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Sanal Byurchiev, About the Family Altar and Relics


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Authors

Churyumova, Elvira 
Seleeva, Tsagan 

Abstract

Sanal shows us his domestic altar. He puts deezh (tea and food offerings) on the altar every morning. Among many religious objects on his altar, the statue of the Buddha of the Baga Chonos clan occupies a special place. This statue belonged to his grandfather, Maani bagsh, who brought it from Tibet. The statue itself is about 300 years old. During the deportation of the Kalmyks in 1943, Sanal's relatives could not take the statue with them, for it was big and heavy. Instead they took smaller objects – amulets. Sanal points out that amulets are used for protection and during World War Two they fetched a very high price. These amulets contain small balls made from the ashes of monks. So the statue of the Baga Chonos clan was left with a Russian family that lived in Kalmykia. After the deportation, Sanal's family found the statue with a Kalmyk man who had received it from a dying Russian man who had said that it belonged to Maani bagsh. After long negotiations, the Kalmyk man agreed to return the statue to its rightful owners. In return, Sanal's family gave the man another statue of Buddha. That is how after 70 years the statue returned to its clan.Sanal also keeps other objects that belonged to his famous grandfather, including a gilded metal holder for glass cups and a wooden cup that Maani bagsh used himself. In this interview Sanal shows the original photo of Maani bagsh taken in Astrakhan'. He gives copies of the photo to all people who ask for one.

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Keywords

family relics, altar, offerings, amulets, statue, clan

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Sponsorship
Sponsored by Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.