The mysticism of Lake Baikal. Mystical Baikal: legends of the ancient lake. Witch circles on Olkhon

Baikal has long been not only a lake of unusual beauty, but also a sacred place. Since ancient times, legends and mystical tales have been written about him. Their list is supplemented by contemporaries. A local historian, shaman and ufologist spoke about the secrets and mysteries of Lake Baikal.

GENGISH KHAN'S LEG

Director of the Taltsy Museum Vladimir Tikhonov says that there are many legends and stories about the sea-lake, because since ancient times people have endowed Baikal with magical properties. For example, there is a legend that Genghis Khan “crossed Baikal with dry feet in the area of ​​Olkhon Island,” that is, he did not swim across the lake, but walked.

“Allegedly, a land trail passed through Olkhon overland, through Baikal. Most likely, this is an incorrect interpretation: there was no land bridge across Lake Baikal, it could not have disappeared so quickly. It’s just that he didn’t get there by swimming, but by land, maybe bypassing Lake Baikal,” Tikhonov believes.

In his opinion, the story that the shores of Lake Baikal are moving apart along with the movement of the continents sounds more truthful.

“Considering that Baikal is actually a living being, it is a rift (fault, depression), Baikal is actually moving apart. Our Angara part remains in place, but the Buryat part moves towards the USA, after many millions and hundreds of years. This is a real movement of continents,” the historian is sure.

"FROM BUDUNA"

There is, according to the director of the museum, a rather funny and realistic legend about how the famous expression “from Budun” arose, which characterizes those aggravated by alcohol on the eve.

“On Olkhon, in the Khalgai area, there is Cape Budun. During the war, it was the most fishing place; fishing teams caught omul for the army and the population. There was no food, but there was a lot of alcohol, and the fishermen, especially in winter, warmed themselves with alcohol. When they came home to the village, they said about them: “Oh, they came from Bodun again,” explains Tikhonov.

WITCH CIRCLES

Shaman Valentin Khagdaev recalls seeing luminous balls over the lake seven or eight years ago, which could be mistaken for unidentified flying objects.

“There are luminous balls, they stand over the strait, not only I saw this, but also a federal judge and my son. Dishes or not, they illuminated the water and then suddenly disappeared. It's not clear what it is. This shocked me,” said the shaman.

Mysterious luminous objects have been seen on Lake Baikal many times before. Back in 1971, Leningrad engineer Georgy Filippov wrote that he saw luminous columns on Olkhon, forming even pyramids.

According to Khagdaev, he also saw circles on Olkhon Island, which are popularly called “witches’ circles.” The circles definitely do not look like animal tracks: at the border of the circle, a strip of lush and tall grass appears. Ufologists believe that these are traces of aliens. Biologists are sure that these are just myceliums.

“In addition to witch circles, there are mysterious rock paintings in the shape of a space helmet, maybe aliens are depicted, maybe something else,” Khagdaev said.

The head of the Irkutsk-Cosmopoisk organization, Nikita Tomin, in turn, said that for decades now there has been talk about the possible existence of some kind of alien station at the bottom of Lake Baikal, but there is no noteworthy evidence of this yet.

“There is no actual evidence. There were dives to the bottom of Lake Baikal, but no one found the station. There were episodes of glow, we saw unidentified luminous objects take off from the surface of Lake Baikal, but the problem is, when we try to find out, it turns out that many stories are retellings of retellings,” Tomin said.

PLACE OF POWER

“There are places that give energy and strength, for example the Shamanka rock itself, where spirits protect and contemplate. Baikal has always been a sacred place, and after UNESCO began to protect it, the lake attracted scientists from all over the world,” said the shaman.

Shamanka is located on Cape Burkhan and consists of white marble, granite and quartz. Inside the rock there is a cave where shamans have performed rituals and sacrifices for centuries. This place has been considered “strong” for as long as the local population can remember its history. But at the same time, the force was not characterized as good and life-giving.

In the old days, people suspected of something were brought to the Shaman to check their guilt. If the water knocked a person off his feet, then this confirmed the suspicions. There is a legend that the fidelity of wives was also tested here. They were left with the Shaman for the night. If a woman did not go crazy by morning, it means she is a respectable wife.

There are other so-called places of power - these are capes Bogatyr, Ryty and Khoboy, but not every one of them can be visited by tourists; according to the interlocutor, local residents carefully protect them.

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We are in website We simply love secrets, riddles and legends. And Baikal is just a treasure trove of such stories. Many of the local myths border on the crazy, but some of them can be explained scientifically.

Mirages

More than once during their lives, local residents, when going out on boats to fish, encountered realistic pictures depicting something that should not have been there. The most common mirages are castles, ancient ships and islands. Scientists explain this phenomenon simply: the deep waters of the lake never warm up, remaining cold even in the hot summer, and the air above the surface is warm, which creates resonance. Air layers of different densities refract the sun's rays, which is why pictures are formed. Locals call them “golomenitsa”. This is a phenomenon on Lake Baikal in which it is possible to see objects on the horizon that are actually located 40 kilometers away.

Ice

Baikal ice presents scientists with many mysteries. Thus, in the 1930s, specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station discovered unusual forms of ice cover, characteristic only of Lake Baikal. For example, hills are cone-shaped ice hills up to 6 meters high, hollow inside. In appearance, they resemble ice tents, “open” in the direction opposite to the shore. The hills can be located separately, and sometimes form miniature “mountain ranges”.

Funnel

Not only mirages occur near Olkhon Island, but also an eerie funnel that forms spontaneously regardless of meteorological conditions. To see it, you need to move in a south-eastern direction from the island; about 30 kilometers from it there is a place called the Devil's Funnel. A couple of times a year, it is here that, when there is complete calm, the elements begin to rage, forming a rotating column of water.

Scientists offer several versions of the causes of the phenomenon. One of them is based on the assumption of local dips in the bottom of Lake Baikal with the formation of cavities that quickly fill with water, which leads to the formation of a whirlpool on the surface.

According to another theory, it is at the point where the funnel is formed that a collision of two local countercurrents occurs. The directions and strength of these currents depend on the time of year and weather, so that under certain conditions the water flows move strictly towards each other. This interaction of countercurrents can indeed lead to very powerful whirlpools.

Witch circles

On the road to the salt lake Shara-Nur, 3 kilometers from the western coast of the island, you can encounter an interesting phenomenon - the mysterious Olkhon circles. They appear spontaneously in fields that have never seen arable land. There are no signs of trampling, on the contrary: along the border of a perfectly smooth circle, a strip of richer and taller grass appears - it is especially noticeable on usually dry areas of the ground. Mysterious crop circles are known to the peoples of different countries - they even came up with the name “witch circles” Since, according to legend, they appear here because of the round dances of witches. Researchers have so far determined that the intensive growth of plants in rings is not associated with soil characteristics or underground water sources.

Rings on ice

In satellite images of Lake Baikal, dark rings with a diameter of 5-7 kilometers can sometimes be seen on the spring ice. Such a ring was first seen in a satellite image taken in April 1999. The ring was located opposite Cape Krestovsky (not far from the village of Buguldeika). Presumably, the formation of circles is associated with emissions of natural flammable gas (methane) from the many kilometers of sedimentary layer of the bottom of Lake Baikal. In summer, in such places, bubbles rise from the depths to the surface, and in winter, “steam holes” with a diameter of half a meter to hundreds of meters are formed, where the ice is very thin or completely absent.

Baikal, in fact, is a miracle of nature, which appears to be the largest and deepest freshwater lake in the world. It is 636 km long and has an amazing crescent shape that stretches from north to southeast.
Lake Baikal is not only one of the most beautiful places on Earth, but also one of the most mysterious and sacred.
There are many holy places of natural origin on Baikal, associated with the belief of the local population in shamanic spirits; in such places they worshiped and made sacrifices. This lake is covered with a large number of legends and traditions.
A fracture in the earth’s crust runs along a tectonic fissure, so Baikal is a place of magnetic and energy anomalies and deviations.

Sergey Karpeev
The miracle of Russia and the glorious sea!
There is no limit to your shores!
The wind rejoices in the endless space,
Sluds ascend across the islands.

Waves caress careless stones,
A forgotten volcano lies dormant for centuries.
In the ethereal haze of forest ridges
The Khamar-Daban chain stretches.

Rocks, backwaters, taiga distances,
The hills have a cedar slope.
An ancient Buryat sanctuary beckons
Wonderful, mysterious island of Olkhon.

Storms, winds, buckets, bad weather -
What does the shaman foretell to us with his tambourine:
In a frenzied dance he conjures under the power
The spirit that everyone calls Burkhan.

Pink-delicate sunset blush
The clouds are drowning in your mirrors.
Melting, blue, evening fog
Hidden on the other side of the shore.

The water is like crystal, deep and transparent.
The fisherman throws his line.
Yarburst, burning like fire,
Pulls the crimson line in the sky.

The night begins full of stars:
The ladle sparkled with its seven stars.
With a heart and vision surpassed
You will shout: Our Baikal is beautiful and great!

ice caves of Borg-Dagan

Last time Baikal competes with the famous Bermuda Triangle - this attracts tourists interested in the secrets of the lake. The interest of ufologists in Baikal is not accidental - mysterious phenomena have recently been discovered on Baikal: rings appear out of nowhere on the ice and grass.

In March, residents of Bayandai once again saw a UFO landing. Eyewitnesses observe strange phenomena in the area of ​​the “Baikal triangle”: luminous balls, sparkling concentric circles and sudden weather changes. At the same time, many eyewitnesses claimed that everything they saw was accompanied by a “loss in time.”
Cases are well known when divers encounter strange underwater swimmers, at least three meters tall! There is information that in the area where the underwater neutrino telescope is located, at a depth of more than a kilometer, there is an alien spaceport - and this is precisely the reason for the appearance of the famous ice circles.
The mysteries of the North Baikal pyramids and the Kurykan Stonehenge on Cape Rytom have not been solved.

Turkin turtle, place to visit

LIVING BAIKAL
Living Baikal. When fishermen go fishing, they must perform a ritual and make a sacrifice to the spirit of Lake Burkhan for a successful fishing season, otherwise they may not return. Every year, Baikal takes several ships into its depths, which mysteriously disappear, and no one can then find either the ship or the drowned.
The deepest place of Baikal, which is located a few kilometers from the island, is called a particularly disastrous place. Olkhon. The fishermen nicknamed it “the devil’s funnel.” In this place, the water sometimes suddenly begins to boil, despite the fact that the weather around is calm and sunny. And this mad whirlpool has already swallowed up quite a few people. That's how insidious it is.

CAPE RYTYY
Many legends and traditions are associated with this place, the largest part of which is associated with Cape Ryty. It is located opposite the Svyatoy Nos peninsula in the central part of the lake. In ancient times, local people were forbidden to go to these places. Even the shamans that existed at that time did not venture beyond a certain place, which was designated by the Rita River.
Many scientists are trying to solve strange mysteries. They are mainly interested in the inexplicable phenomena that occur, and not in ancient legends. They suggest that in this place there is some kind of anomalous zone in which people are dying due to the fact that incomprehensible phenomena occur with equipment: helicopters, planes and others.
The first case occurred in 1907. Russian army officers tried to cross the lake at this point. When they rose up, a real hurricane began, their balloons were carried from side to side. The majority of people died from impacts on the rocky shores; the survivors, in turn, refused to fly over

Even today, the anomaly continues to operate. Airplanes flying over the lake lose their navigation systems and begin to experience problems with their engines. An example of this is the case of the crash of a modern Mi-2 helicopter in 2000. According to eyewitnesses, the helicopter was approaching the cape when it suddenly crashed into some invisible wall, lost control and crashed into the water. Since then, local pilots prefer to fly around this place.

A group of researchers and pilots decided to repeat the travel attempts of Russian officers, who set off to unravel the mystery of the anomalous place in four balloons and an accompanying helicopter. They prepared carefully and went to the lake. The flight went well until the middle of Lake Baikal, but when crossing the shore, a strong wind began, blowing from three sides. As in the case of the officers in 1907, the balloons were thrown from side to side. According to modern laws of aerodynamics, the units were raised to a height of five kilometers, where the wind died down. Then, when trying to land, the Mi-2, like the Mi-2, collided with an invisible wall, colliding with which, the equipment began to be carried towards the rocky shores, where there was no place to land. The researchers accidentally noticed a place among the pine trees, where they made a hard landing and quite safe. During the flight, there were some strange phenomena with the helicopter pilots. About halfway through the flight, one of them developed severe pain in his hands: the muscles were stiff, making it impossible to move his fingers. Navigation systems and a satellite phone that failed on the helicopter also indicated unexplained circumstances. Thanks to the fact that people were prepared for such “surprises,” the pilots were able to fly without modern instruments.
This flight was included in the Guinness Book of Records under the title of the first successful flight through airspace.

Cape Ryty is located on the western shore of Lake Baikal, opposite the widest point of the lake. For the local population, this place is sacred and forbidden to visit. Under no circumstances does any of the natives agree to land here on the shore.
Some believe that there was once an ancient city on this site, as evidenced by the artificial stone wall. Others talk about an increased radioactive background. To this day, ancient prohibitions are observed on Rytoy: you cannot cut down a tree or shoot an animal, otherwise the local spirit will be disturbed.
There are no trees and no settlements on the cape, single boats sail past without moistening to the shore, there is no road reaching this place, and there is not even a path along the coast. For unknown reasons, a taboo was imposed on visiting the cape by the local population, and this ban still applies in our time. Residents studiously avoid visiting it, calling it a cursed place, but when they talk, they can tell many mysterious stories associated with this sacred area. It is worth adding that this cape is part of the territory of the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve, and in order to land here, you need special permission from the administration. The reserve regime, combined with local shamanic prohibitions on visiting the sacred cape, did their job: only rare individuals dare to go deep into the gorge, and their stories about the mysteries of Ryty turned it into the main anomalous place on Lake Baikal. In recent years, many legends have been formed around this area. Branch fault of the river gorge. Rita has anomalous features, and since ancient times, visiting it has been taboo by local residents. There are no big reasons to violate these prohibitions now; there is no point simply for the sake of curiosity to enter a “terrible and sacred place” where angry gods live, the sons of the deity Ukher, who send strong winds and cast spells on visitors to their home. Shamanic spells still operate in our time; this is easy to verify by tracking the fate of people who violated the centuries-old ban and entered the gorge. Many of them died prematurely and suddenly. According to local customs, you cannot drive past this place without honoring the spirits of Ryty.

Also, anomalous phenomena occur with ships and other various equipment plowing the expanses of the fresh lake. Modern technology does not show correctly, it does not detect other ships around, compasses show the wrong direction. Mostly, strangeness occurs in front of the Olkhon Gate, where radars pick up unknown objects that are not visible to the human eye and immediately disappear.
Many local residents talk about strange objects rising from the water in the form of luminous balls that hover over the water surface. Also visible are strange concentric circles visible through the water mirror.

SHAMAN-STONE
At the source of the Angara River there is a rock protruding in the middle of the river. In ancient times, local residents of the Angara region endowed the Shaman Stone with miraculous powers. According to ancient beliefs, this was the habitat of the owner of the Angara - Ama Sagaan noyon. Particularly important shamanic rituals took place on the Shaman Stone, oaths were taken and prayers were made here in order to remove a false accusation or defend one’s honor; a criminal was brought here at night and left alone over a cold, freezing stream, so that by morning he would confess to his crime.
If by morning the water did not take him away, if he did not die from fear and the freezing breath of Lake Baikal, he was forgiven. Evidence of the veneration of the sacred stone is the bottom strewn with coins around the Shaman Stone.

CAPE KHOBOY
Cape Khoboy (in Buryat khoboy - “fang, molar”) is the northernmost cape. The spectacular columnar rock, reminiscent of a sharp fang in appearance, from the sea side, has a pronounced resemblance to the profile of a female head with a bust, as on ancient Greek galleys from the east and west.
The local name for the rock is Deva. There is a Buryat legend, according to which this is a petrified Buryat woman who, out of envy of her husband, asked the Tengris for the same palace as the one granted to her husband. Tengrii with the words: “As long as there is evil and envy on earth, you will be a stone” - they turned it into a rock.
Cape Khoboy has now been chosen by various spiritual schools as a place of meditation. On its northern side, these “representatives” did not hesitate to leave a legacy, leaving in the most prominent place the Roerich sign - a red circle with three dots inside. But the true, hidden sign of the island is not this at all. As a symbol of shamanic legends, on the northern edge of the monolithic rock, not visible from land and falling into the water, at a height inaccessible to humans, two huge eagle nests are stacked in the crevices of the cape. According to Buryat legends, the first person to receive the shamanic gift was the son of the formidable master-spirit of Olkhon Island, who lived in the form of a bald eagle. The veneration of this bird as the spirit of the island has survived to this day.

Cape Khoboy is associated with a legend about a dragon, which, flying over the sacred lake, dropped its fang. Having fallen on Khoboy, the fang of the mythological animal went deep into the ground, leaving a characteristic mark on the outlines of the island. Some scientists suggest that this legend is connected with memories of the fall of a certain cosmic body (possibly a small meteorite) that happened many thousands of years ago. It was precisely such a local catastrophe that could have caused the strong geomagnetic activity manifested in this part of Olkhon. Parapsychologists who often visit Khoboy note a constant powerful release of astral energy in the area of ​​the cape, which is associated with numerous cases of the appearance of ghostly substances here. Local residents claim that sometimes on the cape you can meet the spirits of your dead ancestors or even see your own previous incarnations. The spirit of the White shaman emerging from the waters of Lake Baikal became especially famous. It is believed that seeing a spirit is a sign of great luck.

The place is notable for the polyphonic echo that is reflected from the monolithic rock. Rare and relict herbs are found here. In winter, you can explore the grottoes, fabulously decorated with splashed ice and transparent icicles. They are located at the level of the water's edge, their entrances are oriented to the north. In the rocks, at water level, on the cape, there are grottoes up to 22 meters long; they can only be viewed in winter from the ice.

One of the most is the Shamanka rock on Cape Burkhan, consisting of white marble, granite and quartz.
The shaman was previously called the “stone-temple”. The first explorers of Lake Baikal - in particular, the famous Russian explorer Vladimir Obruchev - noted that this place evoked superstitious horror among the Baikal Buryats. No one except the shaman had the right to approach the sacred place. If need forced them, then the horses’ hooves were wrapped in felt and leather so as not to disturb the peace of the owner of Lake Baikal with their clattering noises. Women were supposed to walk around the rock two miles away.
A cave runs right through the Shamanka rock. By the standards of speleologists, it is not that big: it is about 12 meters long, up to 4.5 meters wide, and in some places 6.5 meters high. However, it was this cave that became the center of cult worship.

The Buryats were sure that Ezhin lived in the cave of the Shaman Rock. Ancient legends tell about 13 northern noyons - the sons of the divine Tengris, who descended from heaven to judge people and chose different places of residence. The eldest and strongest of them, Khan Khute-baabay, settled in the cave of the Shaman Rock.
According to the testimony of residents of the village of Khunzhir, located near Cape Burkhan, for centuries the cave was visited by shamans of many peoples who inhabited ancient Siberia. Priests of pagan religions performed rituals in the cave related to the cleansing of ancestral karma and the removal of curses; falling into a trance, they were able to contemplate pictures of the past and future.

Cape Bogatyr

CAPE BOGATYR
Since time immemorial, Bogatyr-Cape has had great attraction for the servants of shamanic cults. The ancient name of the cape - Fiery - is due to the fact that the first Russian travelers who sailed to the island at the end of the 16th century unexpectedly saw a huge pillar of fire shooting up in front of them from the Baikal waters to the sky. The fiery wall seemed to prevent foreigners from entering the sacred land of the island. A similar phenomenon on the Cape was noted from time to time later.
According to the words of the Buryat shaman Weirbek, it is known that at Cape Bogatyr it is customary to perform rituals associated with the spell of the elements of power: fire, wind and water. Until the first quarter of the 20th century, it was customary among the leaders and elders of local tribes and villages to bring newborn male babies to the Cape. It was believed that once in this place, the future leader or warrior acquired special physical and spiritual strength and received longevity.

LAKE SHARA-NUR
Not far from Baikal, on the way to the Tashkiney pad, surrounded by dense forest and hills, there is a small lake Shara-Nur, which translated from Buryat means “Yellow Lake”. It received this name for the cloudy color of the water, extremely saturated with hydrogen sulfide. For this reason, these days the pond attracts people suffering from joint diseases. They say that the disease disappears without a trace after several baths of the patient in the waters of Shara-Nur. In former times, the local population was afraid to dive into the lake, because they believed that a giant yellow snake, Shara-Kaaya, lived in it.

Local legends say: once upon a time in these parts there lived a brave hero who angered the evil spirit Erkin by not giving him his beautiful sister as his wife. As punishment, the evil spirit turned the hero into a huge snake, commanding him to live forever in the waters of the lake and feed on lake carrion and human flesh. It is believed that this is why the bodies of drowned people are never found in Shara-Nur - they are eaten by Shara-Kaaya. True, according to scientists, Shara-Nur, located more than 100 meters above sea level, is connected to Baikal by a network of underground tunnels, through which the bodies of drowned people escape along with the flowing water. However, even today, local hunters and fishermen claim that they sometimes hear sounds coming from the muddy waters, similar to the growl of an unknown giant creature.

MOUNT ALKHANAY
The highest mountain on the territory of the Agin Buryat National District - Alkhanay (1665 m) - is associated with the history of Buddhism and the name of Genghis Khan.

This is one of the Buddhist shrines of the Buryats. At its base is the Temple of the Greater Good. One of the interesting things here is a natural grotto, in the arch of which there is a crack that goes deep into the rock, and water oozes out of it, which is considered healing. Believers drink water and make offerings of grain or coins.
Astrological calculations of Buddhist monks showed that this particular peak is the place where people visit the middle world, the world of the Most High, where the gods live. And the main patron of the highest point of Alkhanaya is the deity Demchog - one of the five main Buddhas, whose name translated from Tibetan means Eternal Good.
Since ancient times, the Buryat and Mongol tribes have spiritualized these places. There are 12 shrines on Alkhanai. The most revered of them is Uuden Sume (Gate Temple). This natural arch in the rock, according to the lamas, forms a channel connecting our world with Shambhala.
A meter-high stone parapet surrounds the path along which pilgrims walk to the temple. Pilgrims lift stones from the path and thus make the path easier for those following them. Under the arch there is a suburgan - a small Buddhist stupa built in 1864.

GENGISH KHAN'S TABLE
The legendary place associated with the name of the great warrior is the Table of Genghis Khan (“Chinggis khaanay sheree”) in the area between the Ugutere and Barun-Khandagai rivers.

It is a huge boulder, on which, according to legend, ancient writings were written. Located in the foothills of Tunkinskie Goltsy, 4 km west of the former Khandagatai datsan. Its dimensions are 8x6x1.5 m, the shape is ovoid at the bottom and flat at the top.
On the north side there is a “stone chair” measuring 3x1.5 m. A revered place for Buddhist and shamanic rituals by local residents.
The word “sheree” is very important: it is not just a table, but a throne.

WHITE MOUNTAIN
Sacred Evenki place. It is located in the central part of the Vitim Plateau, on the eastern edge of the Malo-Amalat depression, on the left bank of the Bagdarinka River. At the foot of the White Mountain is the center of the Bauntovsky Evenki district - the village. Bagdarin. The village is named after the mountain - its Evenki name is Bagda-ure (white mountain).

The height of the mountain is 170 m. It is composed of light gray dolomites, and therefore appears white from a distance. The steep southwestern slope is completely devoid of soil and vegetation. The upper part is decorated with a number of steep, bizarre rock outcrops in the form of towers, pyramids, and pillars.
White Mountain has the status of a sacred place. Since ancient times, prayer rituals have been performed here with sacrifices intended for the majestic and omnipotent spirit of the mountain.

MOUNTAIN PRESS
Zhima - is a mountain 1276 meters high above sea level. It is located in the east of the island, on Cape Izhimei.
“Izhimei” has its roots in the word “ezhin,” meaning “master of the area.” The shamanic mythology of the ancients speaks of the god of thunder, the offspring of the Divine Sky itself, who wished to live near the famous Olkhon shaman Nagre-bo. Later, the palace of Mount Zhima passed to a couple of shamans, Ugete-noyon moved closer to the water's edge.

The aborigines honor the mountain and treat it as a shrine. According to legend, gods and spirits lived on Zhima. The top of the mountain was previously crowned by a hut made of wood; there was also a pine hut created by the hands of Olkhon shamans. The embodiment of the spirit of the mountain is a gray-haired and bearded old man. Local residents often told stories about lost travelers who were helped to reach people by an ancient elder.
The ascent and descent of the mountain will take all day, and the trail as such simply does not exist. You will have to walk, picking your way through dense forests and there will be no sources of water on the way. Therefore, it is worth taking the life-giving moisture with you.

BULL MOUNTAIN (BUKHA-NOYONOY-KHEBETSHE - SACRED MOUNTAIN)

A mountain near the village of Tory, Tunkinsky district of Buryatia, north of the Irkut River. Associated with the cult of the sacred ancestor of the representatives of the Buryat tribal union of the Bulagats Bukha Noyon - an earthly deity, patron of the elements of earth and pastures, cattle breeding. The cult of Bukh Noyon was later adopted by the Hongodors. Currently, all Tunka Buryats perform shamanic and Buddhist rituals at this place.

MOUNTAIN EHE-YORD
On the right bank of the Anga River, just two kilometers from Lake Baikal, eight kilometers from the village of Elantsy, a dome-shaped mound 42 meters high rises above the valley. The outlines of the mound, composed of gneisses, granite pegmatites, and quartz veins, seem to be man-made, although so far geologists have not found signs indicating that these slabs were brought here by people. There are no characteristic o-cult pyramidal piles of stones on Mount Erd or nearby, which would indicate that in ancient times stones were brought or brought to Mount Erd during some holiday.
Mount Ekhe-Yord is located on the same straight line from the Malaya Erdinskaya Hill to the sacred mountain on the shore of Lake Baikal; opposite these two hills, on the rocks on the left side of the Anga River valley, rock paintings depicting animals are well preserved. The antiquity of the drawings is also evidenced by the fact that the lower ones are covered with sedimentary rocks. Ancient drawings include a large number of images of running deer and drawings of horned people.

Here, starting in 2000, after a break of a hundred years, the Festival of the Indigenous Peoples of Baikal (Erdyn Games) is held every four years. Oral traditions about the games were preserved mainly by the Olkhon Buryats. Generalized information about them is as follows. Games were held either once a year, in the spring, in May, when the ground was covered with fresh greenery, or twice a year, in spring and autumn. The main event at the games is the multi-day circular dance Ekhor around the Ekhe Erd hill. To cover the entire perimeter of the hill with dancers, you must have at least 700 participants. When so many people did not gather for the festivities, the games were considered unsuccessful, and those who came left. In accordance with this, and in general, the year was considered unsuccessful, not bringing happiness and benefits to people. When a lot of people gathered, up to 2-3 thousand people, the games took place for several days, and the Ekhor dance was danced around the hills both day and night, and during the holiday the dancers wore out several pairs of shoes. During the holiday, only shamans climbed to the top of Mount Erd; no one else had such a right.

Baikal has always been famous for its legends and tales, unusual and harsh, most of these legends are associated with the island of Olkhon. This place is so saturated with all sorts of mystical legends and stories that now the very name of the island is associated with something mysterious. Be that as it may, the legends that have survived to this day about this place were passed down from father to son by ordinary Buryat fishermen, and were simply part of the history that the older generation should have known. And thanks to these legends and numerous archaeological finds found here, we can say with confidence that Olkhon was a very important and significant place on Lake Baikal, and not just a haven for fishermen.
Olkhon Island is the main sacred point of sacred Baikal, the geographic center of the ethnic territory of the Buryats living in Cisbaikalia and Transbaikalia. It abounds in sacred objects of national significance. Two of them are Mount Zhima (Izhimei) on Cape Izhimei and Cape Burkhan (Peshterny, Shamanka). Mount Zhima is located on the eastern, mountainous side of the island. It is believed that the name is associated with the word “ezhen” (master, mountain lord). Cape Burkhan juts out into the waters of Baikal with two high stone ridges and, together with another rocky cape - Bogatyr - creates a single ensemble-triad.

Cape Borga-Dagan,

Legends about Izhimei
Many legends and traditions are kept among the people about Mount Zhima in the Izhimei area, in the eastern part of Olkhon. Here it rises high above Lake Baikal; it is the highest point of the island (its height is 1276 m). The name of the area Izhimei comes from the word “ezhin” - owner, mountain ruler.
The legend of Izhimei tells that with the Mongols, who formerly inhabited the coast of Lake Baikal and Olkhon and professed the shamanic faith, lived the mighty shaman Nagrai-boo, respected by the Tengris, and his wife Zagrai-khatan. When Tengri Ugutei Noyon planned to resettle the Mongols in Transbaikalia, Nagrai-boo asked to leave him on Olkhon. Tengri allowed him to stay, moreover, he gave Mount Izhimei as a palace, and instead of children, which he did not have, he gave him an eagle.
According to another version from ancient shamanic myths, the thunder deity Ugutei Noyon, the son of Heaven, wished to settle next door to the famous Olkhon shaman Nagrai-boo and his wife Zagrai-khatan. However, then he began to live in the Burkhan cave, and gave up his palace on Izhimei to the shaman couple.
According to legend, a huge bear chained in chains lives on the mountain. The Buryats say that the bear was formerly either a hunter or a shaman, or maybe a hero or a king. They say that he turned into a bear by walking around a magical tree three times, but the tree was cut down and he remained a beast. According to another version, he was turned into a bear by Ezhin because he scared his horse, which threw the ruler to the ground.
Since ancient times, among the Olkhon Buryats there was a ban not only on climbing to the top of Izhimey, but also on visiting the shaman forest (relict spruce forest).

Cape Burkhan
Cape Burkhan is popularly known primarily as the place of residence of the owner of Olkhon (Oykhoni ezhen Khan Khoto babay, Oykhoni Buural babay, Uta sagan noyon, Oykhoni Ekhe babay Yalabsha). Here he resides both on the rock and in its cave.
According to the Kudin version, Boho Teli, a rival of Boho Muya, became Guzhir Tengri, married the daughter of the western sky Teme Nogon and had three sons from her - Erlen Khan, Gegen Burhan (Dalai Lama) and Khan Khoto Babai. The third son became the owner of the island and lives in a large palace in Lake Baikal. He controls a whole apparatus of spirits (noen suglan). Khan Khoto Babai is married to the daughter of the eastern sky Sag Sagan Tengri named Sag Sagai Sagan and has an eagle son.

the mystery of Baikal

Genghis Khan and Olkhon
There are at least three mentions of Genghis Khan in the legends of Olkhon Island, about how he visited the island and was even buried here.
One of the legends told by the Buryats tells that Genghis Khan “crossed Baikal with a dry foot in the area of ​​Olkhon Island.” Based on this legend, some geomorphologists believe that quite recently there was a land bridge across the Baikal basin. The unfoundedness of these statements is evident from the structure of the Baikal basin and its enormous depths in the area of ​​the supposed bridge. Such depths could not have been formed in a historically short period of time. But let’s not forget that Baikal is an extremely unusual place and examples of huge parts of the land going under water are known in not so distant history, for example, Proval Bay. In addition, in winter, Baikal can be easily crossed across the ice.
Another legend tells about the soldiers of Genghis Khan, who supposedly stopped in a camp on Cape Mare’s Head on Olkhon Island and left a huge vat at the very end of the cape. The legend was published by the German historian G. Miller in 1761 in “History of Siberia”:
...According to the stories of the Mongols, Genghis Khan had his main residence at the Onon rivers, which flows into the Shilka, and the Kurinlum, which flows into Lake Dalai. They also say that Genghis Khan sometimes reached Lake Baikal with his nomads. Proof of this should supposedly be the tagan that he placed on the mountain on the island of Olkhon, which is located on the lake mentioned above, and on the tagan a large cauldron in which lies a horse's head. Although I have not received confirmation of this from the Buryats living in the vicinity of Lake Baikal and on the island of Olkhon, I still consider the above news about the possessions of Genghis Khan to be very probable, since the first lands conquered by Genghis Khan - China and Tangut - lie nearby...
There is also a legend that talks about Olkhon as the burial place of Genghis Khan. It is said that there are eight false graves of the formidable conqueror. These eight false graves contain jewelry and signs of power that belonged to him. But the body itself is hidden in some secret place. They say that after the burial of the bloody conqueror, a herd of horses was driven over his grave so that nothing could indicate the place of burial. The search for Genghis Khan's grave began almost immediately after his death.
According to this version, the real grave of Genghis Khan is located deep in a cave on Olkhon Island. As you know, a real grave contains not only the ashes of the conqueror and countless treasures. They say that the so-called “living blood” is also found there. Ancient sources report that Genghis Khan knew the secret of artificial blood, which prolongs human life to almost 1000 years. This blood does not clot and instantly heals wounds.
Silver vessels with “living blood” were allegedly taken by Genghis Khan from Siberia. It was here in eastern Siberia that the conqueror bequeathed to bury himself. According to legend, on the appointed day and hour this blood will fall into the ashes of Genghis Khan and he will come to life. True or false, this prophecy has not yet come true. The good spirits of Baikal did not want to bring the bloody king back to life.

chief shaman of Olkhon island

Olkhon. Places of power
Olkhon Island is the main sacred point of sacred Baikal, the geographic center of the ethnic territory of the Buryats living in Cisbaikalia and Transbaikalia. It abounds in sacred objects of national significance. Two of them are Mount Zhima (Izhimei) on Cape Izhimei and Cape Burkhan (Peshterny, Shamanka). Mount Zhima is located on the eastern, mountainous side of the island. It is believed that the name is associated with the word “ezhen” (master, mountain lord). Cape Burkhan juts out into the waters of Baikal with two high stone ridges and, together with another rocky cape - Bogatyr - creates a single ensemble-triad. Shara-nur... Salt lake near the village of Yalgi. According to legend, a wounded warrior, bleeding, ran away from his enemies and spent the night near this swamp. Miraculously, all the wounds quickly healed. Since then, people have discovered the healing properties of Shara-nur mud. The smell suggests that the lake is not hydrogen sulfide, it is radon. It used to be a huge lake. But now the water in it is only waist-deep.

When I was preparing for a trip to the Pacific Ocean, I stopped by as a precaution, or rather walked from Yalga to a lake located behind the steep hills. Not every car will go there. And so I asked the shaman Gena Tugolov, a resident of Yalga, to take me to the place of power. As a result, I spent the whole day there, basking in the mud and sunbathing on the opposite bank. The feeling is very relaxing. Luckily the day was quite warm. But in the evening it was necessary to take the fermented bones to Baikal itself, at least for washing. Previously, there was a winter hut along the winding forest path. Now it is destroyed, the hut is cluttered. And now, after an hour or two, I am approaching the open sea. It was very vehement.
And then a woman with a huge shepherd ran up to me and asked me where I was from? I say - from Kazakhstan - this is my homeland. She - Wow! And I’m from there, they say, fellow countrymen, well, of course I went to them - especially since it was starting to storm: a snack with strong drinks and an overnight stay were welcome. So, the place of power not only gives energy to the body, but also creates favorable situations for interaction with others. This happens as an unexpected harmonization of a person.
Closer to Khoboy there is the Rock of Love - this is a place where you can turn to the spirits with a request to find a life partner. This rock is divided into two parts, like the humps of a camel. But they are very different - one of them is male - it is more directed upward and covered with scale lichen, while the female one is flatter, crushed stone, white and consists of more smoothed shapes. There they ask for their other half. The mountain is divided into male and female. Men ask while standing, and women often sit down and begin to mentally list all the qualities that their potential spouse should have. More often than not, if prayers are answered, mushroom rain may fall from the sunny sky. By the way, you can expect a spouse for a long time afterwards. The main thing is not to forget why you need all this. And suddenly the criteria change...

Rock Sagan-Khushun - Three brothers. In each of them you can see a human profile. According to legend, there lived a family of three brothers and a sister. She ran away with her lover. But her father sent three brothers after her. She begged them not to return her home, because she was happily married. They agreed and returned home, telling their father that they had not seen their sister. When he clarified whether they were telling the truth, they confirmed it. Dad was a shaman and saw through everything. He got angry and turned his sons into stones. And as long as children lie to their parents, the rock named after the Three Brothers exists. On Khoboy you feel as if you are on the bow of a mystical ship cutting through the waves of a giant ocean. The feeling is always amazing - like being on the edge of the earth. As if he was the discoverer of the junction of the elements: water and stone.

magic crystal of Baikal

The gate of death is Mount Izhimei.
Because this is the highest point of Baikal, and there is a mountain opposite the deepest place of Baikal. Since ancient times, this was considered the gateway to another world. No one is allowed to go to Izhimei. Because simply idle interest later gives rise to a lot of diseases... This is really not worth checking. Like hiking to the Shamanka rock. Because women, for example, lose their reproductive function, and men are simply energetically destroyed. So places of power should be visited with a very clear purpose and not very often. The legend of Izhimei tells that with the Mongols, who formerly inhabited the coast of Baikal and Olkhon and professed the shamanic faith, lived the mighty shaman Nagrai Boo, respected by the Tengris, and his wife Zagrai Khatan. When Tengri Ugutei-Noyon planned to resettle the Mongols in Transbaikalia, Nagrai Boo asked to be left on Olkhon. Tengri allowed him to stay, moreover, he gave Mount Izhimei as a palace, and instead of children, which he did not have, he gave him an eagle.

According to another version, the thunder deity Ugutei noyon, the son of Heaven, wished to settle next door to the famous Olkhon shaman Nagrai boo and his wife Zagrai Khatan. But then he gave up his palace on Izhimei to the shaman and began to live in a cave at Cape Burkhan. Cape Burkhan is popularly known primarily as the place of residence of the owner of Olkhon (Oykhoni ezhen Khan Khoto babay, Oykhoni Buural babay, Uta sagan noyon, Oykhoni Ekhe babay Yalabsha). Here he resides both on the rock and in its cave.

According to the Kudin version, Boho Teli, a rival of Boho Muya, became Guzhir Tengri, married the daughter of the western sky Teme Nogon and had three sons from her - Erlen Khan, Gegen Burhan (Dalai Lama) and Khan Khoto Babai. The third son became the owner of the island and lives in a large palace in Lake Baikal. He controls a whole apparatus of spirits (noen suglan). Khan Khoto Babai is married to the daughter of the eastern sky Sag Sagan Tengri named Sag Sagai Sagan and has an eagle son.

There are other natural monuments: the Virgin Rock and Cape Khoboy (Fang) - the northern tip of Olkhon, steeply falling into the cold Baikal waters. From the south, the outlines of this rock resemble a majestic female figure with a clearly defined head, nose, chin, and chest. There are a total of thirty rocky islands on Baikal, fourteen of them are located in the Small Sea, i.e. in the Olkhon area.

“Witches’ Circles” on Olkhon
On the road to the salt lake Shara-Nur, 3 km from the western coast of the island, you can encounter an interesting phenomenon - the mysterious Olkhon circles. They periodically appear by themselves in fields that have never seen arable land.
Mysterious crop circles are known to the peoples of different countries - they even came up with a name for them - “witch circles” (in Germany it was believed that such traces remain after the Sabbaths). And in fairy tale folklore, such circles on the grass are called “fairy rings,” through which fairies (in some references elves) travel between worlds.
Of course, these are not the famous and complex pictograms, as, for example, in the fields of southern England, but they surprise most tourists who encounter the phenomenon.
What puzzles researchers is that the circles do not appear to be the result of natural forces or animal tracks. There are no signs of trampling; on the contrary, a strip of richer and taller grass appears along the border of a perfectly smooth circle - it is especially noticeable in usually dry areas of the steppe.
It is also obvious that the circles are not traces of human activity. Their sizes are sometimes 20-30 times larger than the base of typical Buryat yurts. They are often located on steep slopes, which are clearly not suitable for arranging housing. It was as if something had descended from the sky and left a circular imprint in a wild field.
From the legends of local residents it is known that these are traces of a round dance of dancing Tengri children descending to earth from heaven for their fun on the new moon.
For young people brought up on ufological sensations about flying saucers, the following explanation about the circles on Olkhon, posted by someone on the Internet, will be typical: “Slightly strange “feelings” in the center of the circle, approximately in an area with a diameter of 1-1.5 m. more interesting “effects” at the border (along the entire perimeter): passing inside the circle is accompanied by a brief effect, as if you are pushing through a film; the return exit is invisible. Movement in a circle (along a dark stripe) in any direction is accompanied by the feeling that you are pushing yourself through the water with difficulty... In general, inside the circle - without any clearly identified features. But there is something interesting: after being in the circle for about 10 minutes, a state of calm and completion of affairs was revealed. Everything is fine, no need to rush...”

riddles and secrets of Lake Baikal

A significant part of young people are convinced that the circles on the grass in the Olkhon steppes are traces of UFO landings. “Anomalies” are studied with biometallic frames, photographed with light filters, in the center of the circle they go into a trance and experience unusual states of consciousness. Olkhon circles for young people are traces of aliens and their invisible flying saucers. However, biologists who have studied these plant manifestations have a much more logical explanation.
Only under a microscope can microscopic hyphae be seen in soil samples taken from a circle. It's a mycelium! It consists of many intertwined threads (hyphae) and can grow over a large area. If all threads receive equal nutrition, then the mycelium grows in the form of regular circles. Under favorable conditions, it grows from the center at a constant speed. Therefore, in the outer circle, where at this moment the young mycelium is sprouting, the grass on the surface is juicier and taller than inside the circle, where the mycelium is already dying off. It is no coincidence that circles of green grass are clearly visible in the dry steppe - the grass grows more actively on the nitrogenous fertilizers of the mycelium. The circles in the steppe become especially clear in mid-August after heavy rains.
Circles can be seen not only on Olkhon, but also in the steppes of the Tazheran massif, on the coast of the Small Sea, some of them are visible from the road from the ferry crossing to Khuzhir. Similar natural formations in the shape of regular circles can also be found on rocks covered with lichens. Lichens forming perfect circles grow on the rocks of Cape Sagan-Khushun. Sometimes they form a regular outline in the shape of a heart. Corals grow in the same way in the ocean, sometimes forming regular circles, or, like the famous coral reef off the coast of Australia, a regular heart shape.
It should be noted that mycelium and lichens are extremely sensitive to air pollution; their massive occurrence on Olkhon is evidence of a favorable environmental situation and the cleanliness of the surrounding air on the island.

mysterious Baikal - on the border of worlds

BAIKAL UFOs
published eyewitness testimony from N. Skosyrskaya from the village of Maksimikha, who reports “about UFO activity there and even sent corresponding pictures taken with a mobile phone. This indirectly confirms the probable location of the aliens’ underwater base at the bottom of Lake Baikal, which ufologists have long guessed.” There are increasing dubious reports about sightings of strange three-meter-tall underwater swimmers and “an alien spaceport at the bottom of Lake Baikal, which is the reason for the appearance of the famous circles on the ice of the lake.”

Accordingly, there were eyewitnesses who claimed to have observed large rotating funnels in calm water and large fireballs flying out of them, a huge underwater cave allegedly located on the underwater slope of Cape Izhimei, etc. I even managed to photograph one of these red “plasmonoids” at night with a professional camera. I was completely convinced that I had finally witnessed the characteristic flight of a UFO, taking off from a secret underground base of aliens on the island.
The fireball hung in one place above the shore for some time, then, gaining altitude, slowly floated out to sea, then abruptly changed the direction of its flight and, having developed speed, disappeared from view. During this time, I managed to get the camera out of the car, install a long-focus lens and photograph the flight path of a fiery object that was strange to me three times, handheld without a tripod. If I had not gone to look for eyewitnesses in the morning, this incident would have become another classic description of a UFO visit to Lake Baikal. The truth turned out to be banal; at night, vacationers launched an 80-centimeter Chinese red ball, inside of which a candle burned. I had never seen such balloons with a candle inside before, so from a great distance I mistook its iris luminous shell for a UFO and for another two hours at night unsuccessfully watched for a repetition of its flight.

Reality and myths
For example, scientists have registered a magnetic anomaly in the area of ​​the underwater Academic Ridge and near Olkhon, which has doubled over the past 50 years. On the ice of the lake opposite Cape Izhimei in winter, ideally regular multi-meter holes with melted edges began to be regularly recorded. To this should be added the interference in the magnetic fields that occurs here, which leads to malfunctions of ship navigation instruments and disrupts the passage of radio waves, forming unique zones of complete radio silence. Even here in April, above the thin ice, which even people no longer go out on, in the same place, employees of the weather station in Uzury began to annually observe an unusual mirage - a huge parallelepiped hanging above the thin spring ice, a ghostly aerial city, or a completely material UFO of large sizes.
This general description is quite suitable for the hypothesis about the technogenic nature of the phenomena (an underwater alien base or a fantastic spatial portal to other dimensions). Now this information is superimposed with a link to ancient myths, which tell that, in the deepest part of Lake Baikal, there is a place called the Devil's Funnel, where the water, when completely calm, suddenly begins to go wild, and soon a large funnel with incredible water appears at its very epicenter. rotation of water, sucking everything around into itself. The myths say that opposite Cape Izhimei, under the water in the lake there is an entrance to the underground underwater kingdom of the dead of Erlik Khan, from where there is no return. Here, in a water funnel at the bottom of Lake Baikal, a divine snake of enormous size, like a dragon, Abarga Mogoi, the progenitor and king of all snakes, went to live. Opposite this place on Olkhon Island is the sacred Mount Zhima, which has been forbidden for people to visit since ancient times. Consequently, it is from this mountain that tourists should observe the anomalies above the deepest place of Lake Baikal; a channel has been opened here to connect to the Polternet; according to rare eyewitnesses, this is several orders of magnitude more interesting than the Internet.

Aliens on Baikal
When this “incident” was exhausted, another rumor arose, already associated with “aliens.” They say they live at the bottom of Lake Baikal and, by organizing earthquakes, they do not want to allow “Worlds” into their forbidden existence, letting people know to leave them alone, otherwise they might get angry and destroy cities and towns on the shore of the lake.
We must admit that this rumor appeared in our area a couple of decades ago, with an emphasis on the fact that the unexpectedly inaccessible depths of Lake Baikal were inhabited by alien creatures. Local fishermen supposedly saw them more than once. One of them, Kultuch resident Nikolai Kireev, even showed me the place of the water area where he encountered a stunning vision. Once he and his friends arrived here for fishing, but suddenly humanoid creatures up to three meters high, dressed in shiny, seemingly metallic spacesuits, began to emerge from the water like dolphins, and immediately dived into the depths of the lake. Having abandoned their nets, the fishermen fled home on a motor boat and never went back to that terrible place. And Nikolai Kireev gave up fishing altogether. I also met with other participants in that long-standing story, and everyone unanimously confirmed the incredible fact. Kireev repeated his amazing story to the members of the deep-sea expedition when I brought him to the “Mirs” on the eve of the dives in Southern Baikal.
The fact is that during preparations for the descent of the vehicles near the Baikal pulp and cardboard mill, employees of the Irkutsk Ministry of Emergency Situations, who accompanied the expedition on their ship, told us a similar story. According to them, during the exercises, the divers found themselves near Baikalsk surrounded by those same “aliens,” and when they tried to capture one of them, they were thrown out of the depths by an unknown force and died on the shore from decompression. And it’s as if Shoigu himself instructed them, with the help of “Worlds,” to explore the area of ​​​​contact between extraterrestrial beings and people.
This message was completely inappropriate for us, since the hydronauts were planning deep-sea dives in this place, but not to meet with “aliens,” but to examine the settled substances of the chemical wastes of the BPPM. And although scientists were skeptical about information about paranormal phenomena, nevertheless, the heart sank at the thought that mysterious humanoid creatures of a higher civilization were about to appear from the eternal darkness of the deep abyss, and, God forbid, they would make us their prisoners.
Fortunately, no one approached, did not look into the submarine's windows from the outside, did not knock on the titanium body, or throw a net over the device. True, a hundred meters from the bottom at a depth of almost a kilometer we found ourselves in a strange white cloud, as if in milk, which is why we couldn’t see either the soil or the outboard instruments, and we had to do silt samples and water intake blindly. We were seriously scared later, when we rose to the surface, and our expedition colleagues reported that a catastrophic earthquake had just occurred with an epicenter in the area of ​​our work. How can one not believe in Baikal’s “resistance” to explore its forbidden depths! But we immediately responded with a joke: it was probably not a matter of “aliens”, but, perhaps, that the management of the BPPM staged an underwater explosion so that, due to the rising turbidity, “prying” eyes would not see the disaster that had already brought lake deep ecology enterprise.

Combat encounters with UFOs
Arriving in Moscow in the spring of 2009, I presented the foundation’s management with new material about Baikal “extraterrestrial” creatures. It turned out to be so convincing and easily verifiable that the members of the upcoming expedition of the second season began to think seriously, but ultimately did not abandon the decision to carry out several additional dives in the waters of the city of Baikalsk, which they carried out immediately as soon as they arrived at Baikal in early June. Despite the fact that almost a day before the work, a new serious earthquake occurred here. There were other natural warning signs of existing danger, which I will discuss later.
What kind of materials were these? This is a long article from the New York newspaper “New Russian Word” entitled “Combat contacts with UFOs.” Its author, former Soviet military officer Mark Steinberg, tells how unidentified flying objects behaved during meetings with units of various branches of the Soviet Army, and claims that until the early nineties this information was classified, and even today the military is reluctant to share it.
“...In the summer of 1982, together with Lieutenant Colonel Gennady Zverev, I conducted a gathering of reconnaissance divers from the Turkestan and Central Asian military districts in Issyk-Kul. Unexpectedly, the head of the diving service of the engineering troops of the USSR Ministry of Defense, Major General V. Demyanenko, flew to us. He informed us about an emergency incident at a similar meeting of the West Siberian and Transbaikal military districts, held at about the same time on the western shore of Lake Baikal.
There, reconnaissance divers, during combat training dives, repeatedly met unknown underwater swimmers, similar in every way to people, but huge, almost three meters tall, in tight-fitting silver overalls, despite the icy water of the lake. At depths of about 50 meters, they had no scuba gear or any other equipment - only a spherical helmet hiding their head. They moved at high speed.
Alarmed by this, the collection command decided to detain one such “ichthyander”, for which they dispatched a special group of seven divers led by an officer. However, when trying to throw a net over this creature, the entire group was thrown to the surface by some powerful impulse. And since the autonomous equipment of reconnaissance divers does not allow them to rise from such a depth without observing the decompression stops, all members of the ill-fated capture group were struck by decompression sickness. There is only one treatment - immediate decompression in a pressure chamber. There were several of them at the training camp, but only one was in working order, capable of accommodating no more than two people. They pushed four of them there. As a result, three, including the officer, died, the rest became disabled.
Subsequently, already in the state of Turk VO, we received an order from the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces with a detailed analysis of the Baikal emergency and dispensing appropriate slaps to those responsible. Attached to the order was an information bulletin from the headquarters of the engineering troops of the USSR Ministry of Defense, which listed, in particular, deep-sea lakes where anomalous phenomena were recorded, the appearance of underwater creatures similar to the Baikal type, the descent and ascent of huge disks and balls, a powerful glow from the depths, etc. All these documents were highly classified, were communicated to a limited circle of people and had the goal of “preventing and preventing in the future.”
Now I am beginning to guess what kind of military men I met in the Barguzin Bay in the summer of 1982-1983, who, in response to my questions about the purpose of their work on Lake Baikal, answered that they were studying the depths of the lake, and that limnologists did not know everything about its underwater life, what they write in their publications.
The facts and events stated in Mark Steinberg's article probably happened because it was not classified as speculation. In January 1993, it was reprinted on the pages of such a serious all-Russian socio-political publication as the Federation newspaper; no official refutations were received against it, nor were there any comments from the Ministry of Defense. Then I saw the publication in other newspapers and magazines of the country, with the addition of facts. In the same row are the stories of the divers of the Irkutsk Ministry of Emergency Situations, who either participated in those exercises or saw “aliens” on their own, and with the same tragic outcome for the fishermen.

Cape Holy Nose

Flying saucers
In the spring of the same 2009, on the eve of the second stage of the expedition on the “Mirs,” a wave of other exciting messages began to appear. NASA has released photographs of a mysterious anomaly on the ice of the lake, seen from space, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported. Almost perfect rings with a diameter of about 4 kilometers caught our eye on April 5, but the ISS crew monitored them until April 27, when they began to actively melt along with the ice. These rings appeared in the area of ​​the Holy Nose Peninsula and, what is especially interesting, near Baikalsk-Slyudyanka-Kultuk, where two catastrophic earthquakes occurred last year. These messages, of course, inspired ufologists, who suggested that giant “flying saucers” hovered here. Or, in extreme cases, anomalies akin to the one that appears in the grain fields of Europe in the form of circles of fallen plants.
These rings have puzzled scientists. They first began to appear on the ice back in 1984, 1992, 1999, 2003, but they were not given any importance. But gradually there were more of them, and in 2009 circles were recorded in three different parts of Baikal. The reasons and mechanism for the formation of ring ice phenomena are unknown. Some believe that we are dealing with warm water moving in a circle, washing away (preventing it from freezing?) the ice. But what is the reason for this upward flow of warm water from the bottom of the lake?
Some experts believe that the formation of circles is associated with abnormally large volumes of natural gas (methane) emissions from the bottom layers. The melted ice becomes saturated with water, and giant rings appear on the surface of the ice. They are so huge that they are invisible neither near nor from the coastal mountain. Chief researcher at the Geological Institute of the SB RAS, Alexander Tatarinov, believes that the circles are the result of the activity of gas-water-mud volcanoes at the bottom of Lake Baikal. So far, 20 such objects are known to exist. Warm gas with water, rising from the vents, “eats” the ice shell through the entire one and a half kilometer layer of water and forms rounded penetrations, giving the shape of the bottom holes. Scientists directly associate their activity in recent years with increasing seismic activity, that is, with earthquakes, after which, due to movements of the earth’s crust, volcanoes at the bottom of the lake begin to spew flammable gases.
Fellow geologists Valery Khaptanov and Yuri Bashkuev agree with him. According to them, the circles are sensational events, since such ring structures have never been seen before. Probably, we are talking about the formation of colossal heat sources at the bottom of Lake Baikal, that is, with the activation of some kind of fault under a thick layer of bottom sediments. This heat, as a rule, destroys the snow on the ice, creating “vents” that the seal uses. It is no coincidence that the spots near the Holy Nose and on Southern Baikal formed immediately after two earthquakes that occurred in the spring of 2009 (and they were there in the fall of 2009). All this is consistent with the forecasts of Irkutsk geologist Vasily Ruzhich about the upcoming colossal earthquake on Lake Baikal, the harbingers of which have already caused a lot of trouble to people on its shores. Up to 9 thousand earthquakes already occur per year in the Baikal rift zone, but only 45 of them are noticeable. In the first half of 2009 alone, 50 of them occurred, recorded by seismic stations.
But the rift zone is not only the water area of ​​Lake Baikal itself. Gases, it turns out, began to escape on land, destroying the coastal lake system. Hence the names of the lakes: Dukhovoe, Dead and the like. Kulin swamps and Torey lakes are known for their gas leaks, and they also caused water poisoning in Lake Kotokel. The presence of methane, even in a concentration of less than one mg per liter, is incompatible with the life activity of many commercial fish. Therefore, both omul and seal are dying en masse, like other fish of Lake Baikal. It is also dangerous for people. A man is sailing on a boat - and suddenly a gas erupts from the bottom of the lake. It is impossible to escape in thin water; you will sink to the bottom like a stone. And gas on Lake Baikal sometimes ignites and rises like a fiery torch, for which there is already a lot of scientifically documented evidence. A massive explosion can lead to disaster, as happens in the notorious “Bermuda Triangle” of the Atlantic. In 1986, a gas explosion on Lake Nyos in Africa killed 1,750 people living on its shores. The same thing can happen on Lake Baikal, and it is already happening on its shallow accompanying lakes.
The assumptions of Buryat geologists about the reason for the formation of ring structures associated with gas on Lake Baikal surprisingly coincided with the main task of the “Mirs” expedition to study gas hydrates at the bottom as a promising fuel for the future. Therefore, they were given the opportunity to make a series of dives into the “epicenter” of the recorded phenomena. Scientists visually assessed the available solid reserves with the volumes of the Kovykta gas field in the Irkutsk region. I have already written that the Mir deep-sea manned submersibles broke off a piece weighing about five kilograms from the “ice floe”. It was placed on a tray in front of the submarine's windows, and as it rose, scientists had the opportunity to observe the process of complete decomposition of the gas hydrate until the remains exploded 200 meters from the surface of the lake, almost damaging the apparatus.

MYSTERIOUS STORIES OF BAIKAL

Recently, the excitement around UFOs, once raised by the press and actively discussed at all levels, has somehow imperceptibly faded away. However, the mystery of “flying saucers” has not yet been solved, so questions regarding this phenomenon remain open. One of them is the interest shown by UFOs or the pilots within them in the largest and deepest lake on planet Earth.

Baikal is remarkable in that it is the largest reservoir of the highest quality and relatively clean (for now) fresh water. It contains about a fifth of the earth's reserves. Every year, Baikal produces about 60 cubic kilometers of beautiful and unique quality water, the importance of which is constantly increasing, and its purity is ensured by the vital activity of its unique flora and fauna. Baikal is unique in its natural features. Here, for example, there are more sunny days a year than at the famous Black Sea resorts. Besides all this, the lake is one of the oldest in the world. It has existed for about 25 million years.

Cosmonaut A. Leonov called Baikal “a pearl on the green carpet of Siberia.” And if all the astronauts who visited the earth’s orbit noticed this pearl, then it would be strange if UFO pilots did not see it. And, it’s unlikely, they wouldn’t want to take a closer look...

In August 1989, a group of students from vocational school-12 in Ulan-Ude was relaxing on Lake Baikal near a place called “Baikal Surf”. Early in the morning, going ashore, they observed an unusual phenomenon. It was cloudy and cool. A strong wind blew from the lake, driving noisy waves onto the shore. Far away on the lake they noticed some movement.

At first, the students decided that it was a sail, but only some kind of multi-colored one. True, the sail suddenly changed from triangular to square, then round, and stretched into an ellipse. And with all this, it continuously changed colors... Against the background of gray clouds and steel water, the colors seemed unusually bright. No one was able to determine the distance or size of the unusual object.

The whole phenomenon lasted about ten minutes. During this time, the incomprehensible object, continuing to change shape and colors, gradually disappeared. Everyone agreed that he plunged into the water. In the following days of rest, the guys constantly monitored the lake, but saw nothing else.

In mid-April 1996, V. Zykov, a resident of the village of Goryachinsk, which is located on the northeastern coast of Lake Baikal, was ice fishing. This time of year the lake has the best fishing. The day was bright and sunny. The wind blowing from the lake was usually protected by walls made of snow blocks. V. Zykov was sitting about two hundred meters from the shore. The bite was good, and he became interested in this matter, especially since the exceptionally clear water made it possible to observe the fish circling around the hook at a depth of six meters. The bottom, which was about ten meters away, was also clearly visible. Not far from V. Zykov his brother was sitting, and about a hundred meters away there were two more fishermen.

Somewhere closer to lunch, that is, around two in the afternoon, V. Zykov felt some slight trembling of the ice. Since ice fishing is associated with a certain risk, fishermen are usually always extremely careful. Other fishermen also began to look around, and my brother shouted: “There’s probably an earthquake!” This natural phenomenon happens often on Lake Baikal. Suddenly there was a strong roar, and the ice under our feet shook violently. Far from the fishermen, towards the middle of the lake, a powerful fountain seemed to burst out from under the ice - either water or steam. Together with pieces of ice and snow, it all rose high into the sky. Also, some vague body of uncertain shape and color flew into the sky.

Comparing what he saw with his brother, V. Zykov was surprised at the complete discrepancy: it seemed to him that the body was elliptical and dark, almost black, but his brother claimed that it was a silver ball. The similarity of the observation was in one thing - the unknown body simply disappeared into the sky. They were unable to question the other two fishermen because they quickly ran to the shore. But everything was calm, there was no sign of the ice floe breaking off from the shore. And the time of year did not yet correspond to ice drift. Baikal usually opens up in May-June and freezes completely in December.

The brothers did not dare to go to the place where the body flew out. Firstly, it is very difficult to determine the distance on Baikal: it seems that it is close, but in fact it is several kilometers. Secondly, a large hole could form, and since the water is quickly covered with ice and snow, one could fall through...

At the beginning of September 1998, a resident of the village of Barguzin, S. Potapov, was returning from digging potatoes. He lay on bags of dug up potatoes in a tractor cart and looked at the sky. At first he saw, as it seemed to him, a bird flying high in the sky. Since the cart was shaking violently on the uneven road, S. Potapov could not concentrate his gaze on the bird. He still managed to figure out that the flight speed and altitude were high for a bird. Light white clouds floated in the clear sky, and the “bird” soon disappeared into them. Only later, analyzing what he saw, he, in addition to the speed and height, remembered the unusual triangular shape of the wings and the black color. This triangle didn’t even look like a plane, or even like a bird.

A group of students from the Institute of Technology, vacationing in the Sor Bay area in June 1992, observed a strange glow in the water at night, which was located somewhere in the depths. At first, this glow resembled electric welding: periodic, dim flashes, slowly rising from the depths. Then the flashes disappeared, or rather, transformed into a large pulsating circle, which was already gliding along the surface of the water. This phenomenon was somewhat reminiscent of a circle from a spotlight. Since the students were sitting in a boat, and they had a receiver tuned to medium waves, when the circle approached the boat, strong interference arose. As the circle moved away from the boat, the interference disappeared. The whole phenomenon lasted no more than five minutes.

In September 1989, a silver cylinder hung over the Ulan-Ude airport for one hour at an altitude of approximately six hundred meters. It was observed by hundreds of passengers and airport workers. During this time, several flights were delayed, and two planes circled around the city, waiting for permission to land. This cylinder was not recorded in any way on the dispatchers' locators.

Already this evidence of observations of unusual phenomena is enough to convince us that UFOs are studying Lake Baikal and the surrounding areas. Perhaps they are interested in the clean water of the lake or the surrounding ecologically clean environment. Perhaps something else. But one thing is certain: Baikal, a unique creation on Earth, attracts not only people, but also aliens.

Unusual phenomena were seen not only above Lake Baikal, but also in its water column. In 1977, deep-sea research was carried out on the lake using Pisis devices. Two employees of the Institute of Oceanology named after. P.P. Shirshov of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences Aleksandrov V.M. and Seliverstov G.R. dived to a depth of 1410 meters.

The descent was carried out along the slope of the underwater ridge. At a depth of 1,200 meters, the researchers turned off the spotlights to study the depth of penetration of sunlight. However, after the spotlights went out, the researchers continued to observe a fairly strong glow in the water. V.M. Aleksandrov said in a private conversation that there was such a light, as if the apparatus was illuminated from above by a strong spotlight." A few seconds later, the unknown spotlight went out, and they found themselves in complete darkness.

All the above evidence is just a part of more than two hundred recorded testimonies of unusual phenomena and objects observed above and around Lake Baikal. Sometimes they are so fantastic that it is difficult to believe in their reality. But how many witnesses of the unusual prefer to remain silent, so as not to look ridiculous in the eyes of others! And who knows, maybe the evidence they are silent about is even more fantastic than the known, recorded ones.

SMILE OF THE SHAMAN

During her unusually long life, my faithful dog, a shepherd named Taiga, several times found herself in mysterious and sometimes simply paranormal circumstances. I don’t know whether this is connected with the events that accompanied our meeting, or whether it is just a series of accidents, a whim of blind fate that has cast its mysterious shadow on us.
The events described below occurred in August 2001, by that time I was already married and worked in one of the veterinary clinics in our city. My wife, with the rare name Philippa, worked in the field of education, so her vacation always fell in the summer, but in this sense I was less fortunate and had to adapt to be able to relax together. That year we were planning a trip abroad, but these plans were not destined to come true. Due to spontaneous, extremely unfortunate circumstances beyond my control, I lost my passport. To my deep surprise, Phil was not at all upset, quite the contrary.
“You know,” she said, after listening to my excuses, “I think it’s even better.” Do you remember, not so long ago, the Provodnikovs called us and invited us to go with them to Baikal this summer? We refused them then, however, taking into account the current circumstances, I think it will be necessary to consider their offer again, what do you think?
It should be noted that we have been friends with the Provodnikov family for quite a long time. My wife introduced me to them. Sergei and Anna Provodnikov were a very active married couple. They constantly took part in some kind of hikes, either skiing, kayaking, or simply climbing mountains, and this despite the fact that they had a six-year-old child, whom they constantly had to leave with their parents. From communicating with Sergei, I once found out that they are co-owners of several tourist centers, in general, these are those people who have both the means and the time.

Before, I had only heard about the beauty of Baikal and seen a couple of pictures on postcards. There was nothing to think about, and we immediately contacted the Provodnikovs. It turned out that they, having never found travel companions, were already planning to travel together, so our call came as a pleasant surprise for them.
“So,” Sergei said at the meeting before the trip, “There are four of us, our goal is Olkhon Island, and the central event of the trip will be a visit to the international gathering of shamans, taking place there on August 1.” We will get to Irkutsk by plane, a car will be waiting for us there, in about four hours we will get to the island, then through the Olkhon Gate crossing, we will stop in the village of Khuzhir.
- Gathering of shamans? - I asked skeptically.
- Exactly! - Provodnikov answered and added, “Shamans from all over the world will gather there, even from America and Mexico, isn’t it interesting?”
“Perhaps...” I agreed hesitantly.
After a week of feverish packing and mental preparation, we were ready to hit the road. Some difficulties arose with arranging air tickets, since we decided to take Taiga with us! She had to spend several hours in the luggage compartment.
We landed in Irkutsk in the afternoon, after which we immediately transferred to a huge all-terrain vehicle, which looked more like an armored personnel carrier than a familiar SUV; some acquaintances lent it to Sergei. On this miracle transport with four wheels on each side, we reached the village of Bayandai in about two hours, from there we headed south to the settlement of Elantsy and finally reached the ferry to Olkhon Island. We had to wait in line for several hours to get to the ferry; as a result, we only got to the island early in the morning. There was a thick fog hanging over the road, visibility was only a few meters. It was 35 kilometers to Khuzhir on an unpaved, but surprisingly flat road. Other tourist cars remained within our visibility only for the first few kilometers, then the vague silhouettes of the cars were swallowed up by a ghostly fog. It seemed that we were left alone on the entire island, and only the distant sounds of engines, muffled from the depths of the foggy veil, reminded us of the presence of other people. To the left, the cries of seagulls could be heard circling over the invisible surface of Baikal in search of morning prey, Taiga became worried.

Suddenly, with a loud, piercing scream, a huge black bird almost crashed into our windshield. Instantly jumping out of the dense wall of fog, she barely had time to brake in the air, spreading her wings, and sharply went up, flying a few centimeters from the driver’s face. We braked sharply, the girls screamed almost in unison, Taiga, sticking her muzzle out the half-open window, barked for a long time and displeasedly at the worthless bird. As we approached the village, the fog began to dissipate.
By the time we got there, our mood had improved noticeably and the fog had cleared, revealing stunning views of the majestic lake. The spectacle was truly breathtaking; it seemed that the matte blue surface of the water merged with the sapphire mountains in the distance, and they, in turn, turned into the endless azure of the sky, barely touched by thin, sparse clouds. Everything was drowned in shades of blue, the landscape gave the impression of unity and harmony. Having admired the beauty that surrounded us, which took our breath away, we did not even notice how our journey ended.
In appearance, Khuzhir was no different from an ordinary village, cut off from civilization by hundreds of kilometers, except that there were an unusually large number of cars here. The feeling of majestic peace evoked by Lake Baikal quickly disappeared in the village; bustle reigned here. Cars drove, people hurriedly walked back and forth. Someone was carrying a large aluminum flask in a wheelbarrow, and soon a rattling moped with three riders rushed past us, followed by a whole gang of village boys on bicycles. Most of them pedaled barefoot, wearing worn-out jeans, half of them didn’t even have T-shirts, but they were making an unusual noise, the weather being favorable.

Having driven through the entire settlement, we reached the meeting place, located outside of Khuzhir. Leaving our armored personnel carrier at a special parking lot, our team took a tent and supplies with us and headed towards the tent city set up at the famous Cape “Shamanka Rock”, a sacred place for all shamans, Tengriists and Tibetan Buddhists. A rock rose out of the water like the head of a giant dragon, surveying the surrounding area. Leading to it was a tapering strip of land, covered with greenery in the center, and on the sides, with sand extending into the water, this strip clearly resembled a dragon's tongue. They say that in ancient times no one was allowed here, especially women, however, it immediately became clear to us that those times had long since sunk into oblivion.
Having found a place for our camp and settled there, we headed into the thick of things. The crowd of people was simply huge, and who was there? Some guys with some kind of beards, tambourines, feathers, totems, women in deer skins with beads made of bones, decorations in the form of multi-colored ribbons tied on their arms, legs and heads. Taiga was without a leash, and, nevertheless, she huddled close to me in fear, unable to make sense of the crazy kaleidoscope of sounds and smells. In the distance, someone was vigorously beating a huge tambourine, the sound was very low, alarming. It was unknown where the muffled sounds of a jew's harp could be heard. The smells of a juniper fire, animal skins, raw grass, boiled meat swirled in the air; they mixed with many other, outlandish aromas, for which even the most famous hero of Patrick Suskind would hardly have chosen a name. We, trying not to be separated, slowly explored the numerous trade shelves lined up with memorable souvenirs of the Olkhon District Administration, objects of the cult of shamanism, Buddhism, and even Christianity! Everything that was happening looked more like a huge fair. Most of the shamans were dressed in predominantly blue clothes, and blue scraps of fabric were visible on rare trees. However, there were also very prominent shamans, in red, gold and gray robes. Some shamans resembled ordinary overweight saleswomen from grocery stores, wearing unremarkable long blouses and black trousers that hid the figure of Paleolithic Venuses. From the total mass they were distinguished only by tambourines and amulets of various sizes, lying regally on their huge chests. Walking closer to the water, we came across tents of national cultures. There were northern shamans selling products made from “mammoth” bones for suspiciously little money, they winked greasyly and in broken Russian offered to buy from them a walrus baculum with enormous magical powers. There was also the only North American shaman wearing a headdress of bright feathers. Despite the fact that he spoke Russian well, which raised doubts about his authenticity, I bought a couple of bright beads from him. The Mexican tent was very colorful, overflowing with colored scarves and ponchos. In it, behind the counter stood a bald, tanned, naked man to the waist, with a body painted with henna, who claimed to be a Mayan priest and was selling books by Carlos Castaneda. To our question about the availability of “special” cacti or at least tequila for sale, he answered extremely irritably; obviously, we were far from the first to pester him with such requests. The tent of national Indian culture has been occupied by Hare Krishnas! They played an Indian harmonica, a sort of upside-down accordion, and sang the maha-mantra, contributing to the confusion that enveloped the participants in this festival of surrealism. On the other side of the camp, closer to the village, ordinary informals were already hanging out, long-haired guys in leather jackets played the guitar during recess, and girls dressed in hippie style with wreaths on their heads enthusiastically sang famous guitar songs, which mixed in with the general hubbub of what was happening "Everything goes according to plan". In general, it was enough to make your head spin; the action was painfully reminiscent of the Grushinsky festival, gathering a huge bunch of freaks in one place.

About a kilometer from Shamanka Rock, at the place where the cape meets the smooth coastline of the island, the trees thickened, forming something like a small mixed grove. On the border of this grove several people were sitting in a semicircle. Interested in their privacy, I separated from my companions and walked in the direction of the people who had attracted my attention. Taiga kept pace nearby. As I approached, I saw that one of the group was sitting in the center and playing the harp, and the followers around him, throwing their heads back, swayed to the beat. I approached, the action continued, Taiga, feeling freedom from the overwhelming crowd, ran away from me and rushed along the shore about three hundred meters away. The man playing music didn’t look much like a shaman; if it weren’t for his specific musical instrument and the context of the situation, I would have taken him for a typical homeless person. He was old, dirty, unshaven, with unhealthy shiny skin. Dressed in ordinary rags of an indeterminate dark color, pants torn below the knees, shirt unbuttoned, hair black, curly, rolled into greasy ringlets. This went on for several minutes, I stood and listened to him play, it sounded good, although I could not discern the melody. Suddenly the shaman stopped playing, straightened up, the people around him also stopped swaying, they began to approach him one by one. Each person who approached bowed before the shaman, he made a strange gesture, passing his hand over the forehead of the person who approached, then the adherents handed their guru an object, a totem or an amulet, without removing it from his neck, he touched the object, and this completed the mystery. Some, having gone through such an intricate ritual, immediately left towards the festival, others returned to their places. As soon as it was over, the shaman and the remaining adepts stared at me, and silence fell.
“Accept the gift of spirits, too, wanderer, don’t anger old man Erlik,” the shaman’s voice was drunk and hoarse, strongly reminiscent of the drunken babble of our yard drunk Valera. This discrepancy between the content and the sound made me laugh against my will. Naturally, I was not going to approach, and it was disgusting.
- I’m not afraid of your spirits, Grandfather Erlik! - I said with a smile, but without anger or defiance, “And it wouldn’t hurt you to wash yourself, otherwise you’ll scare away all the spirits.”
Having finished, I was about to turn around to leave when I heard inarticulate muttering behind me. The shaman whispered something like “invited to visit, entwined with poppy seeds (or darkness), familiar, old, new”, something else incomprehensible like “installation”, repeated all this several times after me. Taiga ran up joyfully, she was dirty and happy. We returned to the others; I didn’t attach much importance to this incident.

After lunch, local shamans performed rituals. There were many of them, they furiously beat their tambourines, burned some stinking rubbish on small metal stands. Then the people split into groups, the largest of which gathered around the main shaman, among whom exactly he was the main one, I was never able to find out, everyone simply called him “the main shaman.” Around him there were many fans, followers, simply curious people, as well as photographers and even representatives of some TV channel with a camera. He was a gray-haired, neat old man, in a beautiful blue robe with a carmine belt and pockets, several amulets on his chest and something like a staff tied with strips of fabric of various colors. The chief shaman seemed tired, but good-natured, smiling warmly and welcomingly at everyone. At first he beat the tambourine a little, but he got tired of it very quickly, and he began to accept people one by one, and a line lined up to see him, as if going to confession. To my surprise, this pleasant old man began to perform the same operation on the people approaching him that the ragged shaman I had seen earlier had performed. However, unlike the latter, the chief shaman first listened to each person who approached him, nodded his head, and gave advice. This went on for quite a long time, after about two hours the crowds had subsided, and the opportunity arose to take a closer look at this grandfather. All four of us approached the fence itself and watched what was happening. The elder looked very tired; he kept rubbing his knee, which was clearly bothering him.
And suddenly, completely unexpectedly, Taiga jumped over a low wooden fence and ran up to the main shaman. In a panic, I rushed after her, frantically calling for the dog to return. It should be noted that by her origin, Taiga is a service dog; it took her a long time to get used to city life and, nevertheless, even after six years spent in civilian life, she did not get along well with strangers. No, she was not aggressive, she never bit anyone during the whole time, she just tried to avoid strangers. If a person is from my social circle, she accepts him immediately, as a rule, without much objection. Affectionate with friends, Philippa simply adores. But she doesn’t trust strangers; I can’t remember a case where Taiga would run up to a stranger for no reason. And yet, then the shepherd dog jumped up to the shaman and joyfully twirled at his feet! He, without a shadow of embarrassment or fear, patted her neck and declared that she was a “good dog”; this was unthinkable.
- Whose beauty is this? - the shaman asked with his constant smile.
“Mine,” I answered, running up and trying to grab Taiga’s collar.
- Good, good dog! - he continued and looked me straight in the eyes, - A strong amulet, a gift from God.
At that moment I stopped trying to catch the dog and stared at the shaman.
- She saved you from other people’s spirits, she will also protect you from earth and water, but she only needs help. - With these words, he put his hand into his knapsack, which lay nearby, rummaged through it indiscriminately, in the manner of girls who blindly try to feel in their bottomless bags the small object they need, and pulled out something resembling a patterned ring, as it seemed , from ordinary copper wire. The object was no more than five centimeters in diameter, with feathers screwed into it. The shaman bent down and attached it directly to Taiga’s collar, to the leash ring. Moreover, I got the impression that the dog itself lifted its muzzle to make it easier for him to catch.
- Here you go! Now everything is in order. - Having said this, the old man seemed to let go of the shepherd, she immediately rushed to me and began to rub at my feet, joyfully waving her tail.
“Thank you,” I said in confusion, turning to the shaman, who was already receiving the next pilgrim. He quickly smiled at me with only his eyes and nodded quietly.

We moved away. My companions looked at me dumbfounded, my wife grimaced questioningly. I shrugged.
We discussed what had happened for a long time, I said that I was amazed by the atmosphere of this place, despite all its eclecticism. The day was drawing to a close. If it is possible to fully describe in words the sunset on Lake Baikal, then you need to spend at least two hundred pages on it. The morning blue kingdom of serenity lit up with fiery red colors, the sky was covered with clouds scorched by the setting sun. The night promised to be very dark.
In the middle of the night I suddenly woke up. I looked around, I don’t understand what woke me up. Taiga was snoring at his feet, his wife was next to him, and on the other side the Provodnikovs were snoring in their sleeping bags. I listened, no sounds were heard outside the tent at all, this alarmed me. I carefully climbed out, trying not to wake anyone. The silence was dead, the sky was covered with thick clouds, through which the blurry disk of the moon could barely be seen. The town was asleep, rare lights of the village could be seen in the distance, the lake was practically invisible.
A shadow slid very quickly from the shore. I got cold feet, looked closer - there seemed to be no one. A sharp rustling a few meters from the tent made me shudder again and stare in the direction of the sound coming from me. I strained my eyes, trying in vain to see anything. The feeling of fear was growing, it seemed that someone was about to rush at me from the darkness... Or something. Suddenly it dawned on me - a flashlight! The lighting device was immediately directed towards the mysterious noise. The sound of a rustling package, the shine of dark fur. It was a fox! The brazen brown thief was furiously tearing at a plastic bag containing someone's food supplies. In the beam of a fairly powerful flashlight, the animal did not even think about stopping what it was doing and retreating. The fear instantly receded and was replaced by curiosity, which forced me to take a step forward. The fox jumped to the side, moving very quickly, so that I barely had time to point the flashlight in its direction; it jumped from side to side, bending its front paws and raising its tail with each lunge in my direction; it did not look like aggression. Despite the absurdity of my assumption, I was sure that the devil was playing with me, and I began to carefully approach closer. The fox ran away, then stopped again and began to spin around, like a puppy trying to grab its own tail, and even began to bark slightly, as if beckoning me to approach. When we moved about three hundred meters away from the camp, the animal began to let me get closer to itself, snorted, continuing to lead me to a grove near the shore, not a soul around, the camp was close, not a hint of danger. Soon we found ourselves at the border of the forest, the wind howled, the trees began to sway, and in the light of a flashlight the grove darkened with gloomy depths. The fox ran into the grove, stopped near the nearest tree and began to fervently dig the ground. I watched this spectacle for some time, then decided to get closer, it seemed to me that the claws of an animal were scraping metal, I was overcome with excitement. And just as I was about to enter the grove, I heard a well-known barking from behind. It was Taiga. Downhill, with incredible speed, she rushed towards me, barking deafeningly. My ears started ringing. Not paying any attention to me, the shepherd rushed past, straight into the grove. I believed that, having heard the barking, the night visitor had long since disappeared into the wilderness, but I was wrong. Turning the flashlight towards the trees, I saw that the fox and Taiga were fighting fiercely! Rolling around in a ball, kicking up columns of dust, they furiously sank their teeth into each other. I could not move, it seemed to me that the fox was small, but now, in a fight with the shepherd, it seemed to have increased in size and continued to grow, turning from a cute fox into a huge ferocious beast. It was dark, the lighting was poor, but I saw that Taiga, too, seemed to be growing, not inferior in size to the enemy. It was all over very quickly. Taiga ran out of the grove, I wanted to caress her, but she slipped behind my back and, with all her might, clung to my leg, just below the calf. I felt the dog’s teeth biting through the skin, digging into the muscle, felt the blood begin to flow to the shoe, felt a sharp burning pain, and... woke up.

What a grove there is! I stood on the edge of a cliff just east of Cape Burkhan. Below, about forty meters away, the dark water of the majestic Baikal washes the sharp, alluring rocks. One more step, and the yawning abyss will swallow me. Taiga grabbed my leg, really bit through it and powerfully pulls me back, away from the cliff, my wife’s scream is heard from the side of the camp, Fil is running towards me along the slope. For a second I didn’t understand what was happening, then I weakened, succumbed to the dog’s efforts, leaned back from the cliff and fell on my back, almost crushing Taiga. She began to run around, looked at me blankly, sniffed me, the amulet on her collar was torn and lost its feathers.
The next morning we hastily left Olkhon, and three days later we were already home. The bitten leg didn’t bother me much; what bothered me more was the first attack of sleepwalking that happened to me and the dream that I experienced at the same time; it was incredibly vivid, detailed, realistic and remembered in all its details. The cases of somnambulism did not reoccur; the neurologist simply shrugged his shoulders, explaining that no sleep disorders had been identified in me, and advised me to rest, get enough sleep and, if possible, avoid stressful situations. He explained what happened to me as a mental reaction to a sudden change in situation and the specific nature of the area and circumstances. However, he could not explain another, much more real consequence of this case, like several other doctors. The fact is that after that night I completely lost the ability to distinguish tastes! Any dish, sweet, salty or even spicy, seemed like chewed paper to me. This went on for about three weeks, during which I managed to visit a fair number of doctors, they took tests, prescribed studies, shrugged their shoulders, announcing that no abnormalities were found, and prescribed vitamins. Then everything returned to normal, not to say abruptly, not to say gradually, somehow on its own.
Since then, sometimes I tease Taina and call her “mad fang,” and she gets offended and snorts. We restored the amulet on her collar using multi-colored feathers purchased at a nearby fishing store. The updated accessory, now nothing more than a memorable trinket, was presented to Taiga in a solemn home atmosphere, after which she put on airs for a long time and walked around the house with her muzzle in the air.
Subsequently, I repeatedly heard that near Shamanka Rock, tourists often see strange dreams, faint, and experience ecstatic states. All this confirms my opinion that religious traditions do not arise out of nowhere. It is quite possible that the forces hiding behind the cultural and historical symbols of certain religions can penetrate our world, and even somehow influence it.

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
(Gusev O.K. “On the enchanted shore.” - M., 1990. - P. 148.)
http://www.olkhon-myst.ru
http://nature.baikal.ru/olhon/

Encyclopedia of mysterious places in Russia.
http://ozerobaikal.info
http://anomalno.ru/neverojatnye_javlenija/neizvestnye_fakty/tajjnu_bajjkala_razgadat_poka_ne_udalos/
http://fanatbaikala.livejournal.com/
http://www.photosight.ru/
Gusev O.K. Sacred Baikal. Reserved lands of Baikal. - M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. - 184 p.
olkhon.su - website of Olkhon Island and Baikal
Mysterious Olkhon - Information portal of Olkhon Island

Several expeditions tried to unravel the mystery of the anomalous zone of Lake Baikal, but they went missing

Those who were lucky enough to return claimed to have seen strange things, for example, luminous balls, huge human-like creatures, sparkling concentric circles. At the same time, many argued that everything they saw was accompanied by a loss of time.

Scientists have been trying to uncover the secret of the “enchanted place” for many years. The only thing that was found out is the reason for the danger for people in the anomalous zone. Exorbitant levels of radiation activity have been recorded there. However, the participants in the upcoming trip are confident that they will be able to fly across the lake.

But if you don’t think about the terrible consequences of being in this “enchanted place,” then you must admit that among all the beauties and riches of Siberia, Lake Baikal occupies a special place. This is the greatest mystery of all that nature has given us.

There are still ongoing debates about how Baikal arose - as a result of inevitable slow transformations or because of a monstrous catastrophe and failure in the earth's crust.

This is the deepest lake on the globe. The maximum depth is 1637 m, near Cape Izhimei 1642 m. 23 thousand cubic meters are concentrated in Baikal. km of clean, transparent, fresh, low-mineralized, generously enriched with oxygen, unique in quality water.

First of all, Baikal is unique in its antiquity. It is about 25 million years old. Typically, a lake 10-20 thousand years old is considered old, but Baikal is young, and there are no signs that the lake is starting to age.

Research in recent years has allowed geophysicists to hypothesize that Baikal is an emerging ocean. This is confirmed by the fact that its shores diverge at a speed of up to 2 cm per year, just as the continents of Africa and South America, the shores of the Mediterranean and Red Seas diverge.

The lake has many features inherent in the ocean - great depths, a huge mass of water, high internal waves, tides, strong storms, expansion of the basin due to the sliding of the shores, large magnitudes of magnetic anomalies, etc. The approximate direction in which the lake is expanding is also determined: to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the northern part of Sakhalin Island.

It was hypothesized that Baikal is connected by an underground channel to the Arctic Ocean. This legend arose for two reasons: due to the fact that it is not clear enough how the seal got to Baikal, and due to the presence of a circular current in the middle part of the lake, where fishing nets placed in the deltaic areas of the Selenga are most often carried away. However, there is no underground channel, since in this case, according to the law of communicating vessels, the water levels of Lake Baikal and the ocean would level out.

The world of Baikal is extremely rich; it is a gigantic natural laboratory and center of speciation. Currently, 1,550 species and varieties of animals and 1,085 plant organisms are known in Baikal. It is estimated that about 2/3 of the 2,635 species of animals and plants found in the lake cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Among them are golomyanka fish, seals, and omul.

Golomyanki are the most numerous fish in Lake Baikal. In their natural environment they are exceptionally beautiful fish. The most surprising thing is that the golomyanka does not spawn at all, that is, it is viviparous and does not lay eggs; it does not have spawning migrations, as is typical for all other fish in Baikal. It is extremely difficult to catch it - after all, it does not form fishing or spawning schools, which means it cannot be caught with a net or trawl.

The Baikal omul came to Baikal relatively recently (during the glacial or post-glacial period), presumably from the estuary sections of rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean, in particular from the Yenisei and Angara.

The Baikal seal is the only representative of mammals in the lake. It is believed that the seal penetrated from the Arctic Ocean along the Yenisei and Angara during the Ice Age, when the rivers were dammed by ice advancing from the north.

Another unique feature of Lake Baikal is due to phytoplankton. It is phytoplankton that determines the condition of the rest of the “population”: microorganisms, plants and animals. Phytoplankton - microalgae - release about 3 million tons of organic substances from their cells every year. These substances inhibit the development of bacteria.

Indigenous Baikal algae species give Baikal water high biological activity.

Baikal has powerful protective self-purification mechanisms. Even significant inputs of heavy metals into the lake (for example, during man-made accidents) can be neutralized in 3-4 months.

Zooplankton also plays a significant role in the formation of clean Baikal water, filtering the lake water as they feed.

Baikal is a giant heat accumulator. Throughout the summer, it actively absorbs heat, and in winter it releases it back into the atmosphere. As a result of frosty steam, dense fogs can occur on cold days in November and December. All seasons on the coast of the lake and above its waters are shifted by a month. And the sharply continental climate of Siberia is smoothed out to a large extent, becoming softer, more “marine”. In summer Baikal is about 5 degrees cooler, and in the frosty Siberian winter it is just as warmer.