KIHILYAKH
The Mystery of Verkhoyansky Ulus

Once upon a time God settled people on the land rich in wildfowl and fish, and bidded them not to leave these coast of the Yana river. Some time later people tired of living on the same place, and they had decided to go through the Verkhoyansk Range in search of other fate. God was incensed at that and punished those disobedient people, turned them into stone statues that acquired the name of Kihilyakh . Up to these days, the place where it happened amazes travelers' imagination. It is surrounded with fog and mysticism.

Our group was quite large: thirty persons. Having different motives for rise on Kihilyakh , the majority have already heard a lot about energy power and salutary force of these mountains. Two of them specially arrived from Moscow to participate in the first tour arranged to sacred places.

As it turned out, earlier it was allowed to rise on Kihilyakh to inhabitants of nearby settlement Elgetsk only, and even for them there was a set of restrictions: it was prohibited to rise for children younger then fourteen, for arrived brides and more than three times…Lena Borisovna, the initiator of tour, groun up in Elgetsk, tells that once a woman married to local, tagged after a group of senior pupils. As soon as guys have got upward, a dense fog has fallen on the mountain and it was impossible to see something at several steps distance. The pupils spent the rest of time searching each other and homeway. This case has seriously forced to reflect on observance of unwritten mountain laws.

For all that it isn't known any accident which has occurred in vicinities of these mountains – it seems that Kihilyakh protect travellers (we could be convinced of it on own experience).

Three years ago in the winter in Elgetsk there have arrived the psychics naming themselves “The group Aquarius”, led by bioenergy specialist Alexey Syrdyk (Light). Having made a series of ceremonies, they have declared, that with coming of the Aquarius era the mountain has opened for everybody, and the more people will receive its vivifying energy and begin to distribute it all over the world, the better. And comrad of Syrdyk, seer Irina, had an apparition: at the foot of a mountain she met the blessed old man and the little girl with two thin plaits. « It is the Keeper of Mountain and this girl will soon bring here many people »-she heard. As it turned out, such a “keeper” really existed, Usutaky Uybaan was his name. He died at eighty, and till this time he accompained everyone who rose to sacred places without fail – he considered it to be his mission. “The Aquarius group”, decided to “protect” us in the first tour, have recognized in Lena Borisovna that very little girl with plaits.

There is one more legend about Kihilyakh : according to it, Tungus people from the north attacked inhabitants of these places, exterminated all of them and settled here as owners. One hunter with the family was rescued only, he escaped to mountains, and during 25 years had been cutting stones that at one fine day to go down to Tungus and to declare that he has an army. “Army?!” – they have laughed to him. The hunter showed to mountains from which rows of stone bogatyrs went down in an orderly manner. Then Tungus, having realized that forces are unequal, have hastened to leave the village. And our hero has returned and has restored his kin.

These stone soldiers are visible from everywhere: having left АN- 24, a small jet, in Batagay airport, we at once have noticed the purpose of our pilgrimage. But the impression of Kihilyakh 's affinity is deceptive. From Batagay we were floating some hours on motor boats across Yana, then from Elgetsk three hours were going on foot to mountains, where the tour agency "Northern lights " now has proved base on which it is possible to take rest before an ascention.

We set out at 2 o'clock in the morning: conductors (among them there were representatives of regions administrations) handed to everyone a strong stick. A rubber boots on feet, a hat with a mosquito net on a head, a knotty staff in a hand - for city dwellers we looked rather vividly! And our proleaders with arms at the ready, valiantly jumping on stones, reminded Stallone heroes. At first we went together, frequently stopping and expecting lagging behind. In two hours when the wood ended, and the road has seemed open, it was allowed to move on our own. We were told that the local youth reaches the tops for six hours, and some of us went for more than twelwe hours.If somebody told me several months ago that I "shall be trambled" uphill - through clouds of mosquitoes, through a dense wood, then on marshland, then on slippery and sharp stones - and all this for all night long without a break, hungry and tired - I never would believe! I still hardly believe that I DID IT and could reach the goal. And meanwhile, there were older persons in our group( the oldest was 60) and children – Anny, a daughter of Lena Borisovna, was only 10.

About Anny, by the way: when she was a little one she had a terrible diathesis – nothing could help, and despaired mum appealed to healer Tatyana from Elgetsk – and the illness has just vanished soon. After the death of Usutaky Uybaan this Tatyana informally became the Mountain Keeper and accompanied with us up to Kihilyakh .That's why I called to mind this case. The history of the healer is worthy in itself: a girl lived in a village – an ordinary young lady, anything was special about her. But it was till the time when two psychics visited the village. When they leaved there Tatyana has taken to her bed with a strange illness, and on recovery she has found out an amazing skills. Her hands as though reached for human sores, and the tongue named the diagnoses and the reasons of the illnesses.Now the healer Tatyana is known far from Elgetsk not only as the healer, but also as the clairvoyant, capable to search for missing people.

And imagine then our groop! The local shaman – the Mountains Keeper and what is more “Aquarius group” of three wizards led by Syrdyk. We have nicknamed them as “wizards” later, on the way back - their presence, certainly, has given to our pilgrimage special isotheric sense.

By the words of Syrdyk, Alexey Ivanovich in the world, there are two Shambhalas on the planet - southern and northern.The Southern (it's known for certain) is Kailas mountain on Tibet . And the Verkhoyansk mountains Kihilyakh apply for a rank of the northern.The well-known ophthalmologist and isotheric Muldashyov defines a non-russian word “shabhala” as a “city of gods”, and Alexey Ivanovich considers, that shambhala is the strongest energy center, capable to clear, cure and change people.

Psychics aspire to such places to increase their force, and creative persons – to increase their potential and abilities. For example the national artist of the USSR Afanasy Osipov scoops his inspiration in the mountains of Verhoyanye, a director Andrey Borisov removed the first staff of the film about Chingiskhan on Kihilyakh and the fire of the International Games ‘ Children of Asia' has been lit here.

The governmental commission arrived by helicopter for the sacred fire, and we have experienced all of charm of the pedestrian ascention: eight hours “only” and you are at the top of the world. "Be pleased to see that, admire beauty, - addressed us “Aquarius” before the road, - then you receive ten times more energy". But even if they wouldn't speak that, it's just impossible not to admire the views opening from Kihilyakh . ‘Only mountains can be better than mountains' - now I know it precisely and even can say that these are the mountains of Verhoyanye. The one who wasn't there, doesn't know how nature can be beauty so that take your breath away. Is it worthy enough to long to see the sights in the overseas countries when it is literally under your nose, in native republic, you can receive indelible impressions for all your life?

It's unreal to retell Kihilyakh , you can guess only, whence such miracle has undertaken in the world. The same rock from the different sides looks different: from this frowned old man looks at you, from that – naughty youth winks. Some statues as if they form sculptural groups: in one we have seen modestly looked down girl with long plait, and opposite to her - the young man in a ‘djubuka', national cap, presenting a huge bear skin to the beauty. You can wander among Kihilyakh for ever,but you need remarkable physical strength on overcoming of distances between them, and also backway to the base is another six or eight hours.

There, at the top, indications of a season are erased: June has come, and we firstly in caps and warm jackets, eat a bilberry on the road and we admire edelweisses, some of us throws off his clothes and sunbathes, laying on black stones, some flounders in a deep snow, islands of which can be found out between rocks. And how beautiful are the clouds! There are incredibly expressive clouds on Verkhoyanye - and such a feeling, that you can touch them. From time to time someone from tourists paid everybody's attention to the intricate pictures condensed in the sky - the man and the woman with joined hands, madonna declined above the baby… Being a sceptic, I wouldn't believe this if I didn't see by myself - and not only in reality, but also later in photos, imprinted freakish game of clouds.

When we began to go down, the sun has disappeared suddenly, it became dark, and there was a large hailstones after which the downpour came down in torrents, accompaining us up to the base. We have got wet through, chilled up to bones and, what to hide, some of us regretted that had come here, cursing a bad weather and a cold which will be the result. But in the evening when we silently and tensely drank hot tea in heat and dryness “balagan”, wooden booth, Syrdyk has suddenly proclaimed, that this downpour wasn't ordinary, but clearing and curing, and nobody will fall ill. And it was truth. Next morning we vainly peered into each other's faces to find any signs of illness – nobody sneezed, nobody coughed, nobody complained of heaviness in muscles and an ache in bones. And it's for all chronic sores like osteochondrosis that the majority of tourists suffered from during whole life.

Returning to Yakutsk was like a song, which Saina, popular yakut singer, sang open-air Elgetsk stadium. When we were going from base by the tractor, three white huskies similar to wolf-cubs were ranning frisking behind us for all the way. When we were satting down in a motor boat on the Yana river, all people of the village came to say us good-bye. On our way to Batagay we were ‘moored' to the coast all strewn by forget-me-nots. And the statues of Kihilyakh , going down from the mountains , were going with us up to the ladder of cargo plane “IrAero”.

Written by
Yana Ugarova (in Russian)
Editor of Jurfix Magazine