Otgontenger Mountain worshipping to be held on July 19
Art & CultureUlaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The sixth official state worship for the Otgontenger Mountain, the summit (4008 meters) of Khangai Mountains conquering northwestern region of Mongolia, is being held July 19. The sacred mountain’s “Tengri (Deity) Worship” takes place every five years.
During the worshipping ceremonies, killing animals and use of alcoholic beverages are tabued. The surrounding areas of the mountain will be cleaned and rehabilitated before and after the ceremonies, say the Zavkhan Province authorities.
Otgontenger ("youngest sky” in Mongolian) is the highest peak in the Khangai Mountains. Its summit is currently calculated to reach 4,008 meters above sea level (some earlier topographic maps record a maximum elevation of 4,021 m). The mountain peak is the only peak in the Khangai range that is capped with a permanent glacier.
The Government of Mongolia has named Otgontenger one of the “state worshipped” mountains in 1992.
The people of Mongolia have started worshipping the mountain long before the establishment of the Great Mongol Empire. A legend says that the name Otgontenger, “youngest sky”, derived when the cavalcade of Mongol Empire, after the passing of Chinggis Khaan in 1227, brought the great emperor’s remains to the snow-capped mountain top to cool it off, on the way to Burkhan Khaldun from Tangut. Otgontenger was the “last Tengri” to see off Chinggis Khaan the last.