Otgontenger

Otgon Tenger
Otgon Tenger in September 2009
Highest point
Elevation	4,010 m (13,160 ft)[1]
Prominence	2,269 m (7,444 ft)[2]
Listing	Ultra, Ribu
Coordinates	47°36′30″N 97°33′9″E / 47.60833°N 97.55250°E / 47.60833; 97.55250[2]
Geography
Otgon Tenger Location in Mongolia
Location	Otgon, Zavkhan, Mongolia
Parent range	Khangai Mountains

Otgontenger (/ˌɒtɡɒnˈtɛŋɡər/; Mongolian: Отгонтэнгэр [ˈɔʰtχɞɴtʰɪŋɡɪ̆r]; lit. 'The Youngest Sky') is the highest peak in the Khangai Mountains in Mongolia. Its summit is currently calculated to reach an elevation of 4,010 meters above mean sea level (some earlier topographic maps record a maximum elevation of 4,021 m). The mountain is located in Zavkhan Province and is the only peak in the Khangai range that is capped with a permanent glacier. The south face of Mount Otgontenger is the most extensive granite wall in Mongolia.

Since the introduction of Buddhism, traditional Mongolian beliefs have held that wrathful deities inhabit many of Mongolia's sacred mountains. Ochirvaani is particularly associated with Otgontenger.

The Khangai Mountains, located in central Mongolia, first formed three billion years ago during the Archean Eon . In contrast, the rest of Mongolia's landmass was entirely submerged under a vast shallow inland sea, which was connected to the only external ocean at the time—the Pacific Ocean. Around 900 million years ago, some mountains began to rise from the sea floor, gradually uplifting over time. By 800 million years ago, the inland sea had completely receded, giving way to dry land.

Mongols have worshipped Otgontenger Mountain since ancient times. Historical records indicate that as early as the 6th–8th centuries, the Gokturks also conducted rituals to honor this sacred peak.

In 1779, the mountain’s state-led worship was revived, but later forgotten. In 1911, under Bogd Khan’s rule, annual Buddhist ceremonies were reinstated. However, these practices were again discontinued over time due to Mongolian People's Republic and its Communist Anti-Religious Policies . In 1995, the President of Mongolia Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat who was born in Zavkhan Province issued a decree officially restoring Otgontenger’s status as a State-Sanctioned Sacred Mountain, mandating that state rituals be held every four years. Legal Protection and Conservation In 1818, Otgontenger was officially designated as a sacred mountain. In 1992, the State Great Khural (Mongolian Parliament) declared the Otgontenger area a Strictly Protected Zone to preserve its natural and spiritual significance. The surrounding region consists of hard, durable mountain formations shaped by glacial activity over thousands of years.