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MARIA-KATHARINA LANG and Russian scholars, artists, politicians and, as some argue, maybe with the power of specific spirits," that these former temple buildings were not completely ruined but gained support from the state. D. Otgonsüren, the director of the Choijin Lama Temple Museum puts it as follows: “The question why the Choijin Lama Temple was not destroyed during the purges, is studied and investigated among researchers and museum workers so that one could find a scientific evidence for it. It was built for a religious purpose, had deities [burkhans] and religious service. Mongolians believe that the deities [burkhans] here are alive. Some say, that it was saved by the living deities. As political figures were fighting against the religion, Choibalsan breasted himself. The temple is related to the sovereignty of Mongolia. Luwsankhaidaw, as the state Choijin, contributed much to the independence of the country. After the declaration of independence he was honoured with a stamp and awards. It is said, that the living deities and protectors saved it on the one hand. On the other hand, although they were fighting against the religion, politicians kept it because their protectors were here. We are focusing on research to prove this based on scientific evidence." The Choijin Lama Temple, which was decreed as a “first grade state cultural monument” in 1941, converted into an exclusive museum of religious history in 1942 and then opened to the public in 1962.’ Erdene Dsuu Monastery took a similar path. It came under state protection in 1944 and converted to a religious history museum in 1965. It is said, that it was due to the visit of the American Vice President Henry Wallace, that Choibalsan was confronted with mostly destroyed historic buildings and monasteries and Stalin gave order to at least maintain what had been left of the monastery (along with Gandantegchenlin Monastery in Ulaanbaatar) as a showpiece for international visitors to prove that under the communist regime freedom of religion existed.’ For Khamba Lama (Khal. xamba lam) Kh. Baasansiiren there is a direct link between the survival of “his” monastery and the statue of Erdene Dsuu’s protector deity Gombo gur: > Dashdulam, Dashdeleg: Palace of Wrathful Protectors of Dharma. Soyombo Printing, Ulaanbaatar 2015; Charleux, Isabelle: Introduction. In: Zaya Gegeenii Khiiree: History, Architecture and Restoration of a Monastery in Mongolia. Ed. by Isabelle Charleux. Bulletin du Musee d’ Anthropologie Prehistorique de Monaco, 5. Monaco 2016, p. 18. D. Otgonsiiren, Choijin Lama Temple Museum, 3 July 2015. 7 Cf. Lang, Maria-Katharina: Nomadic Artefacts: Sacred Objects Between Yurts, Temples and Museums. In: Aspects of Mongolian Buddhism I.: Past, Present and Future. Ed. by Agnes Birtalan, Krisztina Teleki, Zsuzsa Majer, Csaba Fahidi, Attila Rakos. L’Harmattan, Budapest 2008, pp. 277-287; Tsetsentsolmon, Baatarnarany — Lang, Maria-Katharina: Temple and / or Museum. In: Nomadic Artefacts. A Scientific Artistic Travelogue. Ed. by Lang, Maria-Katharina. Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, Vienna 2016, pp. 92-97. 5 Kollmar-Paulenz, Karénina: Buddhism in Mongolia after 1990. Journal of Global Buddhism IV (2003), pp. 18-34. 50
