The new state was theocratic, and its system suited Mongols, but it was not economically efficient as the leaders were inexperienced in such matters. The Qing dynasty had been careful to check the encroachment of religion into the secular arena; that restraint was now gone. State policy was directed by religious leaders, with relatively little participation by lay nobles. The parliament had only consultative powers; in any event, it did not meet until 1914. The Office of Religion and State, an extra-governmental body headed by a lama, played a role in directing political matters.Sh. Sandag, Mongolyn uls töriin gadaad khariltsaa, 1850–1919 [Foreign relations of Mongolia, 1850–1919], (Ulan Bator, 1971), p. 284. The Ministry of Internal Affairs was vigilant in ensuring that senior ecclesiastics were treated with solemn deference by lay persons.A contemporary, "Old Jambal," in the Soviet time has supplied a fascinating description of the sordid affairs of the Bogd Khaan's court and his court. Tsendiin Damdinsüren, ed., Övgön Jambalyn yaria ("Tales of Old Jambal") Ulan Bator, 1959.
