Overview

Danzan Ravjaa (1803-1856), officially known as the Fifth Noyon Incarnate Lama of the Gobi Desert, is perhaps Mongolia's most beloved saint. The Fourth had caused so many scandals that the Manchu Emperor banned his reincarnation. Consequently, when the young child was enthroned as the Fifth, the Emperor issued an edict of execution on the boy and all associated with the event. The child was only saved by the personal intervention of the Panchen Lama and a letter of appeal from the young Ninth Dalai Lama. Their efforts proved well worthwhile, for the boy went on to become one of the greatest mystics and creative geniuses of 19th-century Mongolia. Lama of the Gobi is an investigative account of the life and times of this extraordinary man. It takes the reader on a journey through Mongolian history, Tibetan Buddhism and the traditions of nomadic culture, to generate an appreciation of the man and the legends that surround him. This revealing story winds its way from Danzan Ravjaa's mythic past until the present day - as the people of the Gobi Desert still faithfully maintain his cult-like status.

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Michael Kohn is a specialist on Mongolian culture and society. From 1998 to 2000 he served as the foreign editor for the Mongol Messenger, a weekly newspaper in Mongolia. He has since reported on Mongolia for a number of media outlets, including the BBC World Service, the Associated Press, the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times. He has also updated two editions of the Lonely Planet guide to Mongolia. His first book on the country, Dateline Mongolia, won Foreword Magazine's annual silver medal. Michael has worked for Lonely Planet since 2003 and has written more than 15 guidebooks, including Tibet, Israel, Armenia, China and Russia. He divides his time between San Francisco and Ulaanbaatar.

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