This series explores the ontological intersections of nomadic memory, spiritual practice, and the environmental ‘vessel-world’ of Mongolia. Please refer to the Index of Landscapes and Articles for other works that may be of interest.

The new Soyombot Oron (Соёнбот oрон) temple at Delgeruun Choira was officially consecrated on 15 August 2017.

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Regarding the statue of D.Sükhbaatar on his horse (to the left of the new temple above).

The statue is the original monument to D. Sükhbaatar (Mong. Дамдины Сүхбаатар 1893 –1923). The original statue of Sükhbaatar on his horse was carved from solid granite by the sculptor Sonomyn Choimbol and inaugurated in 1946 on the 25th anniversary of the Mongolian People’s Revolution in Ulaanbaator.

Before being removed in 2014, the monument had stood for 68 years in its original location: the centre of Sükhbaatar (now renamed Chinggis Khan) Square in front of Parliament House in Ulaanbaator, Mongolia’s political and economic capital. it was removed from the square as the result of a decision made by a Citizens Representative Meeting of Ulaanbaator. The statue was relocated to a nearby industrial store yard in UB, where it was awaiting crushing when Zava Damdin Rinpoche intervened by requesting through official channels that it not be destroyed.

The monument was subsequently relocated to Delgeruun Choira in Dundgovi Aimag, a complex and difficult long-haul logistics feat in itself, where it was unloaded and then covered with a heavy tarpaulin. It stood, protected, at the northern inner boundary in Zava Damdin Rinpoche’s retreat compound garden until he completed his solitary retreat of four years and more.

After the completion of the new temple in 2017 the original statue’s hands (damaged during the initial dismantling and transport away from Sükhbaatar Square), were carefully repaired and the statue fully restored by trained stone-masons who were working onsite at Delgeruun Choira. Zava Damdin considers such statues of historical import and cultural value, and therefore worthy of restoration and respect.

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FURTHER READING

Alongside the public consecration and renewal documented here, Mongolian Poetry 01: Waiting offers a quieter poetic reflection on anticipation, patience and preparation.

For the wider methodological approach behind bringing such material together, Letter from Mongolia 18: a deliberately interdisciplinary practice reflects on working across different forms of knowledge and representation in Mongolian ethnography.

Turning from public ritual to the domestic aesthetics of flowers, Artscape 12: Magenta pelargonium touches on floral gifting, domestic plants and visual culture within contemporary Ulaanbaatar.

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

© 2013-2026. CP in Mongolia. “Landscape 04: Soyombot Oron temple consecration” is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Open access should not be understood as the absence of attribution. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Posted: 26 August 2017. Last updated: 6 October 2026.