As a child, were you afraid of babayku, ghosts and other mystical creatures? But there are people who are ready to overcome hundreds of kilometers to see, or at least feel the presence of otherworldly forces. If you also dream of doing this, but do not know where to go, then here top 10 best places for mystical tourism in Russia... The list was compiled on the basis of data from the agency TurStat, whose specialists analyzed the popularity of the so-called "places of power" and reviews of tourists on the Web.
10. Mountain range Chests, Khakassia
This natural-historical monument consists of several detached heights - "chests". They are all low and easy to climb. The chests interested archaeologists with their burial grounds, rock paintings and ancient structures that could serve to observe the course of heavenly bodies.
According to legend, the Khakass spirits do not allow everyone to see the Chests. They confuse the road or send thunderstorms and winds to an unwanted one. If a person still manages to visit these places, it is imperative to tie a ribbon on the sacrificial tree as a sign of respect for the spirits.
And this mountain range is also unique for its excellent acoustics. Even a quiet word spoken at the top of the slope will be heard by people at the bottom of the ridge, although the distance between the speaker and the listener is at least 200 meters. This effect can be explained by air currents coming from top to bottom.
9. Ivolginsky datsan, Buryatia
This place is sacred to Buddhists. It contains the Imperishable Lama, who in 1927 "went to nirvana," but never returned. He is still in the meditation posture. His body changes weight, maintains temperature, and scientists have no explanation for this phenomenon. Many Buddhists believe that the Imperishable Lama will one day wake up as he promised.
8. City of Arkaim, Chelyabinsk region
This fortified settlement of the Bronze Age is the most mysterious place in the Urals... It is located at the same latitude as the Amur Pillars and Stonehenge, and is considered one of the "places of power." It is called the city of the Sun and the ancestral home of the Aryans.
Arkaim is surrounded by low mountains, each of which bears its own name. One of the legends associated with Arkaim says that if you climb Mount Shamanka and make a wish, it will definitely come true. And the mountain of Reason was allegedly visited by Jesus Christ himself.
7. Lake Bezdonnoe, Moscow region
It was rumored that Dmitry Mendeleev himself (the author of the periodic table of chemical elements) tried to measure the depth of the lake using a 100-meter rope. But its length was not enough either. Already near the coast it is impossible to "dive" to the bottom. It is replaced by a silty suspension.
There is even a belief that the Bottomless is associated with the waters of the world's oceans, as local boys found shipwrecks on the shore. Stories about this were recorded by Alexander Blok, who in childhood often visited his grandfather's estate, located near the lake.
The depth of the Bottomless remains a mystery to this day.
6. Mount Belukha, Altai
Inhabitants of Altai call this mountain Uch-Sumer, which can be translated as “Three-headed sacred mountain”. Moreover, the third peak - Delaunay peak - is located aside from the other two.
It is curious that the three peaks of Belukha are an exact reflection of the three stars of the Orion belt. For mystically minded people, this is proof of the connection of the mountain with space.
Nicholas Roerich once visited Belukha, called it “Sumeru of Asia” and believed that it defines “the center of the four oceans”. Sumeru in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology is a sacred mountain, the center of all material universes.
And according to local beliefs, the goddess Umai, the patroness of children and women in labor, lives on Belukha.
5. Belovodye, Altai
Mysterious tourists are looking for the mysterious country of Belovodye in Altai, which, according to legend, was visited by Vladimir's squad Krasno Solnyshko and monk Sergiy. The squad wished to stay, but the monk came back already a very old man.
Only kind and sincere people can get to Belovodye, because in this wonderful country a person is a friend to a person, a comrade and a brother.
Even the famous esotericist Nicholas Roerich was looking for Belovodye. But whether anyone found Belovodye is a mystery. Perhaps it will be possible for you.
4. Lake Svetloyar, Nizhny Novgorod region
One of the most mysterious places in Russia is associated with the legend of the sunken Kitezh-grad. Residents of the city, who did not want to surrender to Khan Batu, prayed to God for help, and Kitezh sank to the bottom of the lake.
It is believed that only people who are crystal-clear in heart and spirit can go to Kitezh along the Batu trail. And in calm weather, you can hear the ringing of city bells and the singing of residents.
Three kilometers from the lake there is a healing spring (Kibelek spring), and next to it is the grave of three holy warriors who died in battles with Batu's soldiers. Believers take some land from the graves of the heroes. There is a belief that it helps to heal from ailments.
3. Olkhon Island, Irkutsk Region
The largest island of Lake Baikal is distinguished by the widest variety of landscapes and sunny weather. There are no more than 48 rainy days a year. It is on Olkhon that the famous Shaman Rock (Cape Burkhan) is located, one of the Asian shrines and the "visiting card" of Lake Baikal. There is a cave where shamanic rituals have been held since the first shamans appeared. And then a Buddhist prayer house was built there.
Many legends and rumors are associated with the Shaman-rock itself and the Shamankina cave. For example, it is believed that a woman should not pass through a cave, otherwise she will not have children. But the childless Buryats came to Shaman-rock to ask for procreation.
And in a place called "Seven Pines" (although there are no pines) there is a lonely birch. According to legend, she grew up at the place of death of a healer shaman. If you hug her trunk and ask for health or help in solving any problem, then the miracle tree will definitely help.
2. Monastery Kachi-Kalion, Bakhchisarai
To this day, this cave monastery, founded in the Middle Ages, has arrived in a form badly beaten by life. Many caves are so destroyed that one can judge their purpose only by the surviving fragments of the interior decoration. Now tourists are allowed into several relatively preserved grottoes, a couple of springs and various religious corners. And near the source of St. Sophia there is a functioning monastic skete, a branch of the Bakhchisarai Assumption Monastery.
However, the main beauty of this place is not what can be seen with the naked eye. This is a sacred, as they say, "prayed" place. People who practice meditation often come here, and sometimes "cold lightning" occurs.
1. Cape Fiolent, Sevastopol
The top ten most mystical places in Russia are headed by the beautiful Crimean cape, the name of which is translated from Greek as “God's country”. According to ancient Greek legends, there was a temple of the goddess Artemis here. And in 891, an Orthodox monastery appeared on Cape Fiolent, which was built by Greek sailors who miraculously survived a shipwreck.When they climbed the rock and cried for help, George the Victorious appeared to them, after whom the monastery was named. It operates to this day.
The very stay at Cape Fiolent has a beneficial effect on human health. Fine air, beautiful views, and powerful energy of one of the most beautiful places in Crimea contribute to the fact that tourists feel both physical and emotional recovery.