Keemia Orlova, About Tsagan Aav

Abstract

Tsagan Aav is the protector of all Kalmyks, irrespective of their clan affiliation. Usually he is depicted in a white robe holding a stick. There is a sutra about how the Buddha Shakyamuni met Tsagan Aav. According to the sutra, the former asked ‘Who are you?’ to which the latter replied, ‘I bring happiness to people’. When the Kalmyks migrated westwards from Dzungaria, they brought with them nomadic Buddhist temples. Since in the new place there were no stones to build traditional ovoo (i.e. piles made of stone that serve as a place where to perform rituals), Kalmyks regard small hills as the equivalent of ovoo.