Gomboev, Galsan

By origin, Buryats were born in the Transbaikal region in the Selenga steppe, presumably in 1822 (1818 is indicated in modern literature). Father is the elder of the 5th hundreds of Cossack Ataganov regiments. From 1829 he studied at the datsan with Buddhist monks, in 1834 he received the religious dignity of the Getsul Lama. In 1834 he was appointed clerk of the Hambo Lama . In datsan he studied Tibetan and Mongolian languages, the basics of Tibetan medicine.

In 1841 he was sent to I Kazan Grammar School instead of Galsan Nikituev. On June 5, 1842, he was approved as a complete overseer for students of the 1st Kazan Gymnasium.

Gomboev quickly learned the Russian language and since 1842, at the invitation of the university, he served as a teacher (native speaker ) of the Mongolian language at the Department of Mongolian Language of the Eastern Faculty of Kazan University under the supervision of O. M. Kovalevsky .

On October 31, 1844, he was awarded the Gold Medal on the Annenskaya Tape for his conscientious work and diligence at the Kazan Gymnasium.

In 1847 he made a trip to Kalmykia.

In 1850 he was invited to the Kazan Theological Academy for classes with students in the spoken Mongolian language.

In 1850-1851, A. A. Bobrovnikov, head of the anti-Buddhist department of the Kazan Theological Academy , collected materials for the Mongol-Kalmyk anthology.

In 1854 or 1856, together with the Oriental faculty, he moved to St. Petersburg .

With his works on Mongolian literature, Gomboev gained respect among the Orientalists . His works were published in the publications of the Imperial Archaeological Society , of which he was a member. So, in 1857, in the Notes of this society (volume XIII) were printed "Notes on the ancient Mongol customs and superstitions described by Plano-Karpini "; the work was translated into German: Aus den Melanges Asiatiques, Volume II, June 18, 1856 .

An important work of Galsan Gomboev was the translation of the Mongolian annals “ Altan-Tobchi ” (published in 1858) with his notes (“Notes”, Volume XIV, and “Transactions” of the Eastern Branch, part IV). These handwritten Mongolian chronicles, also known to Y. I. Schmidt , were brought by members of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission from Beijing .

In "Proceedings of the Eastern Branch of the Archaeological Society" was also placed Gomboev's translation of "Dalun-Chug - the ancient Mongolian fortune-telling on the bone-scapula, set forth by Manjushiriy."

Several articles by Gomboev are published in Izvestia of the same society. In 1858, in the General Employment Bulletin, No. 1, a translation of Gomboyev’s Mongolian novel “Arji-Burji” appeared (there is no full text). Galsan Gomboev also translated from Kalmyk , among the translations of the story “Shidditu-hens”, as well as the biography of the famous Dzungarian lama , who lived at the beginning of the 17th century , “Zaya-Pandita”. For this work, Gomboev was accepted as a member of the Imperial Archaeological Society .

Since 1859, Gomboev worked as a lecturer at St. Petersburg University, was elected a corresponding member of the eastern branch of the Imperial Archaeological Society.

Another of his interesting work: “Sechzig buriatische Rätzel. Aus den Melanges russes ”, Volume III, September 3, 1856, placed in the“ Melanges Asiatiques ”of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in 1856.

Other works:

• "Explanation of Semipalatinsk Antiquities"
• “The tales of Buryat recorded by various collectors”, 56 tales.
• "Buddhism in Tibet, illustrated by literary documents and objects of worship", an article on the rites of modern Buddhism.
• "Siddy-Kur" - a collection of Mongolian tales (published posthumously).

Gomboev was also involved in the translation of various educational texts into the Mongolian and Kalmyk languages .

He died on June 11, 1863 in the village of Lakhte (near St. Petersburg ) and was buried in the cemetery of the Finnish parish of St. Mary.

• Galsan Gomboev, together with Dorji Banzarov , is the first Buryat scholar in European science, with the difference that instead of systematic European higher education he had Buddhist and was considered a “Buryat scholar”, which is why Dorji Banzarov is often referred to as the “first Buryat scholar” in sense of a scientist of European education.
• Perhaps it was Galsan Gomboev who, by his personal example of non-resistance in Kazan around 1847, drew the attention of young Leo Tolstoy to oriental studies, Buddhism and non-resistance to evil by violence. Tolstoy talked about a meeting with the “Buryat Lama” in the hospital of Kazan University to P. I. Biryukov .

• Russian Biographical Dictionary : In 25 volumes / under the supervision of A. A. Polovtsov. 1896-1918.
• Gomboev, Halsan // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Ulymzhiev D. B. Buryat scientist-orientalist Galsan Gomboev (1818-1863). (To the 175th birthday). - Ulan-Ude, 1993.
• Chimitdorzhiev Sh. B. Russian Mongolists (XVIII - early XX centuries). - Ulan-Ude: Publishing House of the BSC SB RAS, 1997.
• Sharakshinova N.O. Buryat scientist Galsan Gomboev // Baikal. - 1982. - No. 1.
• Kudryavtseva E., Sidorchuk I., Zhukovskaya T. Gomboev Galsan // Biography of St. Petersburg State University.