Tibet was once considered one of the most inaccessible regions in the world. But although today the situation has changed - roads are laid there and an ordinary tourist can easily get to this area - Tibetan secrets have not been solved and continue to arouse burning interest.
Tibet is a region in Central Asia located in the Tibetan Plateau. Currently, it is autonomous within China, but for a long time remained a relatively independent territory, which many leading powers wanted to control.
Inaccessible Agartha
For centuries, Tibet has been a cultural and religious center, and its capital Lhasa since the 17th century has been the seat of the Dalai Lamas - spiritual leaders of the Buddhist movement, often called Lamaism. His adherents believe that the Dalai Lamas embody on the "physical plane of existence" the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (the embodiment of the infinite compassion of all the Buddhas).
Since only rare travelers reached Tibet, the most unusual rumors circulated about it in the civilized world: they say, the population consists of great magicians and; demons, they are controlled by creatures descended from heaven, and in local monasteries scrolls with records of the "antediluvian" history of mankind are kept. In the 19th century, they were supplemented by the legend of a mysterious isolated settlement in Tibet, where great priests are hiding, who possess secret ancient knowledge and use occult practices to acquire supernatural powers.
Probably the first to adapt this legend to the needs of European mystics was the Marquis Joseph Saint-Yves d'Alveidre, who argued in his books that in the distant past the world was ruled by the Aryan theocratic empire, destroyed by the revolution and the onset of the era of barbarism. The sages-mediums who survived the revolution fled to Tibet and founded a small state of Agartha (Agharti) there. Currently, it is home to about 20 million people who have access to a colossal system of dungeons connecting different corners of the continent; if necessary, the rulers of Agartha pass through endless cave corridors and come into contact with the "chosen ones" to convey to them the instructions of the King of the World. If someday one of the armies of mankind tries to penetrate the Agartha, the sages will use weapons of unprecedented power that can destroy half the planet. Esoteric and occult systems, known to Europeans, are only a faint echo of ancient science, which mastered all the forces of nature, including mediumistic ones.
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Theosophical legends
The legend of Agartha (literal translation from Sanskrit - "invulnerable", "inaccessible") is directly related to the legends about Shambhala, which were brought to Europe by the Portuguese Jesuit missionaries Esteban Cachella and Joao Cabral.
Shambhala (Sambhala), traditionally placed in Tibet, is first mentioned in the ancient Indian epic "Mahabharata" as the place of the coming birth of the brahman Kalki Vishnuyashas, who will win in the battle with destructive chaos and initiate a new era (south). Later, the prophecy of the final battle became part of the Buddhist tradition; in it, Shambhala is interpreted as a kingdom that, during the Muslim invasion of the 9th century, became invisible and accessible only to people with a pure heart. Someday Shambhala will rule the world, and its power will serve as a guarantee of spiritual and moral flourishing.
European esotericists combined Hindu and Buddhist legends into a single theory, according to which the last representatives of the powerful civilization of Atlantis, which perished as a result of a global cataclysm 12 thousand years ago, found refuge in the cave cities of Tibet. Despite the disaster. The Great Teachers (or Mahatmas), united in the White Brotherhood, continue to exert a secret influence on world politics, preparing the coming of the Era of Shambhala, when the ancient knowledge will again become available to humanity.
The most popular in this regard was the Theosophical doctrine developed by Helena Blavatsky, who created neoreligion based on Eastern philosophy. In her youth, Blavatsky traveled extensively, including across India. In 1851 she met in London's Hyde Park a mahatma named Moriah, who had previously appeared to her in her dreams. He allegedly reported that Blavatsky was chosen to fulfill a special mission, and four years later, following the instructions of the Mahatma, she came to Tibet, where she studied ancient sciences and was initiated into the "occult mysteries." In particular, she was introduced to a certain sacred text "Stanza Dzyan", which is kept in one of the underground monasteries of Tibet and which Blavatsky retold in the multivolume "Secret Doctrine".
Although experts in Buddhism criticized Blavatsky quite sharply for her amateurism and fantasizing, her teachings were very popular, attracting authoritative followers. Among them are Nicholas and Helena Roerich, who sincerely believed in the existence of Shambhala, having devoted many works to it and even made an unsuccessful attempt to get to Lhasa, with the help of the Soviet government.
The legend of Shambhala in the European version was further developed after the publication in the fall of 1933 of the novel by the English writer James Hilton "The Lost Horizon". In this work, Hilton portrayed the Buddhist monastery Shangri-La, located in one of the inaccessible mountain valleys in Western Tibet, with extraordinary believability. With the help of secret knowledge and occult techniques, the inhabitants of the monastery were able to slow down the passage of time. They live in a closed community - peacefully and happily, immersed in science and art, not knowing the worries and worries that torment humanity.
Hilton's novel gained great popularity in the West, was reprinted many times, and in 1937 it was first filmed. Thanks to him, the word "Shangri-La" has firmly entered the English language, meaning "an imaginary earthly paradise, a refuge from the troubles of modern civilization." This is the name given to luxury hotels, restaurants, mountain resorts and other "paradises", and President Theodore Roosevelt even named his summer residence in the mountains of Maryland that way.
Nazis in Lhasa
The leadership of the Third Reich also showed great interest in Tibet. And if the German military intelligence was mainly engaged in establishing contacts with local leaders to counter the British presence, then Reichsfuehrer Heinrich Himmler was worried about much more exotic issues. He dreamed of finding there evidence of the existence of an "antediluvian" race of fair-haired and blue-eyed Aryans, who created a high culture that spread throughout Europe. Himmler also believed that it was in Tibetan monasteries that the "key" to the onset of the era of supermen who would rule the planet for a thousand years was kept.
In order to confirm his theory, based on the mystical teachings of the "modern magician" Karl Wiligut, the Reichsführer ordered to organize an expedition to Tibet, led by an experienced traveler Ernst Schaefer. She hit the road on April 19, 1938, and in January 1939 entered Lhasa.
The Tibetan government greeted Schaefer and his companions amiably. They were allowed not only to take part in the local New Year's celebration, but even to film it. This was the first time in history that Europeans recorded the rituals of Lhasa's main festival. In addition, as a sign of his favor, the Tibetan religious leader Reading Hutuktu led the Germans into a secret vault where a mysterious "divine finger" was hidden. Before the expedition left, he also gave Schaefer an official letter to the "German king" Hitler and a small set of gifts.
Germany greeted Ernst Schaefer as a national hero. As a result, the Imperial Institute for Central Asian Studies was created, the main task of which was to process samples and materials brought by the expedition. Himmler suggested that, among other things, the institute would be engaged in anthropological and ethnographic research, but Schaefer, who never took seriously the mystical ideas of his patron, preferred botanical and zoological projects: he convinced the Reichs-Fuehrer that the introduction of Tibetan grain crops and the breeding of Mongolian horses would contribute development of the agricultural sector in Germany.
Another significant project was the documentary film "Secrets of Tibet", edited from films of the expedition with a duration of over 50 hours. In January 1943, the film premiered, to which the Reich press enthusiastically responded. For the first time, the Germans were invited to see real footage from the life of a distant country, lost in the mountains between India and China. And due to the fact that the release of "Secrets of Tibet" coincided with the Battle of Stalingrad, the film also performed a considerable psychotherapeutic function: Hitler's propagandists needed a reason to once again confirm the achievements of the "glorious Germans." However, this did not help them: the Reich was doomed.
Home of the monsters
In addition to legends about the secret community of mahatmas, in Tibet you can hear about the "Bigfoot" - a relict hominid, which, as cryptozoologists believe, could survive in remote regions of the planet, avoiding extinction. Here they are called yeti - that is, "ti who lives in rocky places." Tibetans distinguish between two types of "snowmen": large dzuchi, abducting livestock, and rare mechti, showing signs of human behavior.
The first information about the Yeti was reported to Europeans by the military doctor and traveler Laurence Waddell, who participated in several English expeditions to Tibet, collecting unusual legends and artifacts. In the book "Among the Himalayas" (1899), he, in particular, talked about seeing huge traces of mysterious bipedal creatures on the snow-covered slopes of high mountains. When questioned, the locals answered: Yeti are half-humans, half-beasts, living in caves and covered with dark wool. Their hands reach almost to the knees, like those of monkeys, but their face is rather human. The legs are crooked and short, slightly clubfoot. Yeti have incredible strength, are able to uproot trees and lift huge blocks over their heads, so hunting them is a very risky business. Yeti are believed to prefer meat and catch yaks. But sometimes, driven by hunger, they descend into the valleys,where people are kidnapped. There is only one way to avoid death - to rush down the slope: the monster will tilt its head, its hair will fall over its eyes, and it will lose sight of its victim.
In support of the stories, the Tibetans showed footprints in the snow, but most importantly, fragments of the yeti's bodies: hair, claws, paws and even a scalp. Over time, collectors managed to buy several of these fragments from Tibetan monks, and for many years they have been shown in museums as irrefutable proof of the existence of the Bigfoot. However, the latest genetic analysis showed: some of the hair and claws belong to dogs, the other - to different types of bears; scalp - to the Himalayan mountain goat. Alas, science is sure: if relict hominids have survived somewhere, then only not in Tibet.
In the hallway of the underworld
After the establishment of the communist regime in Lhasa, the Dalai Lama and his entourage fled from Tibet, and now they have lost the significance of the ancient cultural and religious center. Nevertheless, tourism is developing there, and the current Chinese authorities are seeking to use the legends of Shambhala and Shangri-La to attract new travelers.
The last great secret of Tibet is called Mount Kailash, which has a pyramidal shape. Tibetans believe that Buddha himself dwells on its summit; Hindus believe that Shiva should be sought there. One way or another, the mountain is a source of blessed power that positively affects the fate of the believer. To clear your karma, you need to make a circular walk (bark) around Kailash, and it is better to do this many times, ideally 108 times.
Modern adherents of theosophical doctrine - for example, the famous ophthalmologist Ernst Muldashev - believe that Kailash is part of a megalithic complex built by an "antediluvian" civilization. Inside the mountain is hollow, and there is stored the "gene pool of humanity" - "conserved" in a motionless state of deep trance "samadhi" and practically immortal best representatives of the last races: Lemurians, Atlanteans and Aryans. They can be brought to life in the event of a new global catastrophe. Muldashev assured that he himself managed to get to the secret passage to the underworld of Kailash, but the psychic protection established by the masters of Shambhala placed him further.
Of course, the research of esotericists and mystics is not confirmed by anything, except for their own words and fanciful fantasies. But all the same, in the future, Tibet will attract enchanted wanderers looking for a new understanding of the world.
Magazine: Mysteries of History No. 26, Anton Pervushin
