How does one mix Buddha and Russia in the same title. If you truly understand the position of Mongolia with respect to China on its Southern border and Russia on its Northern border it is simple. Mongolia shares many things with its two closest neighbors.
Come to Ulaanbaatar Mongolia with me and you will see.
"Cap?" .. "Yes Changer." ..
"Would you like to visit the Buddha Garden and the Zaisan Memorial here in Ulaanbaatar?" ..
"With you as my guide Changer .. Sure let's do it."
South of the center of Ulaanbaatar is a tall golden statue of Buddha.
I began some research.
This statue of Buddha is considered to be a Sakyamuni image of Buddha. Three references stated the monument was 18-meters .. 20-meters .. and 23-meters tall. Tibetan Buddhism is very popular in Mongolia. At one time almost 50% of the adult male Mongolian population were Buddhist Monks! Buddhism is practiced by over half of the Mongolian population.
I quickly decided to let you use Google and Wikipedia if you really want more information.
The monument certainly is impressive and well worth the visit.
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Ulaanbaatar's Golden Buddha Monument.
Beneath the monument is a museum and information center. This center is clearly visible in the above and below photos. I did not go into this center.
Below is an 'aerial' view of Buddha and the garden. It seems to me that the growth of urban Ulaanbaatar has to-some-extent consumed Buddha and his garden.
"Changer what is that way-up-there?"
"That is the Zaisan Memorial Cap."
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Ulaanbaatar's Zaisan Memorial.
The Zaisan Memorial was built by Russia and it honors Soviet Soldiers that were killed in WW II.
The walk from the Golden Buddha to the beginning of the climb up to the Zaisan Memorial is very nice.
Fountains are so pleasant!
Note the Russian tank above left.
Below are several more photos of this tank. It is very prominent as you begin your trek up to the Zaisan Memorial.
The walk up to the Zaisan Memorial is .. ah-h-h-h .. a bit of a trek!
Just in case you are not able to read the fine print below I will clarify it for you:
The staircase up to the Zaisan Memorial is 300 meters in length. There are six hundred and twelve (612) steps with seats-along-the-climb for resting.
TODAY IS SUNDAY AUGUST 9th .. I VISITED THE GOLDEN BUDDHA AND THE ZAISAN MEMORIAL YESTERDAY .. SATURDAY AUGUST 8th ..
LORD GOD IN HEAVEN ABOVE .. I ACTUALLY WONDERED TO MYSELF THIS SUNDAY MORNING AUGUST THE 9th .. UPON RISING TO BEGIN MY SUNDAY ..
"WHY ARE MY KNEES AND LEGS BOTHERING ME TODAY?"
GIVE IT A BREAK CAPTAIN! WHAT'S A LITTLE 300-METER 612-STEP CLIMB UP AND THEN BACK DOWN?
It doesn't look-like-much of a beginning but below we have started our climb up to the memorial.
A silent tribute to Mongolian and Russian forces.
When I look back and not forward .. I say to myself .. "Just look at how far I have come."
Our last look at the tank. I sure can see the progress that I have made.
Nice to see someone else is using the seats-along-the-climb for resting.
There is absolutely no-doubt-about-it .. I am making progress.
Dare I sneak-a-peak and look ahead of me? The tall beige sliver to the left of the lamp pole below is the Zaisan Memorial.
It sure looks far away. Pause just a moment and study the steps.
The Zaisan Monument is beginning to have visible features. Will these steps ever end?
The above and below venue was 'rumored' to be the half-way-point in the climb.
Just one-step-at-a-time.
Thank you Ma'am you empower me to rest once-in-awhile myself.
I am getting closer but I am NOT close. The enormous size of the monument makes it look close. It isn't!
Can you imagine! Erecting a new building here? What zoning laws?
I love the foot-path to the right of the steps for the brave-of-heart. At this point your Captain Kanbaatar is feeling a tad faint-of-heart.
I feel like I can almost .. but-not-quite .. reach-out-and-touch the memorial.
I am really-closing-in on the memorial.
Several close-up photos of the stonework on the exterior surface of the above stone-ring to the right of the Russian solider.
I am showing the below photo again so you can see that a prominent part of the memorial is a stone-ring around it. You can see an open area inside of the stone-ring.
Below we have stepped inside of the above stone-ring. I wish I could explain to you the meaning of all of the scenes on the inside of the circular memorial painting .. part of which you see below.
I hope that my photos enable you to see how very beautiful and special this monument truly is!
A close-up photo of the gentleman and the lady in the above two mural scenes both directly ahead of you. The men on the left are Russians.
Another view of another part of the memorial painting on the interior of the stone-ring.
A close-up photo of the scene on the above left.
A close-up photo of the scene center-right.
Moving around the stone-ring to the left of the above scene.
Below a close-up of the scene on the extreme left.
Changer explained the two below scenes to me.
The first one is at the left of the below photo.
This scene signifies the total and the absolute defeat by the Russian forces of the Imperial Japanese Kwantung Army at Khalhkin Gol on the Mongolian border in 1939. At the bottom of the scene is the stepped-upon and fallen Rising Sun flag of Japan.
The second scene is at the extreme right of the circular mural two photos above. It signifies the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Russian forces that came into Germany from Poland on the Eastern front and met-up-with Allied forces that came in from France on the Western front. Note also the Nazi flag at the bottom of the scene.
Below are some views of Ulaanbaatar as seen from the Zaisan Monument.
The five photos below 'pan-to-the-right'.
If you know what you are looking for in the below photo .. The Blue Sky Building is visible in the far distance. This magnificent building is in the very heart of the center of downtown Ulaanbaatar.
OH CAPTAIN KANBAATAR .. ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU WANT TO DO THIS??
OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN .. YOU ARE NOW .. LETTING OUT-OF-THE-BAG .. THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SITTING ON HUNDREDS OF MAGNIFICENT PHOTOS OF BOTH ULAANBAATAR AND MONGOLIA SCENERY ..
I HAVE ENOUGH PHOTOS OF THIS PHOTOGENIC .. THIS STUNNING .. THIS SPECTACULAR .. THIS MAGNIFICENT .. BLUE SKY BUILDING THAT I COULD DO A COMPLETE POST FEATURING JUST IT ..
YOU DOUBT THAT I HAVE MORE BLUE SKY BUILDING PHOTOS?? .. YES SO PROVE IT TO US CAPTAIN!! .. WE WANT MORE!! ..
WELL! .. THE CAT IS OUT-OF-THE-BAG CAPTAIN KANBAATAR ..
Now I am going to go back and begin again on my 'panning-right' photos from the Zaisan Memorial ..
IN THE BELOW PHOTO .. LOOK DIRECTLY STRAIGHT AHEAD .. THEN GO JUST A FEW BUILDINGS TO THE LEFT .. THERE IS THE BLUE SKY BUILDING ..
THE BELOW PHOTO WILL HELP. IF YOU REALLY TRY TO SEE IT YOU CAN'T MISS THE BLUE SKY BUILDING.
COMMON-TO-EACH OF THE THREE BELOW PHOTOS .. THE ROUND BROWN VERTICAL CYLINDRICAL STRUCTURE .. CONNECTS THEM ONE-TO-THE-OTHER.
DO YOU SEE IT ON THE EXTREME RIGHT EDGE OF THE BELOW PHOTO?
Miss Ulaanbaater .. I must admit it .. The longer I am around you .. the more beautiful you become!
IF THE ONLY PRAYER YOU EVER SAY IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE IS THANK YOU .. IT WILL BE ENOUGH .. MEISTER ECKHART ..
THANK YOU CHANGER !!
Gratefully Yours .. Cap ..
Oh! You want The Rest Of This Story do you?
"Are you hungry Cap?" .. "How about a little bite-to-eat at my place?"
That's all for now folks !
This post is the 500th post I have put up on Bobba Caps Doxology on Google blogspot.
Come to Ulaanbaatar Mongolia with me and you will see.
"Cap?" .. "Yes Changer." ..
"Would you like to visit the Buddha Garden and the Zaisan Memorial here in Ulaanbaatar?" ..
"With you as my guide Changer .. Sure let's do it."
South of the center of Ulaanbaatar is a tall golden statue of Buddha.
I began some research.
This statue of Buddha is considered to be a Sakyamuni image of Buddha. Three references stated the monument was 18-meters .. 20-meters .. and 23-meters tall. Tibetan Buddhism is very popular in Mongolia. At one time almost 50% of the adult male Mongolian population were Buddhist Monks! Buddhism is practiced by over half of the Mongolian population.
I quickly decided to let you use Google and Wikipedia if you really want more information.
The monument certainly is impressive and well worth the visit.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ulaanbaatar's Golden Buddha Monument.
Beneath the monument is a museum and information center. This center is clearly visible in the above and below photos. I did not go into this center.
Below is an 'aerial' view of Buddha and the garden. It seems to me that the growth of urban Ulaanbaatar has to-some-extent consumed Buddha and his garden.
"Changer what is that way-up-there?"
"That is the Zaisan Memorial Cap."
Ulaanbaatar's Zaisan Memorial.
The Zaisan Memorial was built by Russia and it honors Soviet Soldiers that were killed in WW II.
The walk from the Golden Buddha to the beginning of the climb up to the Zaisan Memorial is very nice.
Fountains are so pleasant!
Note the Russian tank above left.
Below are several more photos of this tank. It is very prominent as you begin your trek up to the Zaisan Memorial.
The walk up to the Zaisan Memorial is .. ah-h-h-h .. a bit of a trek!
Just in case you are not able to read the fine print below I will clarify it for you:
The staircase up to the Zaisan Memorial is 300 meters in length. There are six hundred and twelve (612) steps with seats-along-the-climb for resting.
TODAY IS SUNDAY AUGUST 9th .. I VISITED THE GOLDEN BUDDHA AND THE ZAISAN MEMORIAL YESTERDAY .. SATURDAY AUGUST 8th ..
LORD GOD IN HEAVEN ABOVE .. I ACTUALLY WONDERED TO MYSELF THIS SUNDAY MORNING AUGUST THE 9th .. UPON RISING TO BEGIN MY SUNDAY ..
"WHY ARE MY KNEES AND LEGS BOTHERING ME TODAY?"
GIVE IT A BREAK CAPTAIN! WHAT'S A LITTLE 300-METER 612-STEP CLIMB UP AND THEN BACK DOWN?
It doesn't look-like-much of a beginning but below we have started our climb up to the memorial.
A silent tribute to Mongolian and Russian forces.
When I look back and not forward .. I say to myself .. "Just look at how far I have come."
Our last look at the tank. I sure can see the progress that I have made.
Nice to see someone else is using the seats-along-the-climb for resting.
There is absolutely no-doubt-about-it .. I am making progress.
Dare I sneak-a-peak and look ahead of me? The tall beige sliver to the left of the lamp pole below is the Zaisan Memorial.
It sure looks far away. Pause just a moment and study the steps.
The Zaisan Monument is beginning to have visible features. Will these steps ever end?
The above and below venue was 'rumored' to be the half-way-point in the climb.
Just one-step-at-a-time.
Thank you Ma'am you empower me to rest once-in-awhile myself.
I am getting closer but I am NOT close. The enormous size of the monument makes it look close. It isn't!
Can you imagine! Erecting a new building here? What zoning laws?
I love the foot-path to the right of the steps for the brave-of-heart. At this point your Captain Kanbaatar is feeling a tad faint-of-heart.
I feel like I can almost .. but-not-quite .. reach-out-and-touch the memorial.
I am really-closing-in on the memorial.
Several close-up photos of the stonework on the exterior surface of the above stone-ring to the right of the Russian solider.
I am showing the below photo again so you can see that a prominent part of the memorial is a stone-ring around it. You can see an open area inside of the stone-ring.
Below we have stepped inside of the above stone-ring. I wish I could explain to you the meaning of all of the scenes on the inside of the circular memorial painting .. part of which you see below.
I hope that my photos enable you to see how very beautiful and special this monument truly is!
A close-up photo of the gentleman and the lady in the above two mural scenes both directly ahead of you. The men on the left are Russians.
Another view of another part of the memorial painting on the interior of the stone-ring.
A close-up photo of the scene on the above left.
A close-up photo of the scene center-right.
Moving around the stone-ring to the left of the above scene.
Below a close-up of the scene on the extreme left.
Changer explained the two below scenes to me.
The first one is at the left of the below photo.
This scene signifies the total and the absolute defeat by the Russian forces of the Imperial Japanese Kwantung Army at Khalhkin Gol on the Mongolian border in 1939. At the bottom of the scene is the stepped-upon and fallen Rising Sun flag of Japan.
The second scene is at the extreme right of the circular mural two photos above. It signifies the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Russian forces that came into Germany from Poland on the Eastern front and met-up-with Allied forces that came in from France on the Western front. Note also the Nazi flag at the bottom of the scene.
Below are some views of Ulaanbaatar as seen from the Zaisan Monument.
The five photos below 'pan-to-the-right'.
If you know what you are looking for in the below photo .. The Blue Sky Building is visible in the far distance. This magnificent building is in the very heart of the center of downtown Ulaanbaatar.
OH CAPTAIN KANBAATAR .. ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU WANT TO DO THIS??
OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN .. YOU ARE NOW .. LETTING OUT-OF-THE-BAG .. THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SITTING ON HUNDREDS OF MAGNIFICENT PHOTOS OF BOTH ULAANBAATAR AND MONGOLIA SCENERY ..
I HAVE ENOUGH PHOTOS OF THIS PHOTOGENIC .. THIS STUNNING .. THIS SPECTACULAR .. THIS MAGNIFICENT .. BLUE SKY BUILDING THAT I COULD DO A COMPLETE POST FEATURING JUST IT ..
YOU DOUBT THAT I HAVE MORE BLUE SKY BUILDING PHOTOS?? .. YES SO PROVE IT TO US CAPTAIN!! .. WE WANT MORE!! ..
WELL! .. THE CAT IS OUT-OF-THE-BAG CAPTAIN KANBAATAR ..
Now I am going to go back and begin again on my 'panning-right' photos from the Zaisan Memorial ..
IN THE BELOW PHOTO .. LOOK DIRECTLY STRAIGHT AHEAD .. THEN GO JUST A FEW BUILDINGS TO THE LEFT .. THERE IS THE BLUE SKY BUILDING ..
THE BELOW PHOTO WILL HELP. IF YOU REALLY TRY TO SEE IT YOU CAN'T MISS THE BLUE SKY BUILDING.
COMMON-TO-EACH OF THE THREE BELOW PHOTOS .. THE ROUND BROWN VERTICAL CYLINDRICAL STRUCTURE .. CONNECTS THEM ONE-TO-THE-OTHER.
DO YOU SEE IT ON THE EXTREME RIGHT EDGE OF THE BELOW PHOTO?
Miss Ulaanbaater .. I must admit it .. The longer I am around you .. the more beautiful you become!
IF THE ONLY PRAYER YOU EVER SAY IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE IS THANK YOU .. IT WILL BE ENOUGH .. MEISTER ECKHART ..
THANK YOU CHANGER !!
Gratefully Yours .. Cap ..
Oh! You want The Rest Of This Story do you?
"Are you hungry Cap?" .. "How about a little bite-to-eat at my place?"
That's all for now folks !
This post is the 500th post I have put up on Bobba Caps Doxology on Google blogspot.
WOW ... at one time almost 50 percent of the Mongolian males were monks! Who would have thought that? Not me! The Zaisan Memorial is amazing ... I would NOT have been able to do that climb ... when you mentioned in the post that you were getting closer to the top and then I saw ALL of the steps still remaining in the pictures, I had to shake my head in amazement. So, thanks for taking me to the top that I will never attain myself!! The Blue Sky building is beautiful. And, the lunch also looks delicious. Thanks Changer for another delightful day!! Smiles, Patti
ReplyDeleteThe information on the Buddhist monk population was on Wikipedia. It could have been because of the political situation(s) in the country. It certainly would have been a good way to lead a quiet and serene life. Of course I now want to go back and do some more photographing of the Zaisan Memorial. Will I? Only The Shadow Knows. The walk up borders on being brutal. Getting up is one thing and then coming back down is another thing. One step at a time works well. I did sit and rest more than several times. It was 90 F and that did not exactly help. Much Love .. Cap ..
ReplyDeleteAgain, I'm amazed. How many people would undertake climbing up and down all those stairs? I bet there are many tourists who choose not to. And at your maturity level, I doubt but a small handful exert themselves. I'm so thankful you did. Personal photos are so much more meaningful than postcards with pictures.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I only had to work a couple of hours today. I have hours of extra time to do awesome things like coming here.
I hope you gave your legs a rest after your trek. The Blue Sky building is spectacular. I wouldn't be able to get enough photos of it either.
Overflowing with smiles,
Shaddy
I am only a full month getting back to your comment Shaddy .. You do the stairs like you do life .. One Day .. One Step .. At A Time .. Oh Yes The Blue Sky Building .. Wonderful .. Yes I had to take it easy for a few days after that climb up and back down .. Thanks So Much .. Cap ..
Delete