Dulduityn Danzanravjaa
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Dulduityn Danzanravjaa (; 1803–1856) was a prominent Mongolian writer, composer, painter, Buddhist scholar, physician and the fifth
Noyon Khutagt The Noyon Khutagt () is a monk of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism in the Gobi region of Mongolia. The present Noyon Khutagt is believed to be the ninth reincarnation, incarnation of the original Mongolian Noyon Khutagt, who himself was be ...
, the Lama of the Gobi. His name is a Mongolian adaptation of the last part of the Tibetan name Lobsang Tenzin Rabgye given to Danzanravjaa by the fourth Bogd Gegeen on his visit to the Mongolian capital, Urga (present-day
Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...
), in 1812 – where Danzanravjaa was also recognized as an Incarnate Lama (Tib:
Tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is an individual recognized as the reincarnation of a previous spiritual master (lama), and expected to be reincarnated, in turn, after death. The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibet ...
).Kohn, Michael Lama of the Gobi: How Mongolia's Mystic Monk Spread Tibetan Buddhism in the World's Harshest Desert, Blacksmith Books, (2010) There are several versions concerning the origins and use of "Dulduityn". He was the fifth incarnation of the Gobi Noyon Khutagt, which is the title of a prominent line of
tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is an individual recognized as the reincarnation of a previous spiritual master (lama), and expected to be reincarnated, in turn, after death. The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibet ...
s of the
Nyingmapa Nyingma (, ), also referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingma school was founded by PadmasambhavaClaude Arpi, ''A Glimpse of the History of Tibet'', Dharamsala: Tibet Museum, 2013. ...
lineage of
Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...
in
Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
and was found by the personal attendant of the fourth Noyon Khutagt in 1809. It was not possible to enthrone Danzanravjaa as the fifth Noyon Hutagt because of the ban from the ruling Manchu (Qing) dynasty on recognition of this line of incarnations. Mongolia at the time was under Manchurian Qing control. He was enthroned as the Avshaa Gegeen in Ongiin Gol (present-day Saikhan-Ovoo. Dundgovi) Monastery by Ishdonilhudev Rinpoche. He is primarily famous for his poetry, but is also known for his
prophecies In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divi ...
, and
treatises A treatise is a Formality, formal and systematic written discourse on some subject concerned with investigating or exposing the main principles of the subject and its conclusions."mwod:treatise, Treatise." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Acc ...
on medicine,
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, and
astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
.


Life

Danzanravjaa was born in the Tüsheet Khan
aimag An aimag ( ; ; ), originally a Mongolian word meaning 'tribe', is an administrative subdivision in Mongolia, Russia, and in the Inner Mongolia region of China. Mongolia In Mongolia, an aimag is the first-level administrative subdivision. ...
's Gobi Mergen khoshuu, in what is today Khövsgöl sum of Dornogovi aimag on 25th day of mid winter month by
lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based on the solar year, and lunisolar calendars, whose lunar months are br ...
. His family was poor, and his mother died while he was still young. He and his father survived by begging and singing until 1809, when he was accepted as a disciple of Ishdoniilhundev Rinpoche at Ongiin Monastery where the boy received the name of Luvsandanzanravja and the vows of a Buddhist layman. From an early age he showed much talent for music and poetry, wrote his first famous impromptu Khurmast Tenger (the Heavens) at age of seven. The literary and oratorical abilities in the boy, made the locals to believe he was a reincarnation of saints so they appealed to the higher clergy for recognition of his next incarnation. While studying at the monastery, the boy showed himself brilliantly, and in 1811 was publicly recognized by his spiritual advisor Ishdoniilhundev as the reincarnation of the
geshe Geshe (, short for ''dge-ba'i bshes-gnyen'', "virtuous friend"; translation of Skt. ''kalyāņamitra'') or geshema is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks and nuns. The degree is emphasized primarily by the Gelug lineage, but is also awar ...
Navaana, or the Asvaa-gegen. The identity of the incarnation was confirmed by
Palden Tenpai Nyima, 7th Panchen Lama Palden Tenpai Nyima (1782–1853) was the 7th Panchen Lama of Tibet. Early life and reign Lobsang Palden Yeshe, the previous Panchen Lama, died from smallpox in Beijing in 1780. His brother Shamarpa, who was acting as regent, wrote to the Brit ...
and Janjah-hutuhta IV Yeshe Tenpay Gyaltsen; In Urga (present day
Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...
), Danzanravjaa was introduced to Bogd Gegeen IV, theocratic leader of the country, who granted him the title of "Brave" (, chin zorigt) and the right to use certain status items. In 1817, Danzanravjaa moved to the Dolnuur monastery, where he studied for three years. His curriculum included various Buddhist and medical teachings and also the work of the Tibetan poet Rompo Calden Gyatso. He received tantric initiations in the monasteries Choyling and Badgar during this time. After finishing the course of traditional Buddhist education in 1820, Danzanravjaa founded the monasteries Khamar Monastery (Uver-Bajasgalant), Choylogiin and Burdeni, which became the centers of culture, art and education. In 1821, he founded the Lamrim
datsan Datsan (, , ; ''derived from'' ) is the term used for Buddhist university monastery, monasteries in the Tibetan tradition of Gelukpa located throughout Mongolia, Tibet and Siberia. As a rule, in a datsan there are two departments—philosophica ...
at Khamaryn monastery where he taught his scholastic ideas, in 1822 - the temple of Labran, in 1823 – the temple of Agvaa and the temple devoted to
fierce deities In Buddhism, wrathful deities or fierce deities are the fierce, wrathful or forceful (Tibetan: ''trowo'', Sanskrit: ''krodha'') forms (or "aspects", "manifestations") of enlightened Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or Deva (Buddhism), Devas (divine beings); ...
– protectors, and in 1827 the
Kalachakra ''Kālacakra'' () is a Polysemy, polysemic term in Vajrayana, Vajrayana Buddhism and Hinduism that means "wheel of time" or "time cycles". "''Kālacakra''" is also the name of a series of Buddhist texts and a major practice lineage in History of ...
temple In 1840s, Danzanravjaa founded a number of monasteries throughout the Gobi region of Mongolia (now some of them are located in
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
), for example, the Three Monasteries of Mount Galbyn (Ulaan-Sahiusnii, Tsagaan-tolgoin and Demchigiin) in modern-day
Khanbogd, Ömnögovi Khanbogd (, ) is a sum (district) of Ömnögovi Province in southern Mongolia. Khanbogd is the site of the Oyu Tolgoi mine, which is from the sum centre. In 2009, its population was 3,154.
. He personally took part in the development of architectural projects for these construction projects. Many monasteries he established became religious and cultural centers and served as religious crossroads between Mongolia, China, and
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
during his lifetime. Other than his writings, he was also known for his syncretic combination of Yellow Hat and
Red Hat Red Hat, Inc. (formerly Red Hat Software, Inc.) is an American software company that provides open source software products to enterprises and is a subsidiary of IBM. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North ...
sect beliefs. As a member of the
Nyingma Nyingma (, ), also referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingma school was founded by PadmasambhavaClaude Arpi, ''A Glimpse of the History of Tibet'', Dharamsala: Tibet Museum, 2013. ...
school of
Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, Danzanravjaa was not required to refrain from alcohol or sexual intimacy, and he was well known for his love of both. He frequently referred to the ecstasy he experienced with his lovers and took two wives. He also referred to himself as a "boozer" (sokhtakhu) in his writing.Wickham-Smith, Simon. "The Way of the World." IIAS Newsletter No.40 Spring, 2006. Accessed 27 June 2008.
/ref> Danzanravjaa paid special attention to Khamar Monastery which he founded, where in addition to the buildings standard to the Mongolian Buddhist monastery, he organized: * a theater called Saran Khukhuu (Moon Cuckoo) in 1832 which was called "
datsan Datsan (, , ; ''derived from'' ) is the term used for Buddhist university monastery, monasteries in the Tibetan tradition of Gelukpa located throughout Mongolia, Tibet and Siberia. As a rule, in a datsan there are two departments—philosophica ...
of describing lives" () with a touring troupe. The plays were a combination of songs, dance and story telling in the comedic and melodramatic genres that Danzanravjaa personally staged based on the Mongolian choreography and ceremonies as well as foreign drama elements. * a
public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
and
museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
in 1840 at so-called the "exhibition temple" (, Givaadin Ravjaalin). This temple housed about ten thousand items including Buddhist teaching works, theatrical works, his personal art works,
tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the influential poetry anthology (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to disti ...
s as well as gifts from Mongolian and foreign lords and officials and various curious things he collected during his many domestic and foreign trips. In the public library, visitors could regularly listen to specially trained readers reciting books aloud. * a general education school for children. His school called the "children's datsan" () represented the opportunity for children, boys and girls alike, regardless of their social origin, to master the educational program – Mongolian and Tibetan language and literature, mathematics, natural science, history, music and dance. Graduates of the school received a stamped certificate of education, and often went on to work in the theater company as actors, singers, costumers and decorators as well as teachers at the school.


Death

Danzanravjaa died under mysterious circumstances. It is often claimed that he was murdered by
poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...
ing, which is possible since he had many enemies during his lifetime. He was unpopular with the
Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...
rulers of the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
and the widow of a local ruler. However, there is no definitive evidence that his death was from murder, suicide, or simply illness.


Legacy

After Danzanravjaa's death one of his disciples, Sh. Balchinchoijoo (Ishlodon), collected his manuscripts and relics and served as their curator ( Takhilch), a role that passed down to his male heirs. After the communist revolution the collection was buried for safekeeping in the mountains, and a map to the location continued to pass within the family of Curators. The collection remained buried until the present curator, Zundoi Altangerel, unearthed 24 boxes of manuscripts and relics in 1991 and transferred them to a small museum in
Sainshand Sainshand (; ) is the capital of Dornogovi Province in Mongolia. It is located in the eastern Gobi Desert steppe, on the Trans-Mongolian Railway. Administration The territory of Sainshand sum consists of 5 ''bags'' (communes). The first three ...
. Another 22 boxes remained buried. In 2009, Altangerel and Austrian archaeologist Michael Eisenriegler unearthed two more crates in an event that was
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
on the Internet on TV. In 2005 a digital archive of his original work was created with funding from the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
's
Endangered Archives Programme The Endangered Archives Programme (EAP) is a funding programme and digital archive run by the British Library in London. It has the purpose of preserving cultural heritage where resources may be limited. Each year EAP awards grants to researcher ...
. It consists of 43,350
TIFF Tag Image File Format or Tagged Image File Format, commonly known by the abbreviations TIFF or TIF, is an image file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and photographers. TIFF is w ...
files. The project remains incomplete, however, since a number of the crates have been loaned out and not returned.Humphrey, Caroline. "The Treasures of Danzan Ravja (outcomes)." The British Library Endangered Archives Programme. No date. Accessed 27 June 2008.
In 2025, the name of a newly described fossil mammal genus discovered in the Gobi Deser, ''
Ravjaa ''Ravjaa ishiii'' is an extinct species of Zhelestidae, zhelestid mammal from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. It is the type and only known species of the genus ''Ravjaa'', which was described in 2025 based on a partial mandible recovered from t ...
'', was derived from Danzanravjaa's name.


Bibliography

There are over 300 poems, 100 songs, numerous religious paintings, and a variety of Buddhist, philosophical, medical and astronomical treatises, theses and monographs written by Danzanravjaa in Tibetan and Mongolian, of which 170 works in Mongolian and over 180 in Tibetan have survived to this day in full text and are now housed at the National Archives of Mongolia, Danzanravjaa Museum, archives of
National University of Mongolia The National University of Mongolia () is a public university primarily located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Established in 1942, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Mongolia, and was originally named in honour of then-Prime Minist ...
and several other institutions. Danzanravjaa's poetry is strongly influenced by classical Indian and Tibetan literature. Among the most famous of his poetic works, some that are still loved, sung and referred widely include Ulemjiin Chanar (Perfect qualities), Uvgun shuvuu (Old bird), Urhan khongor salhi (Warm breeze), Salj yadah setgel (Unbroken soul), Ichig, ichig (Shame, shame!), etc. Other notable works include: * The ten-volume operetta ''
Tale of the Moon Cuckoo The ''Tale of the Moon Cuckoo'' (Mongolian: ''Saran kökögen-ü namtar'') is a traditional Mongolian opera by the composer, writer, and Noyon Khutagt, incarnate lama Dulduityn Danzanravjaa, composed between 1831 and 1832 and first performed in ...
'' (''Saran kökögen-ü namtar''), which satirized corrupt individuals in the society he lived in. It is also intended to be performed for a month by over 100 actors and 60 musicians * Yertunts Avgain Jam (The Way of the World), a pessimistic poem purportedly written as he was dying. The songs, verses and instructions of Danzanravjaa are characterized by their strong criticism of the contemporary society of Mongolia. Being a commoner by origin, Danzanravjaa could not bear to look at the hypocrisy around him, denouncing those who "help themselves, not helping others and criticize others without criticizing themselves" as well as their apparent guise of ignorance and duplicity, and ridiculing them. On the other hand, his social satire and criticism bear the spirit of the Buddhist doctrine of
anitya Impermanence, also known as the philosophical problem of change, is a philosophical concept addressed in a variety of religions and philosophies. In Eastern philosophy it is notable for its role in the Buddhist three marks of existence. It ...
(impermanence).


References


Further reading

*Perfect Qualities Poems of the 5th Noyon Khutagtu Danzanravjaa (1803–1856) Danzanravjaa (Author), Simon Wickham-Smith (Translator)(2006) *Kohn, Michael ''Lama of the Gobi: How Mongolia's Mystic Monk Spread Tibetan Buddhism in the World's Harshest Desert'', Blacksmith Books, (2010). List imported from
Mongol Studies, Online Reference: Danzan RavjaaD. Ravzhaa. ''Perfect Qualities : The Collected Poems of the 5th Noyon Khutagtu Danzanravjaa, (1803-1856).'' Ulaanbaatar, Ōngōt khévlél, 2006.Norbu, Konchog. "'Treasures of the Sand' — The Legacy of Danzan Ravjaa." Tibetan Museum Society. Tibetan-museum-society.org. No date. Accessed 27 June 2008.


External links

*Danzanravjaa Museum websit


Photo gallery, Khamar Monastery, Dornogovi, Mongolia
successfully accessed on June 1, 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Danzanravjaa, Dulduit Mongolian poets Tulkus Lamas Tibetan Buddhists from Mongolia 1803 births 1856 deaths Mongolian composers 19th-century lamas 19th-century composers 19th-century poets Buddhist artists