THE SACRED CITY OF THE LIVING BUDDHA 67 



monotonous trip offered little inducement to casual trav- 

 elers. The Russians came to TJrga from the north and, 

 until the recent war, their influence was paramount 

 along the border. They were by no means anxious to 

 have other foreigners exploit Mongolia, and they wished 

 especially to keep the country as a buffer-state between 

 themselves and China. 



Not only is Urga the capital of Mongolia and the 

 only city of considerable size in the entire country but 

 it is also the residence of the Hutukhtu, or Living 

 Buddha, the head of both the Church and the State. 

 Across the valley his palaces nestle close against the 

 base of the Bogdo-ol (God's Mountain), which rises in 

 wooded slopes from the river to an elevation of eleven 

 thousand feet above sea level. 



The Sacred Mountain is a vast game preserve, which 

 is patrolled by two thousand lamas, and every approach 

 is guarded by a temple or a camp of priests. Great 

 herds of elk, roebuck, boar, and other animals roam the 

 forests, but to shoot within the sacred precincts would 

 mean almost certain death for the transgressor. Some 

 years ago several Russians from Urga made their way 

 up the mountain during the night and killed a bear. 

 They were brought back in chains by a mob of frenzied 

 lamas. Although the hunters had been beaten nearly to 

 death, it required all the influence of the Russian diplo- 

 matic agent to save what remained of their lives. 



The Bogdo-ol extends for twenty-five miles along the 

 Tola Valley, shutting off Urga from the rolling plains 

 to the south. Like a gigantic guardian of the holy city 



