Scientific article
UDC 39
DOI: 10.3792/3033-6015-2026-1-62-77
BUDDHA RABDANOV AND THE “GREAT GAME” IN TIBET
Garri Irina Regbievna – Doctor of History, Leading Researcher of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Ulan-Ude, Russia). E-mail: ira.garri@yandex.ru. ORCID 0000-0003-2484-653X.
The article is devoted to the study of the life and activities of the famous Buryat scholar, traveler and public figure Buddha Rabdanovich Rabdanov in the context of the policy of the Russian Empire in Transbaikalia and the Far East. It examines such milestones in the scholar’s life as his journey to Eastern Tibet as part of G. N. Potanin’s expedition, his work as editor of Russia’s first newspaper in the Mongolian language “Life on the Eastern Outskirts” and as a Russian agent in the city of Dajianlu (Eastern Tibet). The main attention is focused on Rabdanov’s role in the so-called “Great Game”, the Anglo-Russian rivalry on the Asian continent. The article is based on documents from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire: diplomatic correspondence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Tibetan issue and the diaries of Buddha Rabdanov “Travel Notes of a Pilgrim” and “A Year in Dajianlu”. It is concluded that Buddha Rabdanov was a multifaceted personality with a complex self-identification: an admirer of Russian culture, a patriot of his nationality and a sincerely believing Buddhist. His biography allows us to better understand the interconnections and contradictions between “ethnic particularism” and “imperial cosmopolitanism” in Russia at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries.
Keywords: Buddha Rabdanov, Eastern Tibet, “Great Game”, “Life on the Eastern Outskirts”, ethnic particularism.
BUDDHA RABDANOV AND THE “GREAT GAME” IN TIBET
Garri Irina Regbievna – Doctor of History, Leading Researcher of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Ulan-Ude, Russia). E-mail: ira.garri@yandex.ru. ORCID 0000-0003-2484-653X.
The article is devoted to life and activities of the wellknown Buryat scholar, traveler and public figure Buddha Rabdanovich Rabdanov in the context of the policy of the Russian Empire in Transbaikalia and the Far East. It analyzes his main life periods, such as his trip to Eastern Tibet in the expedition of Georgii Potanin, working as the editor of Russia’s first newspaper in the Mongolian language “Life on the Eastern Outskirts” and as a Russian secret agent in Dajianlu, Eastern Tibet. The main attention is focused to the role of Rabdanov in the so-called “Great Game”, the Anglo-Russian rivalry on the Asian continent. The article is based on documents of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire: diplomatic correspondence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Tibetan issue and the diaries of Buddha Rabdanov “Travel Notes of a Pilgrim” and “A Year in Dajianlu”. The author argues that Buddha Rabdanov was a multifaceted personality with a complex identity: admirer of Russian culture, a patriot of his nationality and a devoted Buddhist believer. His biography allows us to better understand the relationships and contradictions between “national particularism” and “imperial cosmopolitanism” in Russia at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Keywords: Buddha Rabdanov, Eastern Tibet, “Great Game”, “Life on the Eastern Outskirts”, ethnic particularism.
For citation: Garri I. R. Buddha Rabdanov and the “Great Game” in Tibet // Eastern Azimuth: Economics, Sociology, Ethnology. – 2026. – No. 1(4). – Pp. 62–77. DOI: 10.3792/3033-6015-2026-1-62-77
