The original version of the White Monastery was a temple in a tent that the Torghuts brought back from the Volga region in 1771. During their migration, the Torghuts carried their religious artifacts on white camels. One of these camels, which was leading the group, gave birth at a location where they had stopped over in Khar Us. Interpreting this event as an auspicious sign, the Torghuts decided to settle at that site and later constructed the White monastery. Now, the monastery is the second largest in the region, after the newly built Yellow Monastery.