Investor Presentaiton
Athens Journal of Architecture - Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2022 - Pages 67-90
Arrangement Plan of Inner Mongolia Buddhist Temple
By Enke Haoribao, Yoshinori Natsume & Shinichi Hamada
Since BC, the construction of cities has been started in the Mongolian Plateau
with the establishment of dynasties, but many were turned into ruins. However,
the Tibetan Buddhist temples built after the 16th century, which are an
indispensable element in the process of settling the Mongolians from nomadic
life, have been relatively well preserved in Inner Mongolia. These temples have
been thought to be the epitome of the Mongolian economy, culture, art, and
construction technology. Therefore, it has a great significance to research them
systematically. Interestingly, these temples in Mongolia were originated from
Inner Mongolia, which is located on the south side of Mongolia. The architectural
design of these temples has been primarily influenced by Chinese and Tibetan
temple architecture, suggesting that the temples appear to be considered a vital
sample for studying temple architecture in Mongolia or East Asia. So far, there
is still no study systematically on temple architecture in Inner Mongolia.
Therefore, this research aims to study the arrangement plan of Inner Mongolian
Tibetan Buddhist temples, which is the most important factor to consider in the
first stage of temple construction.
Introduction
1
On the Mongolian Plateau, cities have been constructed with the establishment
of dynasties Since BC, but most turned to ruins, and a few old buildings still exist.¹
Under such circumstances, the temple buildings that were built after the 16th
century occupy the majority.² According to data, up to the 19th century, more than
1,200 temples in Inner Mongolia, more than 700 temples in Mongolia, and more
than 100,000 monks in Inner Mongolia were confirmed³. These temples were built
by combining the power of each level of society and are considered the epitome of
the Mongolian economy, culture, art, and construction technology of the time. The
Mongolian region after the Yuan Dynasty corresponds to a wide area like the
present Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region of the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, and the Republic of Buryatia,
Republic of Tuva, and the Republic of Kalmykia in the Russian Federation.4
However, many Buddhist temples in these countries and regions were destroyed by
religious persecution caused by Soviet Socialism or the Cultural Revolution in
China.
*Graduate Student, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan.
Associate Professor, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan.
*Associate Professor, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan.
1. N. Tsultem, Mongolian Architecture (Ulan-Bator: State Publishing House, 1988), 2-3.
2. Yuhuan Zhang, Inner Mongolian Ancient Architecture (Tianjin University Press, 2009), 1-9.
3. Rasurong, Daci Temple-Hyangarwa (Inner Mongolia Culture Press, 2013), 2-31.
4. Baichun Wu, A Brief History of the Mongolian Empire (Inner Mongolia People's Publishing
House, 2011), 31-42.
5. H. Baasansuren, Erdene Zuu: The Jewel of Enlightenment (Позитив)) aгентлаг, 2011), 13.
https://doi.org/10.30958/aja.8-1-4
doi 10.30958/aja. 8-1-4View entire presentation