Mausoleum of Genghis Khan
Located upstream of a river, the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan (成吉思汗陵) is in Kandehuo Enclosure, Xinjie Township, Ejen Khoroo Banner, Yeke Juu League (伊克昭盟伊金霍洛旗新街鎮的甘德爾敖包), Inner Mongolia, the People's Republic of China. It is a cenotaph, the coffins contains no body, only headdresses, and accessories. The real burial place of the Khan has not been discovered.
History
The coffin had been circulating between several temples between Gansu and Qinghai. Since then, the portable mausoleum called naiman chaghaan ger (eight white houses) enshrined him. Those who served to the mausolem was called the Ordus (lit. palaces) and the title of their leader was Jinong. The Ordus lived on the Kerulen river but later moved to what is now called Ordos.
In 1942 Kanagawa Kosaku, a colonel of the Imperial Japanese Army, founded a non-portable mausoleum of Genghis Khan in Ulaan Khoto. He tried to arouse nationalistic sentiment among the Mongols. It was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution, but rebuilt later.
Another mausoleum, the topic of this article, was constructed by the PRC in between 1954-1956 under the ideology of "Chinese nation". i.e. The Mongols are part of the Chinese nation and Genghis Khan is a hero of China. In contrast, the PRC represses Pan-Mongolism. It was also destroyed with valuable treasures in the Cultural Revolution, but rebuilt later.
Architecture
The Mausoleum is in a rectangular (15 × 30 km) cemetery. Within the mausoleum, which appears like three Mongolian tents externally, there are four chambers and two halls:
- Main Palace (正殿): 26-metre high; octagonal
- Resting Palace (寢宮) or Back Palace (後殿): 20-m high
- 7 coffins:
- Genghis Khan
- 3 khan-consorts
- Tuolei (托雷), the Khan's youngest, and fourth, son.
- Tuolei's wife
- East Palace (東殿): 20-m high
- West Palace (西殿): 23-m high
- 9 banners of the 9 generals
- East Hall (東廊): 20-m high
- West Hall: 20-m high
Rituals
The mausoleum is guarded by the Darkhad (達爾哈特), meaning "the sacred ones", who are the descendants of the Borjigin clan.
Mongols gather four times annually:
- March 21: most important
- May 15
- September 21
- October 3
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
Referenced By
Burial place | Inner-Mongolia | Inner Mongolia | Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region | Jinong | Jinung | Jonon | List of China-related topics M-Z | List of Mongolia-related topics | List of famous cemeteries | Nei Mongol | Qinong
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