Demchog Monastery
Khanbogd
Demchog Monastery is one of the Three Monasteries of Galba, founded by the Fifth Noyon Khutagt D. Danzanravjaa in the Gobi region. The ruins of this monastery are now located in the middle of Galba Mountain in Khanbogd soum, Umnugovi aimag. It is said that the monastery was established in anticipation of future times and was also known as Tsogtsolin Monastery. Historical records refer to it as "Tsogtsolin Monastery." This monastery had a double-walled structure with two-tiered temples in a Tibetan style, located within a large courtyard. The monastery had a Tibetan-style two-story temple with nine stupas in a double courtyard, two jurtes in the north, four small houses around it, and a wall with a large gate. At its top, there was a small wall with a stupa on both sides, with a house with a pergola and two windows. There are still remains of a large stupa with a double-layered structure in the northern part of the temple, surrounded by a flower petal- shaped wall, still exist today. At this monastery, around 30 monks lived and held regular meetings. The Noyon Khutagt had this temple constructed using fired bricks, while some parts were built with natural stone. The monastery was destroyed during the years 1937-1938. Before the monastery ceased its activities, the number of monks and the size of its livestock holdings were recorded in the provincial archives of the Umnugovi aimag in 1933. This archive includes a census of all livestock and monks in the region's temples and monasteries. According to the document, the total number of monks at the Demchog Monastery was 111, of whom 40 monks regularly resided at the monastery, 65 were literate in Tibetan, and 5 were literate in Mongolian. Regarding the age distribution of the monks, 40 monks were aged between 18 and 45 years. However, the number of monks aged 17 and younger, or over 45 years old, is unclear in the archives and appears to be faded or missing. In terms of livestock, a census from 1933 shows that the monastery had 59 camels, 1 horse, 25 sheep, and 34 goats at that time.
