A trip to the Tamgalytas petroglyphs

"We arrived at the Ili picket in the morning and went to Tamgalyar. It was a hot day (as it usually happens here)... Below Talgar Fall, where the picket stands, below Kaskelen, the shores are either elevated, rocky; these places are called Kabchagai",- is how Ualikhanov described the valley Or Shokan in his "Diary of a trip to Issyk–Kul".

He visited the Tamgalytas tract (then called Tamgalyar) in 1856 and for the first time sketched the Buddhist petroglyphs located there. It was the publication of his works that would bring Soviet scientists to the shores or almost a hundred years later, first, and then researchers from all over the world. But let's stay in the 19th century for a while. Following Ualikhanov, the Buddhist shrine was visited by the famous scientist and traveler Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, as well as the orientalist and prominent official under the governor of the Semirechensk region Nikolai Nikolaevich Pantusov. Pantusov lived and worked in Verny in those years. Nikolai Nikolaevich described in detail all the images of burkhans on the stones, the inscriptions, and took the first photographs.

Following the famous scientists, the participants of our Bengu from circle and students of the Faculty of Philology of KazNU decided to go to the tract and inspect the images of Buddhist deities. We took a small bus towards Kapchagai and two hours later we were descending from the highway through a fog-covered gorge. The landscape was stunning and almost cinematic: rocks shrouded in a mysterious veil, rare bushes of bizarre shapes, thorns, stones ... and, finally, the shore Or. Despite the late autumn, rock climbers are still training in the tract, and tourists are meeting. The main petroglyphs are located a little further from the gate at the entrance to the complex – on a large flat section of rock facing Or. The composition consists of three deities: Avalokiteshvara in the center, Manla Buddha on the left, and Shakyamuni Buddha on the right. Avalokiteshvara is a "Bodhisattva with Loving Eyes" or "Comprehending the sounds of the world", one of the most revered Bodhisattvas, recognized by all branches of Buddhism. He embodies compassion, hears the prayers of all beings. Manla Buddha is the Buddha of Medicine, the founding father of Tibetan medicine. Shakyamuni Buddha is the creator of Buddhist teaching. There are inscriptions in Tibetan under the petroglyphs: "I worship Saint Zhang Rai sik" (the Tibetan name of Avalokiteshvara), "I worship Manla Buddha", "I worship Shakyamuni Buddha". Another unusual and interesting character is depicted on a boulder to the right of the main composition. This is the genius of the place, the dragon king Lu-wan. According to Mongolian and Chinese legends, Lu-wang is the lord and guardian of reservoirs. He can be recognized by the snakes that frame his head. Unfortunately, this image has been preserved much worse than the others. While walking along the shore Or there are many more inscriptions in Mongolian, Kalmyk and Tibetan languages. Among them are prayers, the repeatedly repeated central mantra of Tibetan Buddhism "Om mani padme hum", as well as an important inscription, thanks to which it was possible to attribute the images to the 17th century: "I worship Choji-jialcanyu". Lovsan Choizhi jialcan was a famous Tibetan lama, the tutor of the fifth Dalai Lama, who influenced Khan Dzungarian Galdan (reign 1671-1697). It was under this ruler that the Dzungars gained a foothold in the Semirechye region.

We didn't stay long in the Ili Valley. The incredible nature, silence and tangible uniqueness, sacredness of this place cause one desire – to return here again to explore, consider, study.

Shynarai BURKITBAYEVA,

PhD, winner of the O.O. Prize, Associate Professor's department Turkology and language theory

Ekaterina TARAN,

2nd year Master's student