Oleg Mandzhiev, About the Tsagan Aav

Oleg relays a story about how he saw Tsagan Aav in his youth. It happened in the Soviet period. Oleg worked at an editorial office in Elista. One night he could not sleep well and woke up early in the morning. He went out to a ravine on the outskirts of the town. When he went downhill and looked up, there on the edge of the ravine an old man with a long white beard and in a beautiful light-blue robe was standing, leaning on his walking stick. He was staring at Oleg. Oleg understood that the old man was communicating with him telepathically, ‘(Oleg) what are you doing with yourself? You cannot live like this’. Oleg sweated and in shame lowered his head. Then he heard the sound of a motorcycle. When he looked up again the old man had gone. Several months later Oleg went to see his friend who worked at a research institute. In his office on the table was a big book with colorful pictures. Among the pictures Oleg saw the image of the old man he had seen before and asked, ‘Who is this old man?’ ‘He is Tsagan Aav, god of the locality’, was the answer.Sponsored by Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin