Bogd Khan
Encyclopedia
The Bogd Khan was enthroned as the Great Khaan (Emperor) (Khan
) of Mongolia
on 29 December 1911, when Outer Mongolia
declared independence from the Qing Dynasty
after the Xinhai Revolution
. He was born in the Kham
region of eastern Tibet
, today's Sichuan
province of the People's Republic of China
. As the eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu (Mongolian: Jevzundamba Khutagt), he was the third most important person in the Tibetan Buddhism hierarchy, below only the Dalai
and Panchen Lama
s, and therefore also known as the Bogdo Lama. He was the spiritual leader of Outer Mongolia's Tibetan Buddhism
. His wife Tsendiin Dondogdulam
, the Ekh Dagina ("Dakini
mother"), was believed to be a manifestation of the bodhisattva White Tara.
The future Bogd Khan was born in 1869 in the family of a Tibetan official. The boy was officially recognized as the new incarnation of the Bogd Gegen in Potala in the presence of the 13th Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama. The new Bogd Gegen arrived in Urga, the capital of Outer Mongolia
, in 1874. After this he lived only in Mongolia.
According to one eyewitness,"...he did not become a puppet in the hands of lamas but, on the opposite, took them in hands. Since his yong years he wanted to restore the great Mongolian kingdom of Genghis Khan or, at least, to liberate Mongolia from the Chinese and make it self-dependent. Local princes feared him, but masses liked... Independent and clever first hierarch and ruler was unacceptable neither for Tibet, nor for the Chinese".
As a result, from his young years the 8th Bogd Gegeen was the subject of intrigues of Qing officials in Urga. Later he became the subject of propaganda
campaigns organised by Mongolian Communists
, which attacked him as a prolific poisoner, a paedophile, and a libertine
, which was later repeated in belles-lettres
and other non-scientific literature (e.g. James Palmer). However, analysis of documents stored in Mongolian and Russian archives does not confirm these statements.
As a monk, the Bogd had limited access to physical means of imposing power, though some enemies were executed for blasphemy
. The Polish traveller Ferdinand Ossendowski
recorded that he knew "every thought, every movement of the Princes and Khans, the slightest conspiracy against him, and the offender is usually kindly invited to Urga, from where he does not return alive. It should be noted, however, that Ossendovsky's claims for his acquaintance with the Bogd Gegen were not confirmed by comparative analysis of his book and manuscripts.
The Bogd Gegen lost his power when Chinese troops occupied the country
in 1919. When Baron Ungern's forces failed to seize Urga in late 1920, the Bogd was placed under house arrest; then he was freed and reinstated by Ungern shortly before he took Urga in 1921. After the revolution in 1921 led by Damdin Sükhbaatar, the Bogd Khan was allowed to stay on the throne in a limited monarchy until his death in 1924, a year after that of his wife.
After his death, the Mongolian Revolutionary government, led by followers of the Russian Communists, declared that no more reincarnations were to be found and established the Mongolian People's Republic. However, rumors about a reincarnation of the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu appeared in northern Mongolia in that same year. No traditional determination of the supposed incarnation was conducted. Another rumor appeared in 1925. In November 1926 the 3rd Great Khural of Mongolian People's Republic approved a special resolution that searches for reincarnations of the Bogd Gegen should not be allowed A final prohibition was approved by the 7th Congress of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party and the 5th Great People's Khural in 1928.
Nevertheless, the next reincarnation of Bogd Gegen was found in Tibet as a boy born in 1932 in Lhasa. This was not announced until the collapse of the USSR and democratic revolution in Mongolia. The Ninth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu
was formally enthroned in Dharamsala
by the fourteenth Dalai Lama
in 1991, and in Ulan Bator in 1999.
The Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan
has been preserved and is a tourist attraction in Ulan Bator.
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
) of Mongolia
Outer Mongolia, 1911-1919
On December 29, 1911 the Khalkhas of Outer Mongolia declared their independence from the Qing Dynasty, and installed a theocratic leader, the 8th Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, as Bogd Khaan or "Holy Ruler". This ushered in the period of the Bogd Khaanate or Theocratic Mongolia.Three historical currents...
on 29 December 1911, when Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia was a territory of the Qing Dynasty = the Manchu Empire. Its area was roughly equivalent to that of the modern state of Mongolia, which is sometimes informally called "Outer Mongolia" today...
declared independence from the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
after the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
. He was born in the Kham
Kham
Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
region of eastern Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, today's Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
province of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. As the eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu (Mongolian: Jevzundamba Khutagt), he was the third most important person in the Tibetan Buddhism hierarchy, below only the Dalai
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
and Panchen Lama
Panchen Lama
The Panchen Lama , or Bainqên Erdê'ni , is the highest ranking Lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
s, and therefore also known as the Bogdo Lama. He was the spiritual leader of Outer Mongolia's Tibetan Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. His wife Tsendiin Dondogdulam
Tsendiin Dondogdulam
Tsendiin Dondogdulam was the queen consort of Mongolia, married to Bogd Khan. As the Ekh Dagina , she was believed to be a manifestation of the bodhisattva White Tara....
, the Ekh Dagina ("Dakini
Dakini
A dakini is a tantric deity described as a female embodiment of enlightened energy. In the Tibetan language, dakini is rendered khandroma which means 'she who traverses the sky' or 'she who moves in space'. Sometimes the term is translated poetically as 'sky dancer' or 'sky walker'. The dakini, in...
mother"), was believed to be a manifestation of the bodhisattva White Tara.
Life
Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia was a territory of the Qing Dynasty = the Manchu Empire. Its area was roughly equivalent to that of the modern state of Mongolia, which is sometimes informally called "Outer Mongolia" today...
, in 1874. After this he lived only in Mongolia.
According to one eyewitness,"...he did not become a puppet in the hands of lamas but, on the opposite, took them in hands. Since his yong years he wanted to restore the great Mongolian kingdom of Genghis Khan or, at least, to liberate Mongolia from the Chinese and make it self-dependent. Local princes feared him, but masses liked... Independent and clever first hierarch and ruler was unacceptable neither for Tibet, nor for the Chinese".
As a result, from his young years the 8th Bogd Gegeen was the subject of intrigues of Qing officials in Urga. Later he became the subject of propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
campaigns organised by Mongolian Communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, which attacked him as a prolific poisoner, a paedophile, and a libertine
Libertine
A libertine is one devoid of most moral restraints, which are seen as unnecessary or undesirable, especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behavior sanctified by the larger society. Libertines, also known as rakes, placed value on physical pleasures, meaning those...
, which was later repeated in belles-lettres
Belles-lettres
Belles-lettres or belles lettres is a term that is used to describe a category of writing. A writer of belles-lettres is a belletrist. However, the boundaries of that category vary in different usages....
and other non-scientific literature (e.g. James Palmer). However, analysis of documents stored in Mongolian and Russian archives does not confirm these statements.
As a monk, the Bogd had limited access to physical means of imposing power, though some enemies were executed for blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
. The Polish traveller Ferdinand Ossendowski
Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski
Antoni Ferdynand Ossendowski was a Polish writer, journalist, traveler, globetrotter, explorer and university professor...
recorded that he knew "every thought, every movement of the Princes and Khans, the slightest conspiracy against him, and the offender is usually kindly invited to Urga, from where he does not return alive. It should be noted, however, that Ossendovsky's claims for his acquaintance with the Bogd Gegen were not confirmed by comparative analysis of his book and manuscripts.
The Bogd Gegen lost his power when Chinese troops occupied the country
Occupation of Mongolia
The Occupation of Mongolia by the Beiyang Government of the Republic of China began in October 1919 and lasted until early 1921, when Chinese troops in Urga were routed by Baron Ungern's White Russian and Mongolian forces, who, in turn, were defeated by the Red Army and its Mongolian allies by...
in 1919. When Baron Ungern's forces failed to seize Urga in late 1920, the Bogd was placed under house arrest; then he was freed and reinstated by Ungern shortly before he took Urga in 1921. After the revolution in 1921 led by Damdin Sükhbaatar, the Bogd Khan was allowed to stay on the throne in a limited monarchy until his death in 1924, a year after that of his wife.
After his death, the Mongolian Revolutionary government, led by followers of the Russian Communists, declared that no more reincarnations were to be found and established the Mongolian People's Republic. However, rumors about a reincarnation of the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu appeared in northern Mongolia in that same year. No traditional determination of the supposed incarnation was conducted. Another rumor appeared in 1925. In November 1926 the 3rd Great Khural of Mongolian People's Republic approved a special resolution that searches for reincarnations of the Bogd Gegen should not be allowed A final prohibition was approved by the 7th Congress of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party and the 5th Great People's Khural in 1928.
Nevertheless, the next reincarnation of Bogd Gegen was found in Tibet as a boy born in 1932 in Lhasa. This was not announced until the collapse of the USSR and democratic revolution in Mongolia. The Ninth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu
9th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu
The 9th Jebtsundamba Khutuktu is supposed to continue the incarnation line of the Jebtsundamba Khutughtus in Mongolia. From the 17th century until 1924, the Jebtsundamba Khutughtus were the spiritual heads of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism among the Khalkha Mongols...
was formally enthroned in Dharamsala
Dharamsala
Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....
by the fourteenth Dalai Lama
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
in 1991, and in Ulan Bator in 1999.
The Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan
Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan
The Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan is located in southern Ulan Bator, on the road to Zaisan. It is now a museum. The palace is the only one left from originally four residences of the eighth Jebtsundamba Khutughtu, who was later proclaimed Bogd Khan, or emperor of Mongolia.The complex includes six...
has been preserved and is a tourist attraction in Ulan Bator.