Princess - Gunj Temple
Located within the forest of Khan Khentii Protected Area, 38 km northeast of Gorkhi Terelj National Park and 140 northeast of Ulaanbaatar at an altitude of 2100 m above the sea level in the south of Undur Saridag Mountain.
The Gunj Temple was built in 1740 by Efu (a title of a man who married with Qing princess)Dondovdorj to commemorate the death of his first wife, the youngest of 6 daughters of Qing Emperor Kangxi. There were 4-5 temples in 70m by 40m walls.
Unlike the other temples and monasteries, the communists did not destroy the Gunj/Princess Temple during the 1930s purge, although it has been neglected over the years and robbed.
There are some original walls remained around the small main temple.
The Princess married Dondovdorj in 1697, but she was not a spy as the other Qing princess those married Mongolian noblemen. She married Dondovdorj in love, respected the country, and people.
The Gunj temple is relatively small and in ruin, though the surrounding nature is pristine and it can be the pleasant purpose of a hike through untouched nature. Indeed, it is the closest non-touristy pristine area you could experience within a short 1-2 day tour. You can combine the tour with Gorkhi Terelj National Park and the gigantic equestrian statue of Genghis Khan.
The suggested activities are hiking, yak cart tour or yak cart supported trekking, horse riding, and nomad family visit.
