Inscription on the Monument in honor of Möngke qaghan 1257 in Mongolia: Interpretation and analysis of the Chinese text

Abstract

In 2022, the Chinggis Khan Museum in Ulaanbaatar installed a new exhibit — The Stela “释迦院碑” (Monument from the Shakya Pavilion), which dates back to 1257. It was transported from the National History Museum, where it came after careful study back in 1956. Now, more than 65 years later, Mongolian scientists have resumed the study of inscriptions on this Stela. The text includes 3 lines of Old Mongolian and 12 lines of Chinese (wenyan), the 10th line is mostly damaged. So far, 263 characters have been recognized. The content of the text is attractive from a cultural and historical point of view, and has a clear Buddhist orientation with references to Confucian and Taoist ideas. In addition, this monument contains important information on the history and religion of the Oirats in the middle of the 13th century. It is interesting that the inscription has not attracted the attention of Russian researchers and was practically not mentioned in related works. This article presents a translation-interpretation of the Chinese text into Russian with comments.