articles for other works that may be of interest.

Located on the ground floor, the main central room of the newly opened Соёнбот oрон temple in the Delgeruun Choira cultural precinct in Dungovi Aimag (Mongolia) is replete with elaborate detail and fine features. In close consultation with Zava Damdin Rinpoche, Mongolian artist Sukhbaatar Gantsatstral and her three artists-in-training children B.Enerel, B. Dulguun and B. Saruula are responsible for the beautiful artwork on the ceiling of this vast and imposing room.

“We painted eight dragons, each 3m x 4m in size, on the ceiling of the main temple room. My son Dulguun who recently graduated from the Mongolian University of Science and Technology and youngest daughter Saruula, who is this year (2018) studying hard to complete  her final year of high school, finished the dragon paintings.”

(Key informant interview transcript, S. Gantsatstral).

These paintings are contemporary interpretations and feature the five-clawed dragon, one of Zava Damdin Bagsh’s favoured motifs; one that is repeated on other surfaces throughout this central temple room. Enquiries to artist S. Gantsatstral at: colorit_art@yahoo.com

Note: ‘Artscape 06: Соёнбот oрон central temple room’ is the third in a series of four posts about the official opening of the new temple (Соёнбот ордон) in August 2017 at Delgeruun Choira Monastery in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. I wish to thank the Mongolian artist S. Gantsatstral for making available the visual resources for this post.

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FURTHER READING

Beyond the painted ceiling of Soyonbot Oron, Letter from Mongolia 17: Greetings of Peace places the monastery within the spiritual ecology and history of Delgertsogt Mountain and its surrounding Gobi landscape.

From the artists’ contemporary interpretation of traditional motifs, Out and About 18: Naadam Beyond Sport widens the view to cultural and social performances that carry Mongolian traditions across generations.

For another perspective on disciplined creative practice, Mongolian Poetry 64: On Writing Poetry considers the rigour, teaching and cultural responsibilities involved in sustaining an artistic lineage.

End of transcript.

Refer to the INDEX for other articles that may be of interest.

© 2013-2026. CP in Mongolia. “Artscape 06: Соёнбот oрон central temple room” is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Open access should not be understood as the absence of attribution. Images and documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Posted: 26 August 2017. Last updated: 28 September 2026.