The Danzanravjaa museum in the Mongolian Gobi: An ancient exhibition temple revived as a modern museum? - HAL-SHS - Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Civilisations - revue internationale d'Antropologie et de sciences humaines Année : 2023

The Danzanravjaa museum in the Mongolian Gobi: An ancient exhibition temple revived as a modern museum?

Résumé

Mongols claim that Mongolia's first museum was founded in the 19th century by the great eccentric lama, poet, and dramaturge Danzanravjaa (1804-1856), from his personal collection, in order to educate his people. The museum was located in Hamar Monastery in the Gobi Desert, and after Danzanravjaa's death, it was turned into his funerary temple. The monastery was destroyed during the religious persecutions of 1937-1938 but some of the artefacts were hidden in caves in the nearby mountains. In 1991, Altangerel, the descendant of the museum's lama-curator, rebuilt the museum in the city of Sainshand. The museum houses many Buddhist artefacts, Danzanravjaa's artworks and writings, diplomatic gifts, as well as a wax statue of Danzanravjaa and a stupa enshrining his corporeal remains. There is also a room that is usually locked to protect the most precious and holiest objects, and which is open to special devout visitors only. The museum is visited by both tourists and Buddhist devotees who worship the relics of Danzanravjaa. This paper examines the general organisation and scenography of the museum, the hybrid (partly religious) character of the place, the link with the rebuilt monastery, and the attitude of visitors, with the broader aim of questioning the presence of a living religion inside the museum.
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Dates et versions

halshs-04232427 , version 1 (08-10-2023)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : halshs-04232427 , version 1

Citer

Isabelle Charleux. The Danzanravjaa museum in the Mongolian Gobi: An ancient exhibition temple revived as a modern museum?. Civilisations - revue internationale d'Antropologie et de sciences humaines, 2023, 71. ⟨halshs-04232427⟩
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