Inside the Work of Buryatia's Supreme Shaman

Demand for amulets and aspen stakes has surged among Russians. In 2025, orders for such items were 50% higher than the previous year. It is said that small stakes are taken to protect one«s home from evil spirits. Such esoterica is in vogue. NGS24.RU correspondent Alexey Taiganaut recently returned from a region where secret knowledge is not entertainment, but one of the traditional beliefs and even a job. He visited a shamanic center in Ulan-Ude (Russia) and brought back a photo report.

Lenin«s Head, Genghis Khan»s Banner, and the Heavenly Palace

«Bring cookies, a pack of tea, sweets, vodka, milk. Yes, and also find three dark stones, they are needed for the ritual too,» I listen to the instructions of shamaness Oksana over the phone.

I am standing in the center of Ulan-Ude. Here, my conversation is eavesdropped on with an approving squint by Ilyich. He knows the ropes of rituals and ceremonies better than the shamans.

No wonder his 40-ton — the largest in Russia — granite head with a heavy chin has been the center of attraction on the main square of Buryatia for over half a century.

The giant head of the leader of the world proletariat was assembled at a factory near Moscow and transported here across half the country in the early 1970s.

Communism just couldn«t keep up with it. In the end, they settled for delivering faith in a bright future. Monumentally fixed so that life would be »easier and more cheerful«.

It seems to have worked. But in the 90s, of course, everything broke down. Faith disappeared, and the official Soviet amulet remained…

I go to buy the products for the ritual, that«s clear. But with the dark stones it»s more difficult. The main river of Ulan-Ude, the Selenga, and its banks have long been frozen. There«s nothing to catch here. I wander onto a construction site in the center — a good option. Lighting up with my phone, I clear away the snow. The main thing is that they don»t think I«m looking for a »stash« here.

However, even if questions arise, the explanation that I«m »just looking for stones« will be understood with sympathy.

After all, in Buryatia, shamanism, Buddhism, and Orthodoxy (Old Believers resettled here in the 18th century) have long been organically mixed.

And locals practically go after a Buddhist or Christian temple to seek help from shamans. They reason, in general, correctly: both are there to help the small and earthly from above.

The methods are different, but the goals are the same…

The next day I go to the outskirts of Ulan-Ude. I feel almost at home here: in the city center — a river, there are mountains around and heavy smog in windless weather. As if I never left Krasnoyarsk.

I get off at the large gates of the shamanic religious center «Tengri». Behind them, on a large enclosed territory, is a complex of administrative buildings, service houses, and a temple in the form of a three-story yurt.

The local religious organization «Tengri» in Ulan-Ude was officially registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on 31 July 2003.

Past tall totem poles under the supervision of two riders symbolizing male and female principles, I enter the temple.

«In the temple, we must take off our hats, join three fingers and bow,» Oksana Kim meets me. She is a hereditary shamaness and, concurrently, the press secretary of the center.

At the level of the second floor, there is a semicircular gallery of sculptures.

«This is the heavenly palace, to put it simply. The sculptures are dedicated to 13 great deities. Each is responsible for a certain period of life. And also symbolize justice, wealth, wisdom, honesty, strength,» Oksana continues. «And here we have the sulde of Genghis Khan transmitted from China — a symbolic banner, that is, the spirit of Genghis Khan. Only men approach it, and one can even touch it.»

Oksana shows me a trident with an ornament.

«You can stand a little and feel the power, something will start inside.»

«And what do you feel?» I clarify just in case. It«s not clear what a newcomer should feel.

«I feel pressure on my forehead and on my chest now. But as a practicing shaman, I am constantly in energies, I am very sensitive.»

This Ongon is Dedicated to Childless Women

Inside the temple there are tables for offerings, which shamans use during kamlanie (shamanic rituals). They periodically gather here in groups of 5–10 people and perform a ritual. They call upon their well-known spirits.

Today, besides us, there is only one shamaness. Paying no attention to anyone, she prepares for the kamlanie. She sets out treats for the spirits — almost the same as I brought — and pours milk into a vessel.

«Why do we sprinkle with milk? Because it is our sacred primary product. Any child is born, of any nationality, any suckling mammal — first of all, it drinks milk,» comments the shamaness. «Look here, there»s a very funny icon.«

She points to the walls, where images of spirits are hung from iron, wood, fabrics, and ribbons.

«You see, it»s like a red girl. This is a female ongon (ancestor spirit — Ed.) for the kitchen, so that the food is prepared healthy and tasty. And this ongon is dedicated to childless women. So that their energy remains in the family and benefits the relatives…«

People come to «Tengri» constantly, many from Buryatia itself and the Irkutsk region as the closest by distance, they come from Krasnoyarsk and distant cities of Russia.

In houses stylized as yurts, they are received by shamans. One can turn to them with any question or without any at all — just to undergo an individual cleansing ritual. With a tambourine, singing, and treats for the spirits.

There is no price list for a shaman«s services. Everyone donates for the work according to their understanding: from 500 rubles (about $6 at current rates) and up, as much as they wish.

Although it is commonly believed that the more generously you pay, the more powerfully the shaman is interested in a good result.

Especially if the shaman is strong, with a large number of initiations — the more there are, the higher the status.

Shaman DNA

In «Tengri», the highest title — supreme shaman — belongs to Bair Tsyrendorzhiev. On his initiative, in the early 2000s, the religious organization «Tengri» appeared in Ulan-Ude. And then they began to build the complex itself.

He is a Buryat-Mongol from a remote area of Transbaikalia. He grew up during the cult of Lenin and classical communist atheism.

«In our family, probably everyone was shamans and shamanesses, after the revolution this thread was cut, at that time shamans were shot, the tradition went underground,» says Supreme Shaman Bair Tsyrendorzhiev. «And in my childhood this topic was strictly forbidden. At school they told us: »There is no God.« You come home, grandmother, grandfather are sitting, saying: »We have deities, gods who protect us.«»

We sit in his office. Almost like in a shamanism museum. Offerings, souvenirs, tambourines, paintings, ritual accessories. Next to the wooden throne-chair hang his costumes with masks. Each for its own occasion.

Bair Tsyrendorzhiev has the shaman gene.

«I am a veterinary doctor, graduated from the agricultural institute in Ulan-Ude and went to work in my homeland. I started a family, children. And at 27 years old … You know, it»s a very interesting effect of this shaman gene. To put it in modern language, a moment comes, and you get fears, visual, auditory, tactile hallucinations and so on,« the shaman recounts. »This is a very difficult time, when you change psychologically and withdraw from society. This is the scariest thing, we call it the «shaman»s illness.«»

«At a family council, it was decided that a clan ritual needed to be performed. It was done by my first teacher, a shamaness. And she said: »Your gods want your son Bair to embark on the path of spirituality, religion.« That»s what happened,« continues Bair Tsyrendorzhiev. »I myself did not believe in it. But when I went through all these torments, sufferings and illness and found healing, everything became clear to me… After the initiation, I came home, fell asleep, and before that I hadn«t slept for about two years. Just in snatches of 15–20 minutes a day, I lived in such a state.»

The supreme shaman tells about his mystical rebirth matter-of-factly, without visible emotion.

«And when I fell asleep, I remember, I slept for two days. I woke up, went out into the yard and saw a very, very bright sun. I had never seen it like that before. It was as if the power of the light had increased many times over. I look — the grass is very, very green. Such a state, everything bright, beautiful,» says Bair Tsyrendorzhiev. «And as if the concept of love appeared for the first time. That is, all sensations and feelings, they are all as if regained, unclouded by anything. Everything becomes interesting. Fear, depression go away… Literally within two days after the initiation, everything completely changed for me.»

Great-Grandfather Would Read, Perform Rituals, Somersault, Turn into a Wolf

At what age can the shaman«s illness manifest?

«It can start at any age. In our tradition there is a very interesting custom: after the age of 12, they initiated their children, so as not to subject the child to this state. And once, I heard, there were initiations even in the cradle…»

How much money do you have to pay a shaman?

«In the mass consciousness, you know, there is somehow a position that shamanism is about commerce, that for the divine principle in oneself a person receives benefit. In Soviet times, there was even such a phrase — »you«re shamanizing», meaning you«re moonlighting. But that»s not true at all, because according to ancient tradition, it is believed that you should not set a price for your labor. People should value you for your actions, and the reward should be set by the people themselves, not by you.«

They say shamans nowadays are not the same…

«My father is now 88 years old. He saw how his grandfather performed rituals, how he worked, did the ceremony and so on, all of it. And he told me clearly, distinctly: what is now — is small fry. He said, your great-grandfather would read, perform rituals, somersault, turn into a wolf, run away. All people saw it. And he says: »Can you do that? You have a long way to grow to that.« You see? It worked because there was such strong faith. And now even for me — an active religious figure — it is very difficult to understand: how did he turn into a wolf and could run away? We don»t have such faith. You don«t have it, I don»t either, but faith should appear, then everything is fine.«

The Soul Is So Tired That It Needs to Be Changed

«Once it happened that throughout the year I constantly had fire in my dreams. I played with fire, I was all in fire. And then I went to my teacher in Mongolia. These are my relatives who emigrated there in the 1920s. They did not interrupt this line of spirituality there. So, he said that it was normal and it was time to unite with the fire element.»

He said how?

«Yes. It had to be done in reality. And then I returned, thought: »How to do it, for crying out loud.« And in 2009, when we had just started building here, I made a hut from trees, covered it with hay and settled in there, said: »Burn it.« They burned it. I burned for about 8 minutes. Everything went out. I came out normally from there. When I was inside, I felt, I saw that there was a blizzard around, some winds, cold, warmth. All of it.»

I don«t even know how to take this.

«It»s logical with our materialistic consciousness… In short, everything that was on me made of artificial materials, all synthetics: clothing, my attributes — they melted. And what was made of natural fabrics, everything remained. That«s when I understood the naturalness and artificiality of things and phenomena. But most importantly, I deeply felt the concept of faith that comes to you. When you truly realize it, you can do anything. And even change the material state of your organism. Change into a beast, into something else. It should come.»

Will it come?

«It will. You just have to move consciously…»

I set off for the ritual. I didn«t look for stones in the dark in the center of Ulan-Ude for nothing. Shaman Denis Ilygeev will perform it.

While he prepares, stokes the stove, lays out my treats for the spirits on a dish, he tells me.

«Locals come to us, and non-locals come too. The poor ask for money, the childless — for children, the unmarried — for wives, husbands, the sick — for healing from illnesses. There are many rituals. About ninety. They are performed depending on the rank of the shamans. There are rituals that make your hair stand on end.»

What are those about?

«Well, when seriously ill people come. Hopeless cases, we are the last resort for them. Well, you can really feel this illness, there are all sorts of smells coming from them.»

What were the most unusual requests?

«Well, for example, there is a ritual for exchanging a soul. When a person fell ill, served time in prison, or some trouble happened to them. They experienced something that their soul is so tired, so battered, that it needs to be changed.»

Do they change it?

«Of course. A ritual is performed, and the soul that received all these negatives is sent to Erlik Khan — that»s the judge — with a treat. And they take a new soul. That«s how the exchange happens. This is not life extension, but, let»s say, restoration of the correct «track», so that everything is harmonious.«

The trade-in is, of course, unfair: we send up a broken thing with a small extra payment, and they in return — everything new and working well. However, our requests are like that everywhere.

And how long does such a ritual last?

«If everything is prepared, about four hours. There, the person molds themselves from dough, catches their sick spots, so that this doll takes everything. Then it»s all burned and sent off…«

Alright, I don«t need such a complex process. For now. I»ll make do with a cleansing ritual.

How do you become a shaman here?

«There are many moments. A person cannot just come here and say: »I want to be a shaman here.« No, that»s impossible. Certain reasons are needed. If they truly have a gift, they come, first perform a clan ritual, connect with ancestors. They must know the culture of their people, language, history, ethnography and so on. If they undergo rituals with us, get initiated for three years, then they become part of «Tengri».«

Denis seats me on a stool. He himself, having put on shaman«s vestments, a mask, sits down with a tambourine in front. He reads. In Buryat.

He warns when I need to close my eyes. According to beliefs, one must not look at the shaman«s face during the kamlanie. He walks around me with the tambourine.

Symbolically sends the offering to the spirits. Summons my clan spirits. Probably, they came. Didn«t see much faith and went back.