Demchig Pix

Brother Luke, perhaps in atonement for whatever Faustian bargain he entered into to secure employment at the Ivanhoe Mining Co., has graciously sent four photos from the opening ceremonies for the Amitabha Stupa recently completed at Demchig Monastery in Mongolia's South Gobi Province. This was the last monastery Danzan Ravjaa built in his lifetime and was said to have been the most architecturally exquisite. The Ivanhoe connection, and the reason Luke was there, is that they just happened to discover the world's largest copper deposit right nearby at what is now known as Oyu Tolgoi mine. In a gesture of goodwill to the surrounding community, they offered a significant amount of the funds to rebuild this stupa.

You'll recall that I made two visits there in the fall, once when the construction was in early stages in September, and once again in October when, under the direct supervision of the artistic director, Lama Purevbat, things were moving along much more quickly.

The finished product is really quite something, including as it does a walk-in shrine room at ground level within which is a new statue of Guru Rinpoche (Luke promises to birddog a shot of this; he didn't have one). Several hundred tough Mongols and guests gathered for the outdoor ceremony when Weather Underground tells me the high that day was maybe 18F.

Here, Buyantogtokh, the governor of nearby Khanbogd soum (kind of like an American county), warmly greets the two most important lamas of the area.

Then they gather for the ceremonial doin's (the Mongols are really down with sartorial splendor, aren't they?). That's Lama Purevbat rockin' the mike.

All to celebrate the marvelous accomplishment of this display of the Buddha's perfectly enlightened mind:

UPDATE: In a burst of rainbow light, Brother Luke manifests a shot taken by a friend of the stupa's Guru Rinpoche statue inside the shrine room being feted and blessed by all and sundry. Now I gotta go and take back the Faust comment...

I met with Purevbat the other day, and he told me that, based on people actually seeing the site and the stupa, more than enough sponsorship was pledged to complete the eight smaller stupas that traditionally girded the larger one, arrayed in the shape of an eight-petaled lotus. I sure hope I can get down there to see it for myself this year.

Comments

[Sangye]

Konchog, thank you for this beautiful picture of a newborn stupa. It lifted my heart just to see it.

[Christian]

Really nice shots. Good news.

[Leamur]

Magnificent! You should definitely get down there and get more pix.

[Tom Robertson]

thanks again for the stunning pictures

[Palzang]

That's wonderful! Hope I can get over to see it as well sometime.