Orders, decorations, and medals of Mongolia are governed by the laws of Mongolia on awards.
Titles in Mongolia have a history dating back to the time of the Mongol Empire.[1] For example, the title of Baatar (“Hero”) was traditionally awarded to military leaders. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia played a key role in establishing Mongolia's independence from China. To honor this contribution, the Order of the Vajra (translated as the “Order of the Precious Rod”) was created for Mongolian nobility and foreigners, the latter were almost exclusively Russians. The order was abolished after the Mongolian Revolution of 1921.
Later on during the Cold War, state awards returned to the mainstream, with Mongolian designs being patterned off of the Soviet model. Many of the higher Mongolian awards were also manufactured in the Soviet Union. In 1936, the new Mongolian state had formally enshrined the title of “Hero” by law, and in 1941, the “Badge of the Hero” was established. In 1956 the Hero of Labor Golden Soyombo Medal was added to the Mongolian awards system. A unique title, known as "Honorary Freeman of the Mongolian People’s Republic" was for Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev to commemorate his visit to Ulaanbaatar in 1974.
Unlike the situation after the fall of the soviet union, the communist-era awards of the Mongolian People's Republic were not abolished after the Mongolian Revolution of 1990, with many being awarded to this day.