Oldal 283 [283]
OCR
NOMADIC ARTEFACTS: SACRED OBJECTS BETWEEN YURTS, TEMPLES AND MUSEUMS (Fig.2) The Erdene Dsuu Monastery Complex Museum was closed as a monastery in 1938, came under state protection in 1944, was renovated from 1944 to 1946 and was declared as a state-owned public religious history monastery museum in 1965." It faces similar frictions to those just addressed. Here the whole monastery complex with the temple buildings and adjunct artefacts is dedicated as a museum under responsibility of the museum director. The Lawrin temple, which was re-opened and revived as a Buddhist temple in 1990, is part of the museum complex and may be used by the monastic community, quoting the museum director “under contract for free” and not as their property." The same can be said of the artefacts within the temple but not of all of them. The most valuable ones are kept in the museum storage room for reasons of safety. This is the case with the small stone statue depicting the protector deity Gombo Guru (Gombo giir)'®, which as protector deity is related to the creation, history and survival of Erdene Dsuu. At present this item is kept in the museum storage in order to provide the necessary security. By cultural law the authentic usage of museum objects was restricted. This presents a serious spiritual problem for the monks, as they can no longer ritually worship their main protector deity.'’ (Fig.3) Though the Arkhangai Aimag (Province) Museum in Tsetserleg,'* located in the three remaining buildings of the former Dsaya Gegeenii Khiiree Monastery, never became an active temple again, here both the museum directorship and the monastic community are confronted with sensitive questions concerning the museum-monastery interface. From 1949 local studies started by collecting natural and historio-cultural artefacts, engaging “active explorers” (idewxiten surwaljlagc) in every province. They investigated and registered natural objects and cultural artefacts and ethnographic artworks that were related to their province and kept by local people. The museum bought them for its collections. In 1956 the museum opened as the “Cabinet for local studies” (Oron nutgin sudlalin kabinet) first in an administration building and in 1967 it was officially renamed as the “Museum of Regional Studies”.'? In 1986 the museum was Cf. Lang, Maria-Katharina — Tsetsentsolmon, Baatarnarany: Museum Construction, Transition and Transformation, p. 86, ff.; Khatanbaatar, N. — Naigal, Yo.: The History of Erdene Zuu. Ulaanbaatar 2005. Interview with Tömörbätar, Xarxorin, 20 June 2014. Tib. mgon po gur; Bareja-Starzynska notes that according to Pozdneev the main guardian spirit of the monastery, Gombo Guru [Skr. Pafjaranäta Mahakala] was, elected 70 years after the foundation of the monastery. This form of Mahäkäla was particularly important to the Sakya School, as protector of the Hevajra cycle of Tantras and Qubilai Qayan had been initiated to the Hevajra Tantra by Phagpa Lama (see Bareja-Starzynska, Agata: Description of the Erdene Zuu Monastery life (including Cam ritual) based on notes from the Kotwicz expedition. In: Jn the Heart of Mongolia. 100" Anniversary of W. Kotwiczs Expedition to Mongolia in 1912. Ed. Tulisow, Jerzy et al. Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cracow 2012, p. 137). Interview with Bäsansüren, Xarxorin, 21 June 2014. For the history of Dsaya Gegeenii Khüree see Charleux, Isabelle (ed): History, Architecture and Restoration... Cf. Ochir, A. — Oyunbileg, Z.: Chronicles of Mongolian Museums. 281
