Mongolia

Aryaval meditation centre was inaugurated in summer 2006 after many years of construction. It’s located within Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, about 10 kilometres (6,21 miles) from the entrance. From the turtle rock, you can make a pleasant hike (about 45 minutes).

Located on the hillside of a mountain covered with larches and granite rock, Aryaval meditation centre will delight the travellers. To reach the temple, you will have to pass a small wooden bridge on which a sign tells: ”the bridge that leads beyond wisdom”.

The main temple is dedicated to Kalachakra philosophy, ”wheel of time”. The temple contains a thangka representing the myth of the Shambhala (a thangka is a painting on cotton or silk; Shambhala is, according to Buddhist philosophy, a fabulous place hidden somewhere in Asia), a Kalachakra mandala, and other objects bound to this belief. On the ground floor of this building, you can admire a ”gallery of Buddhist philosophy”, with 220 original paintings of the artist Bayantsagaan representing the different belief and Buddhist philosophy.

On the hill dominating the temple, you can also admire a new sculpture of Buddha carved in the rock. On top of the cliffs, there is a meditation hut.