ReligionMongolia's religious roots cannot be extricated from Shamanism, a belief system that differs significantly from religions like Buddhism or Christian! Shamanism has no founder from whom its teachings originate; there is no collection of sacred sutras or a bible, and I it doesn't possess any monastic communities to preach or distribute its doctrines. The origins of Shamanism are still unclear, but historians believe it emerged at the same time as the first human conceptions of fetishism, totemism and animism to name just a few Shamanism was the major religion during both the ancient Mongol state and the Mongol Empire, until Tibetan Buddhism (also called Vajrayana Buddhism) gained more popularity after it was induced in 13th century. Like other forms of Buddhism, the Tibetan variety incorporates belief in reincarnation tenets and endeavors toward inner peace. The current incarnation of the religion's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, lives in India; his likeness can be seen in the homes of many Mongolians. Despite the growing popularity of this new religion, shamanism maintained some relevance for Mongolians, while still being practiced in earnest by a few ethnic groups living in northern and western Mongolia, including the Tsaatan, commonly known as the reindeer people. Mongolians practice ritualistic magic, and nature worship, exorcism, meditation, and natural healing as part of their shamanistic heritage. Buddhism gained popularity in mongolia thanks to Kublai Khan during the late 13lh century, who invited an eminent Tibetan lama, Ragba, to be empire's religious representative. From the late 14th century onwards, Mongolians rapidly built hundreds of Buddhism temples across the country, while thousands of Mongolian men donned a lama's red and yellow robes of lamas-at one point, almost one seventh of the nation's male population called a monastery home. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, Buddhism developed and spread across the country playing an important role in both religious and intellectual spheres of life. However, almost immediately after the People's Revolution, state officials prohibited any and all religious prac¬tice. During the 1930s, political purges led to the destruction of more than 700 temples and the death of around 10,000 lamas. It wasn't until the early 1990s, and the emergence of democratic reforms, that Buddhism resumed its place as Mongolia's major religion. In Ulaanbaatar, one can find the country's largest monastery, Gan-dan.. In October 1996, the site held a massive opening ceremony for its newly installed 25-meter high, 60-ton Megjid Janraisag statue: a symbol of Buddhism's revival in Mongolia. The statue's name translates to "The all seeing Lord". Other religions are well represented in Mongolia. In the far west of the country, particularly in Bayan Olgii province, Islam thrives among Mongolia's Kazak population. While not new to Mongolia, Christianity has gained increasing influence since the mid 1990s as various groups, including Mormons, assumed a significant presence. In the capacity of missionaries, volunteers and entrepreneurs, Christians have brought charity dollars and other types of aid to Mongolia, but some have aroused controversy through their methods of seeking converts.
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