The view of Huzhir settlement and Khaan-Uula mountain.
The view of Turag Shuluun.
The view of Huzhir settlement and Khaan-Uula mountain from Debsen.
Debsen - the side for Geser's temple
Zhombolok river
The slope of Gurban-Hairan mountain
Orligoi Zun-Ara hada mountain
Ulaan-Shuluun mountain
Waterfall on the river of Malyi Zhombolok
Each piece of the land Geser trod and walked on left in the epic the trace of its specificity. In one valley he is glorified and praised as the only Buddha’s son. In the neighboring valley he is sung of as a shaman who fights with the faith protector Jamsaran. With the Mongols he solemnly sits on the throne as khan. With the Buryats he is a commoner and layman Geser-khubun (fellow, lad, chap), liberator of the people from monsters.
On the other hand one might say that Geser was in far too many places. In Tibet there are the remnants of the palace the ceiling of which was made of his swords and the remains of the strongholds and fortresses that he stormed and conquered. The Kukunor lake was made by the hoofs of his bogatyr’s horse.
As to the Buryat epic “Abai Geser” one might say that the memory of Geser, the cultural hero of the national significance is connected with the various natural objects and sights on the territory inhabited by the Buryat-Mongols. As for the epical landscape with its flora and fauna that are so vividly described in the Buryat uligers it is easily identified with the real landscape and its “local coloring and flavor” inherent in the natural geographical environment of the Baikal region.
When completing the sacral and healing rites the epical personages make use of the water “from the sources of the nine springs” and the mother-of-thyme or creeping thyme - ganga that grows on the southern slopes of the hills and mountain ridges: this all reminds of the mineral springs – arshans with which so rich is the Cis-Baikalian land and of the “blue grass aiya-ganga” that has become following the Buryat poet D. Ulzytuev a poetical symbol of Buryatia. And ringing high above in the epical sky is the lark’s song, that feathery aborigine of the Buryat steppes, the wonder-working, miraculous bird of the Geseriade.
In reality all the complex of the natural species on the territory of the ethnical Buryatia – from the banks of the Angara river and up to the Onon tiver, from the tops of the Sayan mountains to the Barguzin ridges is sort of natural native interior of the epic of Geser. This circumstance was noted by N. N. Poppe in his time: “The pictures of nature given in the Geseriade, its toponymics, for instance, the slanting steppe, the Unga red rocks, the Tamchin plain take us not somewhere else but to Buryat-Mongolia”. And in one of the most poetical and meaningful episodes in the epical text itself the heroine – Geser’s wife setting out for the alien land glances back in sorrow to part with her motherland and “from her right eye there comes a tear like the lake Baikal, and from her left eye there comes a tear like the Zulkhe-river”.
Of particular interest and significance in this respect are the people’s legends and stories of Geser himself. Thus, we can recall M. N. Khangalov’s opinion, he writes that the Buryats talk and argue with conviction that in the old times there lived in reality Abai-Geser-Bogdo-khan. He indicates the traces of his earthly life to confirm his words. He also puts forward a few etiological legends. But from the abundance of the like legends and traditions written down not only by Khangalov but a number of the other researchers - folklorists and ethnographers (I. Curtin, S. P. Baldaev, T. K. Alexeeva, Zh. A. Zimin and others) one would dwell on the following legends covering the territory of Cis-Baikalia and Transbaikalia.
Described in the first of them is Geser’s route and track setting free his native lands from the attacks of the worst and bitterest enemy of the humankind – Lobsogoldoi. This route starts from the upper reaches of the Lena river, then The Beryozovyi ridge (Khuhan zudan adjacent to Baikal lake.
Then Geser when pursuing his adversary crosses the Angara river and finally after the incredible, unbelievable efforts defeats Lobsogoldoi having pressed him with the Sayan hills. One should note that throughout the entire epical journey from the Lena river to the Angara and Sayan rivers there remain the memorial symbols on the Earth surface. For instance, the lakes of Khulen and Onshoo there remain the memorial signs on the earth surface. For example, the Khulen and Onshoo lakes emerged according to the people’s legends in the place of the dints of the hoofs of Geser’s horse Belgetei that got filled up with water. The Orgoli hill not far from the Khara unegen settlement of the Osinsk district was formed up of the earth that was shaken off the tip of Geser’s arrow.
In Transbaikaliya the Aginsk Buryats will show the Alkhanai mountain pierced with Geser’s arrow: a huge hole gaped on top that was sacral both for the shamanists and the Buddhists. It was here that Dalai-lama completed a praying ceremony in 1991. Scratched by the fingers of the monster killed by Geser on the right bank of the Angara river near the Ulei settlement are the five gorges and ravines.
As far as Transbaikaliya is concerned it is rather interesting to recall a legend that was written down from an expert of the ancient times, the inhabitant of the Barguzin valley B. Buyantuev. According to his version based on the local legends in ancient times instead of the Barguzin river there was the Yellow sea (Shara dalai).
Once in winter time Geser pursued a spotted yellow fox. Pursuing it he went round all the East Buryatia up to the Onon river giving on his way the names to the rivers and localities. According to another legend one of Geser’s bogatyrs was buried in the Barguzin valley in the locality of the Shastiin mountain on which there is the eternal spring.
Quite spacious and legendary is the ancient Buryat land. One of its noted and exceptionally beautiful corners is the Oka-Tunka district concerned with the legends and stories of Geser, the immortal people’s hero.
The Tunka valley that spreads itself at the foot of the majestic mountain peaks called the Sayans perpetuated the memory of Geser in the names of its thirty three mountainous peaks, symbolizing its unconquerable bators and his glorified saddle in the form of the saddle-shaped mountain peak in the district of Arshan. The Oka district in Buryatia is called “The Land of Baikal”. In Oka there are a few places that became well-known owing to Geser’s noble deeds.
Khaan-Uula mountain
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On the right bank of the Akha river to the east of the settlement of Khujir one can see the top of the Khan-Uula mountain (the Tsar mountain). They say, on the highest peaks of the mountain there are Geser’s arrows. At sunrise the sharp peaks of the Khan-Uula mountain shine like Geser’s arrows in his quiver ready to strike all the enemies attacking the land.
They also say that on top of the Khan-Uula mountain there is Geser’s sword. The sword was said to be quite huge, about 8 m long and its blade was as wide as 12 cm. It might belong only to Geser the Mighty. A mere mortal would not be able even to raise it.
Turag-Shuluun peak
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This peak is on the right bank of the Akha river, to the south-west of the Khan-Uula mountain, near the Khujir settlement. On its top there is a rock that can be well seen from all the sides of the valley of the Akha river clamped up with the peaks of the Khan-Uula mountain in the south-east and with the Gurban Khayirkhan rocks in the north-west.
The common people take this rock as a serge, that is a tether for Geser’s horse. Some other epical heroes also stopped here and their horses stood near Turag-shuluun (giant stone) which was served as an observation stone from where Geser could watch Gal Dulme-khan’s estate. Geser’s bators tied up their horses to the rocks on the slopes of the same mountain.
Oboto-tala plain
Oboto-tala, i. e. a steppe with a prayer-place, is a small plain located to the west of the Khujir settlement on the opposite bank of the Akhka river. There is a rocky place Bayisa here with steep, almost vertical walls. There were many battles of the mighty warriors – bators. There are rumors that even now one can see the remnants of their armor and clothes.
Ulan Shuluun rock
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The rock is located on the left bank of the Akha river to the west of the Khujir settlement, a little higher from the Sayilag locality. This is the place as they say where the battle between Geser and Gal-Nurman khan took place.
Ulan Shuluun means Red stone. They say that it was just here that Geser had a fight with Gal Dulma-khan. They had been fighting for long trampling on tops of the surrounding rocks. There was a moment when Gal Dulma began to defeat his counterpart. His saber cut up Geser’s body but Geser instantly healed up his body with the help of his magic. But he began to lose his strength, the blood came out of his body. The mountain slopes became red. Hence there came the name of Ulan-Shuluun which means Red Stone (Rock).
The Ulan-Shuluun Rock is formed up of gneiss-granite of reddish color. The rock became red because of the blood that was shed during the battle of Geser and his bators with Gal-Nurman-khan.
Zhombolok
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The old people show the ruins of Gal Dulme Khan’s palace which looks like a ridge of volcanic lava with thick wood on its surface.
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M. N. Khangalov writes that old people believe that in the Akha (Oka) area there are the remnants of Gal Dulme Khan’s palace that was burnt in old days. It was just here that Abai Geser Bogdo Khan with the help of nine celestial smiths made Gal Dulme Khan’s son burning hot. As a result Gal Dulme’s palace melted and a heap of stones was left.
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Tegne-Shuluun
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On the left bank of the Sentsy river in the vicinity of Shasnur settlement close by the former brick plant there is a big stone which is known as Tegne shuluun with a trace of a pack belt in its middle. According to a legend Geser khan was carrying a a big nugget of gold. To maintain equilibrium he hung the Tegne-Shuluun on the other side of the horse. Now in the middle of the stone one can see a trace from the belt’s lining.
According to another version of the legend Geser khan was carrying a mangadkhai’s head that had been cut off by the hero. To maintain equilibrium he suspended Turag-shuluun.
Tamkhi-baryasha
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To the north of the settlement of Khara-Khujir there is a mountain pass Tamkhi baryasha (a place for having a smoke). One can see here a row of stones resembling battlements of the wall of a fortress.
Nukhen-dabaan
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Very popular is a legend of Nukhen-dabaan (hole-pass) which is located in the upper reaches of the White Irkut river not far from the greatest top of the Eastern Sayans, Mungku-Sardyk, at the borderline of the Akha and Tounka districts. They say, Geser when pursuing a fairy-tale silver fox made with his arrow a huge hole in the mountain wall which was an obstacle on his way. Together with his warriors Geser comfortably continued his pursuit through the hole.
