Natural sacred objects of Pavlodar Irtysh

Among the sacred monuments of Pavlodar Priirtyshye, there is a special group of natural objects that are religious shrine.

One of such famous monuments having the status of republican significance is the Konyraulie (Aulietas) cave, located in Bayanaul district in Pavlodar region.

A few centuries ago, in the middle of the 18 century, the first member and reporter of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, a historian of Orenburg Region, P. I. Rychkov, mentioned an usual cave where the Kazakhs "took a bath and it was believed that they were cured of various diseases through such bathing". A mention of the sacred cave can be gound in the records of such scientists like S. Walikhanov and G. Potanin.

The steppe shrine has been repearedly destribed in the works of famous authors of the pre-Sovier period. Interesting information about the cave Aulietas is contained in the travel notes "From Pavlodar to Karkalinsk" by N. Konshin:"The cave is located higher then in the middle of the mountain and seems from a distance like a black hole. The entrance to the cave is significantly higher than a person height and has a triangular shape. The cave has clear traces of frequent visits by the Kazakhs. Sick and simply poor Kazakhs, and mainly childless women, come there to pray. Praying in such places is especially helpful."

The Konyr Aulie (Aulietas) cave is also actively visited by pilgrims today. It consists of a "hall", about 30 m. long, which becomes a narrow, rising corridor-shaped extension. Further to the top there ia a very narrow passage with a cavitywhere moisture, which flows down the cracks, accumulates. The ascent to the Konyraulie cave is equipped with 110 meters long stairs.

The infrastructure is well developed around the cave: information boards and road signs have been installed, the surrounding area has been landspaced, all the facilities for pilgrimage and tourist visits to the sacral monument have been created.

A well-known and recognizeble natural objiect of Bayanaul is Kempirtas Rock, which is located on the territory of the state national natural park. The sacredness and uniqueness of the rock is characterized by the miracle of nature, which with the forces of wind, sun and water, polished the image of the fairy old woman's head.

The sacred mountains, which are revered by almost all peoples inhabiting the globe is a separate group of natural objects. For centuries, mountains, peaks, more than other objiects of nature, were endowed with the status of sacredness, due to their proximity to the upper worlds.

An interesting legend is associated with the sacred mountains Aulie Kyzyltau, located in the south of Bayanaul district, according to which, during the Flood, when the whole world was hidden under water, Saint Kulan moored to the top of the mountain. In people's memory, he is credited with the ability to shape-shift into a koulan animal. The saint was addressed during a death or illness of livestock.

Not far from the Kyzyltau Mountains there is Totia Mountain, the highest peak of the Dalbinsk Mountains of Bayanaul district in Pavlodar region.

The mountain for local people is a sacred place connected wih the history of their kind. The following legend is preserved in people's memory: "Karabatyr wanted to conquer the inhabitants of the Dalbinsk Mountains. Having gathered an army, he set off. But in a one-day trip form the battlefield, a beautiful girl named Totiya came out to meet him. She amazed the batyr with her mind and courage, after which he admitted defeat and turned his troops back. A year later he married that girl, and they had sons, Batyr and Kuniyaz. When Karabatyr was conquering Syrdarya, Totiya reigned in his native land leading the people. After her death her son Babyr said that he would bury his mother at the highest point of the Dalbinsk Mountains. Since then, the mountains is called Totiya, at the foot of which there have been the lands of the Babyr and Kuniyaz people."

The next group of sacral objects is sacred sources that have long been used for health purproses. They are found in the steppes of Pavlodar Priirtyshye, where water has a high value as a source supporting life.

The sacred objiects of Bayanaul district incluede the spring of Auliebulak located in Toraighyr village and the spring of Saryadyr located at the entrance to Bayanaul village. According to popular belief, the springs have health-improving properties. Passing by people stop, quenching their thirst with clean cold water, hang pieces of white cloth on a tree to fulfill their inmost desires and draw water for further use for medicinal purposes.

In view of a constant flow of visitors, the surrounding area of the objects is being landscaped: fences and entrances to the springs are being built.

In addition to the springs in Pavlodar Priirtyshye there are a lot of healing lakes. One of these is Lake Auliekol, located in the lower reaches of the Olenti River. According to folk lore, in the old days, on the shores of the lake, there lived the Saint Tuite, known among people as a magician and healer. A number of sacred objects are associated with the name Tuite: it is a holy stone located on the southern shore of the lake, the sacred grove of Aulietal and the Lake Auliekol itself.

The lake has healing properties. Various diseaser and injuries are healed with the holy water. Bathing in this lake has a positive effect on human health.