Tamga Tash

Near the village of Tamga lie three ancient stones known as the Tamga-Tash, a name that translates to “Marked Stones” (“Tash” meaning “stone” and “Tamga” meaning “mark” or “imprint”). These stones bear traces left by Buddhist travelers and monks many centuries ago. It is believed that both the village and the nearby river derived their names from these unique stones.

Buddhism first arrived in what is now Kyrgyzstan in the 1st century AD, flourishing until the 7th century when the Western Turks invaded, bringing a gradual decline in Buddhist practices as Islam began to take root as the dominant religion.

The Tamga-Tash stones were discovered in the late 19th century along the banks of the Tamga River, located on the southern shores of Lake Issyk-Kul in eastern Kyrgyzstan. The stones, situated about a kilometer apart, feature engravings of Buddhist prayers dating back to the 8th-9th centuries, along with Tibetan petroglyphs.

There are three primary stones of note, two on the left bank and one on the right bank of the river. The stone on the right is the most visited, as it bears the famous Buddhist mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” (“Oh, the Pearl Shining in the Lotus Flower!”). This phrase, commonly found across current and former Buddhist regions, is typically inscribed near mountain passes, rivers, and in monasteries. The Tamga-Tash inscription on this stone is believed to date back to the Dzungar Khanate period of the 15th-17th centuries. The carvings are done in a bold, bas-relief style, with some letters reaching up to 10 centimeters in height. This monolith is split in two, which, according to local legend, was the result of a mighty blow by the epic hero Manas, who is said to have demonstrated his immense, superhuman strength.

The second stone’s inscription is similar but is carved directly into the rock and is believed to date back to the 10th-12th centuries. Evidence suggests this stone was used for ritual purposes, as indicated by a drilled hole—a characteristic feature of the ancient nomadic Saka people who lived in the region from the 9th to 2nd centuries BC.

The third stone, like the first, belongs to the 15th-17th centuries and features the ‘OM’ symbol, a sacred sound in Buddhism that is recited before reading holy texts and mantras.

It is widely believed that these inscriptions were etched by the Kalmyks as they migrated from what is now China to Russia.