Datsan

Datsan (Mongolian: Дацан, Russian: Дацан, Buryat: Дасан; derived from Standard Tibetan: གྲྭ་ཚང།, romanized: grwa.tshang) is the term used for Buddhist university monasteries in the Tibetan tradition[1] of Gelukpa located throughout Mongolia, Tibet and Siberia.

[citation needed] There was a difference with Tibetan administrative idea: in Tibet, several datsans were education-centered parts of larger organizations,[1] as Drepung, Ganden, and Sera Monastery in Gelukpa tradition.

[citation needed] In Russia, datsans were not parts of a larger entity, but rather independent educational and religious centers.

The Second World War, that followed shortly after, became another turning point for the Buddhists in Buryatia: despite the suppression by the communist government, the Buryat Buddhist community came together in 1944 and collected financial aids to support the communist state and the Red Army in their struggles against Nazi Germany.

The communist government expressed their gratitude for the donations by giving them permission to open a Buddhist datsan in Buryatia.