Zanabazar

Who is Zanabazar?

Zanabazar, born Eshidorji in 1635 to a noble Khalkha Mongol family, was recognized at the age of four as a reincarnate lama and in 1639 was declared the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia, a position later known as the Bogd Gegeen. The Fifth Dalai Lama identified him as the reincarnation of the Tibetan scholar Taranatha and gave him the name Zanabazar, meaning 'diamond thunderbolt of wisdom.' Beyond his religious role, Zanabazar became Mongolia's most celebrated artist and polymath, producing intricately cast bronze sculptures of Buddhist deities, including his renowned depictions of White Tara, that are still considered masterpieces of Buddhist art today. He designed monastery architecture, composed music and poetry, and in the late 17th century created the Soyombo script, a vertical alphabet for writing Mongolian and Tibetan that gave its name to the Soyombo symbol later adopted on Mongolia's national flag. He also played an important political role, presiding over Khalkha Mongolia during its submission to Qing rule in 1691 as a way to secure protection from Dzungar invasions. He spent his later years restoring Erdene Zuu Monastery before dying in Beijing in 1723.

Sources: Zanabazar (1635-1723): Vajrayana Art and the State in Mongolia — academic study · Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Zanabazar entry · Don Croner, Guide to Locales Connected with the Life of Zanabazar