Lamazhaa Ch.K-o., Bicheldey U.P. The Main Characteristics of Tuvan Buddhist Pilgrimage at the Turn of the 19th‑20th Centuries. New Research of Tuva, 2021, no. 2, pp. 6-17. (In Russ.). DOI: https: ...

Abstract

The article presents for the first time the focal characteristics of the Buddhist pilgrimage of Tuvans at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. They are formulated according to the results of the study of a range of sources. Although the history of the emergence and strengthening of Buddhism in Tuva has been sufficiently studied, the subject matter of pilgrimage has not received attention. The main issue is the absence of the genre of travel notes (“journeys” / “wanderings”) written by pilgrims themselves in the historical literature of Tuva. Therefore, the history has to be reconstructed from other sources of different types: historical facts on pilgrimage mentioned in academic works; documents from the archives of Tuva; fiction (works by Tuvan writers); publicistic writings, biographical works and memoirs.  The pilgrimage was clearly divided into categories according to directions and the level of financial expenses among different social groups: trips to Tibet and Mongolia were affordable primarily to wealthy people and lamas who were receiving funds collected from donations for this purpose; in case of ordinary Tuvans, the main sites of their worship and pilgrimage were temples and monasteries located in the territory of Tuva, and they would come there from their nomad camps on Buddhist holidays.  All kinds of pilgrimage shown in the article and the events that went along with them highlight the intensity of the process of development of Buddhism in Tuva in the late 19th century. Within a short time of the spread of Buddhism in Tuva, it managed not only to become the state religion, but also contributed to the educational, cultural, and religious ties of Tuvans with Mongolia, Tibet, and China through pilgrimage tours.