Czechoslovak legionaries’ account of Buryat Buddhism: visual and literal sources

BĚLKA, Luboš. Czechoslovak legionaries’ account of Buryat Buddhism: visual and literal sources. In Representations of Indigenous Peoples of the Asian Peripheries of the Russian Empire (Northern and Inner Asia) in the Legacies of Travelers from Austro-Hungary, Wien, Austria. 2017.

Basic information

• Original name: Czechoslovak legionaries’ account of Buryat Buddhism: visual and literal sources
• Authors: BĚLKA, Luboš.
• Edition: Representations of Indigenous Peoples of the Asian Peripheries of the Russian Empire (Northern and Inner Asia) in the Legacies of Travelers from Austro-Hungary, Wien, Austria, 2017.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Field of Study: 60304 Religious studies
• Country of publisher: Austria
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Organization unit: Faculty of Arts
• Keywords in English: Czechoslovak Legionaries; Buryat Buddhism; visual and literal sources; historical photography; Siberia
• Tags: International impact

Abstract

A specific position among travelers to Asia in the first quarter of the 20th century is occupied by a group of "Czech and Slovak explorers of the Orient", who completely differed from other types of travelers. It is remarkable that although they did not prepare for their "travel to the Orient" in any way, they did not plan it and yet they achieved results comparable with other travelers. These were Czech and Slovak legionaries, men who were brought by the First World War from various Austro-Hungarian battlefields from where they deserted, were captivated or enlisted in the legions from elsewhere and with the first Czech and Slovak foreign army they got as far as Siberia, Manchuria and Japan. This contribution analyses several photographs made by legionaries; these photographs capture various aspects of Buryat Buddhism: monks, lay people, their cult structures, temples and temple complexes and also interiors, altars etc. About twenty photographs of this type are found in the Central Military Archive of the Czech Republic in Prague, which has not been precisely identified and which have a remarkable testimonial value. They capture the state of Buryat Buddhism before the Bolshevik revolution whose effects became apparent in this region only after the departure of foreign intervention armies, including Czechoslovak legionaries. If it is an extensive and systematically created set it is difficult to tell, as the photographs were discovered more or less by accident and they do not represent a targeted collection.

Abstract (in Czech)

Mezi cestovateli do Asie v první čtvrtině 20. století zaujímá zvláštní místo, naprosto odlišné od jiných cestovatelských typů, jako byli například misionáři, vědci, obchodníci, dobrodruzi, romantici atp., jedna skupina "česko-slovenských poznavačů Orientu". Jde o československé legionáře, o muže, jež první světová válka zavála z rozmanitých rakousko-uherských bojišť, odkud přeběhli, byli zajati či narukovali k legiím odjinud a v rámci prvního česko-slovenského zahraničního vojska se dostali až na Sibiř, do Mandžuska a nakonec i do Japonska. Ve Fotoarchivu Vojenského ústředního archivu v Praze se nachází i několik fotografií z Burjatska. Příspěvek analyzuje fotografie buddhistických klášterů datovaných rokem 1920 a pořízených topografickým oddělením.