Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar paid his respects at the Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, describing the principal Buddhist monastery of Mongolia as a symbol of the 'special and spiritual bond' between the two countries. During the visit, he witnessed the India-Mongolia partnership project for the digitisation of one million Buddhist manuscripts in operation and reaffirmed India's commitment to continuing its support for the monastery.

Context

Gandan Monastery, formally known as Gandantegchinlen Monastery, is the foremost centre of Gelugpa Buddhism in Mongolia and one of the few major monasteries to have survived the Soviet-era suppression of religion. It holds an irreplaceable archive of Buddhist texts, thangkas, and ritual objects that span centuries. For India, the site carries civilisational significance as a living repository of a shared heritage rooted in the spread of Buddhism from the Indian subcontinent.

Dr. Jaishankar's visit to the monastery forms part of a broader diplomatic engagement with Ulaanbaatar. His presence at the digitisation project — an active India-Mongolia joint initiative — signals that cultural diplomacy remains a substantive pillar of bilateral relations, not merely a ceremonial backdrop to strategic discussions.

Policy Backdrop

The foundation for this engagement was laid in 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia, formally characterising bilateral ties as a 'spiritual partnership' anchored in Buddhism. That visit elevated the relationship and opened channels for structured cooperation on heritage preservation. India has extended technical and financial assistance for the conservation of Mongolian Buddhist heritage under successive cultural exchange programmes since the 1990s.

The manuscript digitisation project represents one of the most ambitious expressions of this partnership to date, aiming to preserve and make accessible one million Buddhist manuscripts housed at Gandan Monastery. Such initiatives align with India's broader use of soft power — leveraging shared civilisational ties to build durable goodwill across Central and East Asia.

Mongolia also features in India's strategic calculus. The two countries conduct annual joint military exercises, Nomadic Elephant, and coordinate within multilateral forums. India's outreach to Ulaanbaatar sits within the wider Act East policy framework, which seeks to deepen engagement with countries along Asia's eastern arc.

Stakeholders and Impact

The digitisation project directly benefits Buddhist monastic communities in Mongolia and scholars of Indology and Buddhist studies worldwide, who stand to gain unprecedented digital access to rare manuscripts that were previously difficult to consult. Preservation in digital form also insures the texts against physical deterioration or loss.

For India, the project reinforces its identity as a custodian of Buddhist heritage — a role it also projects through initiatives such as the development of Buddhist pilgrimage circuits domestically and outreach to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, and other nations with Buddhist traditions. For Mongolia, Indian partnership offers technical expertise and resources that supplement domestic conservation capacity.

What's Next

Progress on the manuscript digitisation project will be a key metric to watch in the coming months, alongside any joint statements that may emerge from the next round of India-Mongolia Foreign Office Consultations or a high-level bilateral summit. Dr. Jaishankar's visit is expected to give fresh momentum to the cultural cooperation agenda and may precede broader diplomatic deliverables.

India's sustained engagement with Gandan Monastery underscores a long-term strategic choice: that civilisational diplomacy, when backed by concrete projects, can create bonds that outlast transient geopolitical shifts and deepen India's footprint in a region where major powers compete for influence.