Ongi Monastery
Mongolia · Dundgovi · 1400 m
Description
Ongi is a ruin on both banks of the Ongi river where the steppe begins to give way to the Gobi, and it is the usual overnight stop on the road south. Two monastic complexes stood here from the eighteenth century and held over a thousand monks between them. Troops destroyed both in 1939 and killed or conscripted the community. What is left is broken walls and stupa stumps spread across the slopes. A small temple has been rebuilt and a handful of monks have returned. Ger camps line the riverbank below the ruins.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 2 days (optimal 1 day)
Travel season
Best time to visit: June or September
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Ruins of the Ongi monastery complexes
- Ongi river valley setting
- Rebuilt temple and its small museum
- Hillside stupas above the ruins
- Sunset over the ruined walls
- Desert steppe transition into the Gobi
- Ger camps by the river