Mansi Stone Statues Declared a Russian Miracle

The ancient stone statues on Mount Manpupuner in the Republic of Komi were marked as one of the seven Russian miracles at the finals of the Russian sights competition on June 12.

Besides the Mansi statues, the other sights that were given the honorary name of the Russian Miracle, were the St. Basil’s Cathedral with its colourful tented roofs located in Moscow at the Red Square, Mount Elbrus in Kabardino-Balkaria, the Peterhof park, Lake Baikal, the Tumulus of Mamai in Volgograd and The Valley of the Geysers in Kamchatka.

The 30-40-metre-long Mansi stone statues on Mount Manpupuner of the Pechoro-Ilychsisky nature reservation area have evolved as a result of the wind, the water and fluctuating temperature over millions of years.

There are many legends about the appearance of the statues. Mansis or, as they are also called, the Voguls say that these stone statues are what was left of the seven Samoyed warriors who had come over the mountains to destroy the Mansi people. However, once they reached Manpupuner, their leader saw the Voguls’ sacred mountain of Jalpingner in front of him and he and his companions turned into stone statues. According to another stody, a local shaman turned to warriors into statues.  

The Mansi and the Komi hold the statues sacred and used to perform praying rituals there.

The authorities recently limited access to the Mansi statues in order to protect them from tourists. Visitors are allowed to stay on the mountain only for a short period of time and only by the permission of the local department of the environment.

Source: Rosbalt-Sever

Archive: Holy Place of the Mansi and Komi Taken Under Protection