Ikh Burkhant

Mongolia


At Ikh Burkhant, a huge image of the bodhisattva Janraisig (‘Avalokitesvara’ in Sanskrit) is carved into the hillside, her legs splayed and her face serenely facing the blue sky. The carving was commissioned in 1864 by local regent Bat Ochiriin Togtokhtooriin (or Tovan; van means ‘lord’) and was renovated in the mid-1990s. There are fearsome deities guarding the prayer wheels and eerie shattered stone faces scattered about.

At the base of the hill, the devout leave offerings of tea, cash and incense.

If you walk up to its head, you'll see a couple entwined in an eternal stone embrace. Ikh Burkhant is right on the roadside, about 32km northwest of Khalkhgol; there's a military checkpoint here.