How to visit Shambhala, Mongolia’s most sacred and spiritual site

“Are you going back to Mongolia in the winter? Isn’t Ulaanbaatar the coldest capital city in the world, with temperatures reaching minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit?” This is a question I heard not just from one friend, but from several of them.

I was returning to the country I’d called home for the past few summers, this time in the middle of winter. Despite the dreaded -35°C temperatures, I was determined to experience Tsagaansar, the Mongolian New Year, and make a pilgrimage to Shambhala, one of Mongolia’s most sacred sites.

With almost no information on how to get there, where to go, or how to plan this kind of trip, I was lucky to find Monastery Stay, a tour company that specializes in exactly this kind of spiritual tourism. Their goal is to shine a spotlight on Mongolian Buddhism and offer foreigners the opportunity to learn about the practice first-hand. I was excited and eager to go.

I decided to book an abbreviated 4-day itinerary to Shambhala and Kamarine Monastery, which included taking an overnight train from Ulaanbaatar to the small town of Sainshand.

I had heard that Mongolian trains were an adventure in themselves, but I realized that was part of the charm of the place. The train certainly showed its age, but that didn’t detract from the 10 hours I spent on board. It had everything, including a firm bed to lie down on.

We arrived at Sainshand early in the morning. Because everything was closed for Chinese New Year, we had a quick breakfast at the driver’s house, which set the mood for the trip. We had some coffee, Sutey Tsai Warm up the (milk tea) Booze (Mongolian dumplings), and from there I headed straight to a place I’d been dreaming of visiting for the past few weeks.

First stop is Camarines Ridge (Hide At the temple, which means monastery in Mongolian, monks were singing special New Year songs, along with locals who had come to offer prayers for their loved ones. I stepped off the train, exhausted, and was thrilled to see locals greeted me in their winter finest. The Dalesthe traditional long jacket that is customary here.

At the monastery, my kind and gentle guide, Kaliun, began to explain who Durduittin Danzanravja was, a man I had heard so much about but didn’t know much about. He explained to me how Nyingma Buddhism was brought to Mongolia in the early 1800s, and why each of these temples and monuments exist today. Most of them were destroyed under the communist regime, but many were rebuilt in the 1990s when Mongolia regained its independence.

From the monastery we went to the Breast Memorial where women pray for women around the world and walk clockwise around two breasts. egg (Sacred Buildings).

Back in our driver’s Prius, a popular car in Mongolia, it was time to head to Shambhala and pass through its Golden Gate.

Originally built by Dangzan Raja, he believed the site contained a special spiritual energy, and people could often be seen meditating for long periods in a series of nearby caves. It has been suggested that Dangzan Raja could channel energy in these caves, enabling him to perform sacred acts such as levitation and healing the sick.

As I walked through Shambhala, there was definitely a vibration in the air, whether it was the energy of the place or the dozens of locals who had finally made this sacred pilgrimage, or perhaps it was the attention they were paying to me, curious to see me. Gaddad (Foreigners) are in holy ground. Either way, there was something about the crisp, cold winter air.

Led by our Shambhala guide, Baatar, a local celebrity at the center, we worked our way through each ritual, making offerings of rice and vodka, whispering wishes, singing poetry, and then we were encouraged to lie down on the ground where the energy is said to be strongest and absorb it ourselves.

It is said that when you leave Shambhala and pass through the Silver Gate, all your past misdeeds will be cleansed. While it is hard to say for sure, it never hurts to make the effort to do so.

Our remaining two days in the East Gobi consisted of meeting local families, eating our body weight in booz, and eating eight^Number I visited the Danzanravzha Museum, curated by a new generation of curators, explored local precious stones fashioned into beautiful jewelry at Chulun Goyol, and finally returned to Ulaanbaatar on the overnight train.

Having recharged myself spiritually enough to weather the rest of the Mongolian winter, my pilgrimage to Shambhala reminded me of the untouched beauty and spirituality of Mongolia that awaits to be discovered by travelers.