Head Abbots of Ikh Khüree (17th-early 20th century) Based on a Mongolian Manuscript of Ts. Damdinsüren’s Archive

Acta Orientalia. 2025. Vol. 78. No. 2. P. 349–360.

Tsendina A.

This article presents the translation of an old Mongol manuscript about the Khambo Nomun Khans (Tib.
mkhan po, Mong. nom-un qaɣan), head abbots of Urga (Ikh Khüree), the monastic capital of Northern
Mongolia (17th – early 20th century). The manuscript were written in the early 20th century and stored in the
museum archive of Ts. Damdinsüren in Ulaanbaatar. Erdenipel (1877–1960), the author of the manuscript,
was the first abbot of the Gandan monastery in Ulaanbaatar when the religious practice was revived in 1944.
His writing style maintains the traditions of old Mongolian literature. The manuscript tells about the history
of the head abbots in Ikh Khüree and provides brief biographies of 23 abbots who held this post until 1937.

Keywords: Mongolia, biography, Buddhist monastic community