Kyrgyzstan - a hidden gem!

On the southern shore of the majestic Lake Issyk-Kul, 2 km to the south of the village of Tamga there is a gorge with the same name. The name of the sight is derived from the Turkic word "tamga", which in translation means "seal", "stamp".

But the well-known stones called "Tamga-tash" with carved Tibetan inscriptions make this place famous all over the world. The inscriptions are Buddhist prayers dating from the 8th-9th centuries. You can see the stones while traveling along the river, but the main ones are three of them: two are on the left bank, and one is on the right.

The nearest stone to the lake is called "Tamga-Tash" ("A Stone with a Stamp"). It is believed that this inscription belongs to one of the heroes of Kyrgyz oral folk art, Manas, who cut the stone in two with his own saber and "recorded" on it the number of trophies extracted from the enemies.

The inscription is a traditional Buddhist form of "Om Mani Padme hum", translated   as: "May the Lotus Jewel be famous," and the essence of this Buddhist prayer is the perception of the intrinsic essence of all phenomena. There are several options for its writing and sounding in Mongolian, Dzhungarian, Chinese and other languages.

One of the common variants of the meaning of the inscription is the following explanation. The metaphor of a blooming lotus carries the meaning of awakening. Lotus is rooted in mud, which on one side is dark and unclean, and on the other nourishes its life and growth. The stalk of the lotus rushes upwards, passing through different layers of water, it bursts into the ether, where the lotus blossoms with a beautiful flower. This is also human development on the path to awakening.