One Object of Worship from the Oirat Monastery of Dechenravjaaling (Uvs Aimag, Mongolia)

Abstract

The article deals with a special object of worship kept in the Oirat monastery of Dechenravjaaling (Uvs Province, Mongolia). The object is a ceremonial robe of the Supreme Lama (Oir., Mong. Khambo Lama) Luvsannamkhai who had founded the mentioned monastery in 1736. Following the Buddhist tradition his ceremonial robe has been worshipped as a symbol of the line of transmission of the teaching within the monastery, and before the latter was closed in 1937 every Khambo Lama could put the robe - lavshig - on only on solemn occasions. The paper concludes that the monastic clothes of the first abbot of Dechenravjaaling monastery are actually a handmade wool wrap coat (the twilled cloth being only 20 cm wide) with a satin silk lining and a special collar that comprises both quilted and velvet elements. The garment is generally designed after South Siberian sewing patterns. However, the asymmetrical wrap sides of the coat, the bias of the collar on the outer wrap side, and the replaceable hoof-like cuffs are typical for the Mongolian tradition. Luvsannamkhai's ceremonial garment meets the requirements introduced by the 1st Bodg Gegeen towards monastic clothes. The home handloom-weaving technology, widespread in the region in the 18th century, predetermined the specific properties of the cloth which corresponds to the early Buddhist tradition of making monastic robes from cloth patches (straps). The hand sewing was also determined by the period when the garment was made and proceeded from the Buddhist tradition prescribing that monastic robes were to be sewn by hand. Still, it is safe to say the sewing pattern and some peculiarities of Luvsannamkhai's robe also mirror ancient Oirat traditions since South Siberian modes of dress were popular enough among the Western Mongols. The garment can be referred to the lavshig cluster inherent to Mongolian culture. In general, in terms of proportions its is similar to Kalmyk lavshigs dated back to the late 19th century, which may provide evidence of some common origins. The work covers the issues of traditional Buddhist views on monastic clothes and worship of articles of clothing by the Oirats, reveals some peculiarities of the cloth and sewing pattern of the Khambo Lama’s ceremonial robe testifying to its old age and the use of handlooms; one can also learn about definite ideas related to its color symbolism. The conclusion is that within the Oirat Buddhist tradition, ceremonial monastic clothing was similar enough to that of the Mongols and vaguely similar to that of the Kalmyks.