This study focuses on the analysis of an event that took place in the city of Omsk on July 23, 1919. The meeting between two leaders who needed to legitimize their status – Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, who declared himself the Supreme Ruler of Russia, and Pandito Khambo-Lama Lopsan Chamza, who claimed to be the “leader of the entire Tuvan people” – was a culmination of diplomatic protocol and personal ambitions. The materials that served as the basis for the study are stored in the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the National Archive of the Republic of Tuva, as part of the archival collection of the Commissioner for the Uryankhay Territory and the Usinsky District, the decree of the Supreme Ruler A.V. Kolchak, as well as the documents on the establishment of the position of Pandito Khambo Lama, the head of the Lamaist clergy in the Uryankhay region, and the appointment of the Shiretu Lama Khambo Gelun Lubsanchzhamtso to this position. These materials were previously requested by researchers in connection with the centenary of the event, but they still require further study. The study revealed that the event of July 23 in Omsk was not accidental: both parties involved were interested in each other. The circumstances that preceded the establishment of the Khambo Lama Institute in Tuva are also examined. The article establishes the reasons that prompted the Commissioner for the Uryankhay Region to request the appointment of Lopsan Chamza Mongush as the head of the Lamaist clergy. It also describes the details of the protocol meeting at Kolchak's residence in Omsk, which was spontaneously organized to welcome the “guest from an unknown and mysterious land”. The novelty of this research lies in its analytical approach to understanding the sacralization of legitimacy from the perspective of the history of mentalities. The findings of this research are crucial for understanding the development of state-religious policies in Siberia during the first quarter of the 20th century.
Key words: Kolchak, Khambo-lama, Shiretu-lama Khambo Gelun Lubpsanchamzo, Lopsan Chamzy, Lubsan Chzаmtso, state-religious relations, religious policy, Asian part of Russia, Siberia, Tyva, Uryankhay Krai
DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662-2026-2-39-48
About the author
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Tatyana G. Nedzelyuk – Doctor of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Department of Regional Studies of Russia, National and State-Confessional Relations, Altai State University; Professor of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law at the Siberian Institute of Management, a branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration; 61 Lenin St., Barnaul, 656049, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |