The Shambhala Myth in Buryatia and Mongolia
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Tomasz Gacek – Jadwiga Pstrusinska (Eds.) Proceedings of the European Society for the Central Asian Studies |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Philosophy and religion |
| Keywords | Buryatia; Mongolia; Shambhala; Buddhism |
| Description | In the 20th century, various utopian expectations started to occur in Buryatia, Mongolia and Tibet more often than ever in the past. Utopian narratives appeared both in oral and written forms, rarely were they expressed in a visual form. In Buryat monasteries thangkas and frescoes with the kingdom of Shambhala have been found depicting the Shambhala terminal battle where the winning troops of the Good were led by the ruler Rudra Chakrin. The recovery of the Shambhala myth in the first third of the 20th century in Buryatia had, like other features of religious life, two dimensions - an official i.e. monastic one, and unofficial, popular one. The former is based on monastic rituals and is more institutionalised. The popular version of the myth is looser, less bound to the official cult and ritual and is expressed by folk tales, narrations, legends, songs, prophecies etc. Rudra Chakrins cult in Buryatia is illustrated e.g. by votive xylographs with his depiction. |
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