The largest of its 22 brothers, Alkhoi Island, considered the "heart of Baikal", stretches from south to north for more than 70 kilometers. It is separated from the mainland coast by a small strait only one kilometer wide. In many respects, this is why people from time immemorial have been striving to this amazingly beautiful and mysterious corner of Siberian nature.
Ancient fortress or secret grave
About. that Olkhon had been inhabited since about the 5th century AD, they knew a century ago. At different times, the island aroused interest among representatives of the Kurumic and Kurymkan cultures. among the Tengrii, Mongols and Buryats, as evidenced by a large number of religious buildings of different eras, rock paintings and ancient settlements scattered throughout the territory of Olkhon. In the second half of the 20th century, archaeologists made a very interesting discovery here, which pushed the supposed threshold of human development of the island even further into the depths of the centuries. In the eastern part of Olkhon, researchers discovered 300 meters of masonry, the origin of which dates back to the 1st-3rd centuries. There were a large number of ancient, well-hidden burial places near the wall. This circumstance prompted archaeologists to thinkthat the found structure once upon a time was a kind of temple, erected around the ancient sanctuary. The hypothesis was confirmed by the belief that existed among the inhabitants of the only village on the island Khuzhir. It said that people were forbidden to visit this place, so as not to disturb the souls of the chorins' ancestors. However, fragments of an earthen ditch on the eastern side of the destroyed wall and two-meter flat stones dug in vertically, ideal for protection from attack, suggested that a powerful fortress was once built on Olkhon, which served as a kind of outpost of southeastern Siberia. Numerous legends of the local people tell about the existence of an island fortress in time immemorial, in which the hero Khorida lived.existed among the inhabitants of the only village on the island of Khuzhir. It said that people were forbidden to visit this place, so as not to disturb the souls of the chorins' ancestors. However, fragments of an earthen ditch on the eastern side of the destroyed wall and two-meter flat stones dug in vertically, ideal for protection from attack, suggested that a powerful fortress was once built on Olkhon, which served as a kind of outpost of southeastern Siberia. Numerous legends of the local people tell about the existence of an island fortress in time immemorial, in which the hero Khorida lived.existed among the inhabitants of the only village on the island of Khuzhir. It said that people were forbidden to visit this place, so as not to disturb the souls of the chorins' ancestors. However, fragments of an earthen ditch on the eastern side of the destroyed wall and two-meter flat stones dug in vertically, ideal for protection from attack, suggested that a powerful fortress was once built on Olkhon, which served as a kind of outpost of southeastern Siberia. Numerous legends of the local people tell about the existence of an island fortress in time immemorial, in which the hero Khorida lived. However, fragments of an earthen ditch on the eastern side of the destroyed wall and two-meter flat stones dug in vertically, ideal for protection from attack, suggested that a powerful fortress was once built on Olkhon, which served as a kind of outpost of southeastern Siberia. Numerous legends of the local people tell about the existence of an island fortress in time immemorial, in which the hero Khorida lived. However, fragments of an earthen ditch on the eastern side of the destroyed wall and two-meter flat stones dug in vertically, ideal for protection from attack, suggested that a powerful fortress was once built on Olkhon, which served as a kind of outpost of southeastern Siberia. Numerous legends of the local people tell about the existence of an island fortress in time immemorial, in which the hero Khorida lived.
Olkhon legends
According to one of the legends most widespread among the Buryats, the hero Khoridoy, who was chasing a water dragon, ended up on Olkhon Island. Suddenly, the terrible dragon turned into a beautiful swan maiden. who soon became the wife of Horidoi. This marriage gave birth to 11 sons, who gave rise to 11 Khorin clans of the Buryat people. According to legend, the remains of the sons of the hero Khoridoi rest on the island in some secret burials. They may have been found by archaeologists next to the masonry of the destroyed wall.
Another legend, already associated with the spread of shaman cults in those parts, says that in the year when the sun darkened (presumably 347 or 543 AD), the Khan of the Baikal spirits, Khaan, descended from the sky to the island. Hute-baabai and met the hunter Shubuu-noyon on Olkhon. to whom he gave the shamanic gift. Shubuu-noyon is recognized by the Buryats as the founder of shamanistic beliefs not only among the local peoples, but throughout Central Asia, and the ghost of the White Shaman, who appears from time to time on the island and in its environs, is considered the spirit of the long-dead Shubuu-noyon.
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Another legend relating to Olkhon tells that the formidable Genghis Khan, who brutally persecuted representatives of the shaman cult, once on the island, was struck by the miracles that the local shaman showed to the conqueror. The legendary commander adopted shamanism, after which he died. The tomb of the Great Khan of the Mongols seems to still exist in the bowels of the island Cape Burkhan, sacred to local residents.
Natural anomalies
According to scientists, the opinion of the peoples of Asia about Olkhon as one of the most important sacred places of the Earth is in many ways connected with the unusual natural phenomena that now and then occur on the island. So, in particular, the first Russian travelers who arrived on Olkhon in the 16th century, in the area of Cape Bogatyr, encountered a wall of fire that suddenly rose from the ground. And in the 90s of the last century, Krasnoyarsk tourists faced a similar anomaly, who described the flame that stretched out in a strip of many meters as "frightening, but in fact not at all scalding."
Another natural oddity is the wind of incredible strength that unexpectedly arises in the strait between the island and the continental Baikal coast. According to eyewitnesses, in absolutely calm, clear and calm weather, huge waves suddenly appear, and after a few seconds a hurricane of unprecedented strength falls on the heads of people traveling on water, which often sinks even very strong ships. There is an opinion among the local population that in this way the spirits of Lake Baikal protect Olkhon - their home - from people with impure thoughts and bad intentions.
In some parts of the island, a very significant increase in the radiation background occurs periodically, which is called "pulsation" in scientific circles. A number of Siberian researchers associate this phenomenon with a local legend about a dragon's tooth, as if it fell on Cape Khoboy. Indeed, even today on the rocky surface of the cape, you can see a distinct imprint, as if left by a large and solid body. Scientists believe it is quite possible that a space object fell on the island several million years ago and went deep into the bowels of Olkhon. Apparently, this object is the cause of the mysterious radioactive pulsation.
Inexplicable but the fact
However, a number of phenomena that local residents witness from time to time cannot be explained from a scientific point of view.
So, people often encounter strange mirages that arise in the northwestern part of the island and its coastal waters. Illusory pictures that appear in the air in clear calm weather in summer or winter are images of ancient castles and fortresses, galloping cavalry, floating ancient ships and even unidentified flying objects. According to the residents of the village of Khuzhir, in the coastal water in the area of Cape Khorgoy, a huge funnel reaching 30 meters in radius sometimes forms, drawing in everything that is on the surface of the water. Often from this roaring abyss, it is as if the groans and cries of sinners languishing in the underworld are heard.
Many travelers, as well as shamans and elders of the surrounding villages, assure that every March in front of the island cape Burkhan … the door to another world opens. This event is accompanied by amazing and unforgettable phenomena: the air is colored with all the colors of the rainbow, the outlines of surrounding objects are transformed beyond recognition, stones and trees come to life and begin to move, and unknown creatures emerge from the Baikal water …
Sacred center of Asia
For many peoples living in the territory adjacent to Lake Baikal, Olkhon Island is considered the abode of the spirits of the sacred lake, and its Cape Burkhan - one of the nine shrines of Asia - is the earthly palace of Vladyka Olkhon. Since time immemorial, the most powerful shamans of the North and Siberia, Mongolia and China have come to the island to receive the blessing of higher powers and touch the treasury of secret knowledge, reliably hidden from the rest of humanity. According to the available information, magic rituals up to the middle of the 17th century were carried out in one of the caves of Cape Burkhan, in which, according to legend, the famous Buddha Altar was kept for a long time. After an escaped convict, convicted of murder, accidentally came to the island at the beginning of the 18th century, the shamanic cults began to consider Olkhon desecrated and took the Buddha's Altar to another secret place. However, gradually cleared of the filth of human sin, the island again began to attract representatives of the traditional beliefs of the peoples of Asia …
In the late 90s of the last century, at the international gathering of shamans, Olkhon was recognized as "the main sanctuary and cult center of general Mongolian and Central Asian significance." Since then, shaman festivals have been held annually on the island, which attract a large number of spectators interested in the original culture and traditions of the peoples of Asia.
Sergey Kozhushko. Secrets of the XX century magazine