Burchan Khaldun

Burchan Khaldun
height	2445  m
location	Chentii-Aimag , Mongolia
Mountains	Chentii Mountains
Coordinates	48 ° 47 ′ 0 ″  N , 109 ° 10 ′ 0 ″  E Coordinates: 48 ° 47 ′ 0 ″  N , 109 ° 10 ′ 0 ″  E
particularities	Holy Mountain of Genghis Khan

The Burchan Chaldun ( Mongolian Бурхан Халдун ) is a 2445  m high mountain in Mongolia . It is revered as a holy mountain and is considered the tomb of Genghis Khan , who, according to tradition, was also born near the Burchan Chaldun. In 2015 the Burchan Chaldun and the surrounding landscape were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Holy mountain Burkhan Khaldun and surrounding sacred landscape
UNESCO world heritage
National territory:	Mongolia
Type:	Culture and nature
Criteria :	(iv) (vi)
Surface:	443,739 hectares
Buffer zone:	271,651 ha
Reference No .:	1440
UNESCO region :	Asia and Pacific
History of enrollment
Enrollment:	2015  ( session 39 )

geography

The Burchan Chaldun is the highest mountain in the eastern part of the Chentii Mountains in northern Mongolia. It is part of the watershed between the northern Arctic Ocean and the Pacific . Several rivers have their source on its flanks, including Onon , Cherlen and Tuul , which, like the mountain, were considered sacred. The landscape at Burchan Chaldun has a rich flora and is characterized by lush, swampy taiga up to an altitude of 2,000 meters . Above the tree line , rocky soil and gravel fields predominate, below the summit flat meadows. The summit structure is formed by a ten meter high gravel pyramid. Due to its seclusion in untracked terrain and the steep slopes, the summit is difficult and difficult to reach. The mountain is part of the Khan Khentii nature reserve.

Mythological meaning

The name Burchan Chaldun means "Divine Willow " and refers to the long veneration that was shown to the mountain before the times of Genghis Khan. Spirits lived here who brought water and fertility to people and were sacrificed on certain occasions and feast days. The Borjigin , the tribe of Genghis Khan, buried their dead here. The ancestors were equated with the spirits; they were supposed to remain within the clan through burial in this holy place.

The veneration of Burchan Chaldun was particularly important when Genghis Khan, born near the mountain on the Onon River, stopped here while hunting and decreed that he should be buried here. The Secret History of the Mongols , according to he is on the mountain, after he had been hiding here from his enemies and escape, have felt a mystical vision of the power of the mountain and praised:

“I want to honor Burchan Khaldun every morning with sacrifices, every day I want to worship him! My children be mindful of this! "

- Genghis Khan : The Secret History of the Mongols §103

After his death, he is said to have actually been buried here. The exact location of the grave is unknown, however, since such graves were mostly hidden and concealed and allegedly sometimes even all initiates were killed. Genghis Khan's son Tolui Khan and his descendants are also buried here, and a total of more than 800 graves have been found around the mountain. Kublai Khan , son of Tolui Khan, introduced an extensive cult of Genghis Khan. Under Timur Khan , grandson and successor of Kublai Khan, this cult was expanded and a temple was built on the summit. Kamala, Timur Khan's brother, who administered the cult on his behalf, had eight yurts set up in which the personal belongings of Genghis Khan were kept as relics . Here in front of these yurts, rituals were performed on festive days, and the inaugurations of the new great khans also took place here. In the course of this development, the mountain was transformed from the sanctuary of a local clan to the center of an all-Mongolian identity-building cult. In the 15th century the sanctuary lost its importance, the center of Genghis Khan worship shifted to the south and the eight yurts were rebuilt on the Ordos Plateau . From there and other places, the mountain is even venerated in the form of state acts to this day. At the Burchan Chaldun itself, a cult that was only locally significant remained, which does not refer to Genghis Khan and the Borjigin clan cult. In particular, vajrayana - Buddhist mountain gods were worshiped. To this day, an obo , a cultic cairn with old offerings, can be found on the summit .

literature

• Käthe Uray-Köhalmi: The Burhan Haldun . In: Karl Gratzl (Ed.): The holiest mountains in the world . Verlag für Collectors, Graz 1990, ISBN 3-85365-083-X , p. 129-142 .
• Karl Gratzl: The Mountain Myth. Lexicon of the important mountains from mythology, cultural history and religion . Hollinek, Purkersdorf 2000, ISBN 3-85119-280-X , p. 59-61 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed June 12, 2017 . 
2. ↑ Mongolia Sacred Mountains: Bogd Khan, Burkhan Khaldun, Otgon Tenger. UNESCO, accessed on May 9, 2009 . 
3. ↑ Khentii's Sacred Burkhan Khaldun Mountain to be worshiped. (No longer available online.) Mongolia-web.com, April 24, 2006, archived from the original on January 15, 2015 ; accessed on January 15, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Renate Bormann: Sacrifice ceremony on the Burkhan Khaldun in the Khentiigebirge. German Mongolia Agency, 2006, accessed May 9, 2009 .