Mausoleum of Genghis Khan
The Mausoleum of Genghis Khan (成吉思汗陵) is located upstream of a river,in Kandehuo Enclosure, Xinjie Township, Ejen Khoruu Banner, Ordos Prefecture-Level City (formerly Yeke Juu league) (鄂尔多斯市伊金霍洛旗新街鎮甘德爾敖包), Inner Mongolia, China. The Mausoleum is a cenotaph, where the coffin contains no body, only headdresses and accessories. It was built between 1954 to 1956 by the government of the People's Republic of China. The Mausoleum is not the real burial place of the Genghis Khan, which has never been discovered.
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2 Architecture 3 Rituals 4 External links |
After Chinggi died around Gansu, his coffin was carried to central Mongolia. According to his will, he was buried without any markings. The burial place still remains a mystery.
Instead of the real tomb, portable mausoleums called naiman chaghaan ger (eight white houses) enshrined him. Those who served to the mausoleums were called the Darkhad. They were originally palaces where Chinggis Khan lived, but were altered to mausoleums by ÃÂgedei Khan. They settled at the base of the Hentey Mountains. The site, located in Delgerhaan sum, Hentiy aymag, Mongolia, is called the Avraga site.
Those who served to the mausoleums were called the Darkhad. Their leader chosen from the Borjigin clan was called Jinong since first Jinong Kamala was appointed as the King of Jin. They lived on the Kerulen River but later moved to Ordos. The name of Ordos was derived from their mausoleums (the plural of Ordo (palace)).
In the mausoleums, various ceremonies were conducted and pilgrims visited. Coronation ceremonies of Mongol Khans were also held there.
The chaos that followed the fall of the Qing Dynasty brought disruption to the Ordus. The influx of Han Chinese immigrants, the Warlords Era, World War II, and the Chinese Civil War all had their impact on life in the entire region. During and after World War II the mausoleum was moved away from the front and came to stay for several years in Gansu and Qinghai.
The new mausoleum was constructed by the PRC government from 1954 to 1956, and replaced the traditional portable mausoleums, despite opposition from some Mongols. Historic relics were moved from the portable mausoleums to the new mausoleum and the portable mausoleums were abolished. This mausoleum was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution by Red Guards. Although it was rebuilt later, valuable treasures were lost.
The mausoleum was built according to the ideology of Zhonghua minzu. In other words, the Mongols are considered part of the Chinese nation and Chinggis Khan is considered to be a hero of China. In contrast, the PRC represses Pan-Mongolism.
There are other non-portable mausoleums of Chinggis Khan. In 1864 Prince Toghtakhutörü (To Wang) built a mausoleum in Chechen Han Aymagh with assistance from the Darkhad. The ambisous prince seems to have demonstrated his legitimacy by enshrining Chinggis Khan. As part of purge of Buddhism, it was destroyed in 1937.
There is another non-portable mausoleum of Chinggis Khan in Ulaan Khoto. It was built by Kanagawa Kosaku, a colonel of the Imperial Japanese Army in 1942 to arouse nationalistic sentiment among the Mongols. It was destroyed by Red Guards in the Cultural Revolution, but was rebuilt later.
The Mausoleum is in a rectangular (15 ÃÂ 30 km) cemetery. Within the mausoleum, which appears like three Mongolian tents externally, there are four chambers and two halls:
The mausoleum is guarded by the Darkhad (達爾哈特), meaning "the sacred ones".
Mongols gather four times annually:
History
Architecture
Rituals
They follow traditional ceremonies, such as offering flowers and food to the Heaven. After the ceremonies, there are competitions, like wrestling, horse-riding, archery, and singing.External links