It is hard to underestimate the Ustuu-Huree temple reconstruction idea. The temple is of a great importance for people of Daa Kozhuun, also of Sut-Holskiy, Dzun-Hemchikskiy, Ovyurskiy, Bay-Taiginskiy, Mongun-Taiginskiy, Barun-Hemichskiy, Chaa-Holskiy, Ulug-Hemskiy kozhuuns. In older generation’s memory, the Ustuu-Huree temple and everything associated with it stays as a reminiscence of the great holy site. Not many witnesses and beholders of the temple’s prosperity have left. All these, is the result of totalitarian regime. Those boys, who came to the Ustuu-Huree in its prosperous times as monks have already left this world, therefore almost nobody’s left. 

My wife Sophia’s father, while being a child was received there as a huuraki, but held out only for a few months: he was send back home hence being naughty. The temple was a privileged place and not everybody had an opportunity to study there: only diligent and talented children were accepted. 

I know the history of this temple from my mother’s stories, and my mother heard them from her grandmother, my great-grandmother. Her name was Kok-Kaday. God made her tall and fair haired. She was daughter-in-law of Dragan-helin, who got the helin’s order after years of service in Aldyy-Huree. If you remember, it was that smith, who bound Haydyp uger-daa’s coffin with black iron. Haydyp uger-daa was the man, who united Daa kozhuun and was known in Tuva as very powerful ruler. So, when Haydyp noyon died, lamas held a service, and later using old Tibetan fortunetelling decided, who is to bind Haydyp’s coffin and where Haydyp must be buried. Dragan-Helin’s house was appointed. He became history by binding Haydyp uger-daa’s coffin. Besides, at that time there were a lot of smiths in Hemchik, but nowadays nobody can say why he was chosen. 

Haydyp uger-daa was famous for uniting separated kozhuuns into one Daa kozhuun. Certainly, unification took a long time and wasn’t that easy: negotiations, power and even bribery were used. However unification of these kozhuuns into one had big historical value for Tuva. Earlier Tuva was separated into 9 big kozhuuns, which were governed by Mongolian big temples’ superiors, who were called noyons. In common, Mongolia’s influence on all Tuva’s life spheres was very active. At that uneasy time Haydyp noyon managed to unite people of Tuva. It was the first time when a man of Tuva became a governor of such a big territorial union. Over time the territory started to be governed by Tuvinians and that time was characterized as national movement for independence. Haydyp uger-daa as a wise man understood that he required an idea to use it as a basis for his people’s future. The Ustuu-Huree temple became the idea and later became the best Buddhist wood architecture. According to my grandmother’s stories, Haydyp noyon bought out a ball. The red ball buying and pinning a peacock’s feather to a hat meant to have a right on independent kozhuun governing. He had visited Mongolia governor’s residence in Ulyasultay. It will always remain a mystery how he managed to settle down all the conflicts and how much force he spent on buying out the right to rule the half of Tuva’s territory, which was rich with resources, green lands and furs. In my view, not only money played a big role, but his charismatic personality and foresight. Haydyp surely was an extraordinary person. 

At that time, at the time of unification, Chadan city, for example, did not exist, but a center, a capital was needed; and only Aldyy-Huree temple existed. So a decision was reached: to built the biggest, richest and most modern temple in honour of kozhuuns’ unification. Chadan-town consisting of 60 yurts arose around that temple. There lived working people: carpenters, specially invited Mongolian and Chinese craftsmen, smiths, saddlers, herdsmen, dairymaids and others. The temple owned numerous cows and horses. In fact, “chadan” is mispronounced town name. Once an Englishman named Warruters who was on his first visit to that places wrote about settlements seen in this way: “Two huree is dzhe-dan”. In the matter of fact, everything is explained much easier: ‘Chyzaan’ originates from ‘chize’; in English it means ‘temple’s inventory’ (hureenin chizezi). In the course of time, the town became a capital city, where trade was developed, political issues were solved.

Nobody knows why Mongolians allowed Tuvinians to build the temple. Anyway it was done. My grandmother told me that Tuvinians managed to pass over such powerful people as Mogdo gegen, a Mongolian governor. And how? They simply sent a big gift to Dalai Lama, to Hasut, Tibet. As the gift two thousand heads of each seven cattle types were sent. They were goat, sheep, cow, dzo, horse, camel and dear. Also horse’s golden “head” and wolf’s silver “head” were sent to Dalai Lama. They were made by the best jewelers. Tuvinians also didn’t scrimp on taiga riches. After all these gifts Dalai Lama ordered to built a Tuvinian temple in Daa kozhuun and to set a Tuvinian man as a noyon. I can’t even imagine how hard it was for Tuva’s people to reach independence. 
At the direction of Dalai Lama Bogdo gegen himself was to appoint a temple place. The first Bogdo gegen’s visit still remains the most important event for old people. My grandmother also was there. 

When he was only crossing the Adar-Tosh pass, he was already rumored to be coming soon. It takes long time to get from Adar-Tosh so Bogdo gegen’s caravan decided to have a rest near arzhaan, a spring. They stayed there for nearly half an hour drinking tea. From that time that arzhaan was named Kegen-Bulak or Bogdo gegen’s arzhaan. My grandmother saw people falling down, having no courage to raise their eyes when the caravan was passing by them. The caravan was moving with a great speed, horses were galloped and often changed. Bogdo gegen was sitting in palanquin, which four handles were held by four young men sitting on their own horses. So eight men were in front and eight men aback. It was an admirable scene! Such splendor and power has never been seen before. The caravan reached the Hemchik-river without any stops. In the end of June Hemchik floods and becomes red. People used to say ‘Kyzyl bozha’. At such times it is hard to cross Hemchik even on horses. Lamas stopped for a while and stated sutra reading. After reading they stood up and crossed Hemchik. 

For ordinary people it was a fantastic view, unreal event, most of them were shocked. The reason for such wonder is that Hemckik-river is unpredictable. Lamas after crossing the river headed to Kyzyl-Taiga. At the mountain’s foot they made a big fire and held a service ‘San salyr”. My grandmother tells about the service in the following way: At service time Bogdo gegen called a spirit of Kyzyl-Taiga and asked its permission for the building of the temple. After the service Bodgo gegen crossed the river again. Why did it happen? Bogdo gegen communicates with places’ spirits. It’s his prerogative. He stayed aside among Buddhism leaders because he was communicating mostly not with people but with places’ spirits. After negotiations Kyzyl-Taiga’s spirit started talking with young girl’s voice: ‘I am the Kyzyl-Taiga temple – the temple. There must be no other temples. If you want to build a temple, build it there (showed the current Ustuu-Huree’s place. And I must see this temple every day; it must be in my sight’. 

So that is how the new temple place was appointed. The most amazing thing is that from the very top of the Ustuu-Huree all nine Tuva's peaks are open to view. If you go 500 meter aside, one of the tops immediately hides by neighboring mountains. That is the exact place. If we try to repeat now what has been done at that time to choose the temple pace, hundreds of photos will be required, notably from space. The first class topographers’ service and lots of other things provided by modern technologies will be required to find the place from which Tuva’s 9 peaks are seen: Tandy, Bai-Taiga, Mongun-Taiga, Koshrarlyg-syny, Kulun-duger, Kizhi-unmes, Kyzyl-Taiga, Bugra, Bora-Taiga. How and using what it has been done in that time still remains a mystery. But the place was chosen not accidentally, and so Ustuu-Huree is treated as a sacred place. 

After showing the temple building place Bogdo gegen sent from Tibet to Daa kozhuun Kuntan Rimpoche, the outstanding temple builder of that time. His reincarnation is found, he is 5-6 years old. Thanks for this man’s talent lots of Buddhist temples in Asia were built. If you even look at temple walls, you would reasonably ask what they were done of. In spite of central heating being not harnessed at that time temperature inside temple in winter is warm and cool in summer. This is a unique building. The temple differs from most Tibetan and Indian ones. This man took into account our harsh winters. Old and young were collecting building materials from all sides of the region. For instance, oveechi (ledum) was collected not only in Chadan, but also in Ishkin’s upper reaches, Kizhi-Unmes, Kyzyl-Taiga – along all Hemchik. Nowadays mortar’s ingredients are learned, but its preparation secret hasn’t been solved – only Kuntan ripnoche knows it. Surely, with modern technologies we can learn the mortar ingredient, but nothing can replace prays and faith with which the temple was built. People were working with faith that is able to do wonders, which can be opened only to a believer. This holy place is really sacred, since the temple building was built not only with material resource, but also with spiritual message of Tuva’s people. Hope, aspirations and faith of the whole nation are invested in the temple. This beautiful story became our nation’s holy story. Nowadays generation has a week place: nation’s holy history is not trusted. Financial estimate, materialistic approach and power lead us. At that time Haydyp uger-daa insisted on well-borns’ participation in the temple building process. He was known as a strong Buddhism adherent, who knew and hallowed karma’s law, hence he wanted all his subjects to accumulate good karma. And people were working willingly. 
The Ustuu-Huree building took two years and a half. The first and the only Ustuu-Huree’s superior was Lopsan Chamzy kamby. When repressions started at first 30, then 10, and in the end 1 lama has left, it was a real hard to build a contact with him. Communists were making their way to him for a long time and when they found, two Red Army men came, arrested and moved him out. At Chazy kamby pass he asked for a stop to do his deeds. When they stopped at Adar-Tosh, the detainee adopted meditation pose and said that they were allowed to do all they wanted but his was not moving. Soldiers talked it over and shoot him. The same night arats from neighboring aals, who saw him being convoyed and heard shots, took his body.

Once in 20’s Haydyp uger-daa wanted to cycle the Ustuu-Huree temple with 108 subgurant like it was done in Mongolian temple Har-Harin. Fact is this, he didn’t manage to make his dream come true while he was alive. When he died, in his honor suburgan was built around the temple. That was how the nation paid a tribute to the Ustuu-Huree’s founder. Fortunately, it can be repeated. By Tuva government’s regulation accepted this year, 108 suburgan will be built around the temple. At the present day the Ustuu-Huree temple is in the Russian Cultural Monuments Register, and also is included into the Indian Buddhist Temples Register. The temple is well known and is waited to be reconstructed. If we renovate the temple, it will gain importance that it already had. Now it is considered to be one of Buddhist Wonders like Napoli Tope. But nobody knows why does it differ from all other temples, why Buddhists from all over the world pay so much attention to it. Unfortunately, our generation also does not know. So our 19th festival is an intermediate link of a great deed – the Ustuu-Huree temple reconstruction. Through the festival we grab public attention not only of the Tuva republic, but the entire world’s one. Like Every year the festival like a falcon delivers to the entire world our words and songs. 

“Do not forget about the Ustuu-Huree! The Ustuu-Huree is alive! It exists!”

Igor Dulush, Oyuma Dongak 
Translated into English by Raisa DASHKEVICH