Mountain of idols Manpupuner: how the sacred Mansi mountains appeared in the Komi Republic

The geological monument of nature Manpupuner is located in the territory of the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve, in the Northern Urals and is one of the seven wonders of Russia, which were determined by the results of the popular vote. The monument includes 7 stone remains (columns of weathering), located in close proximity to each other. The height of the rocks is from 30 to 42 meters. In this region there are other columns of weathering, but they are not so large and dispersed in the vicinity.

One of the indigenous peoples living in this part of the Komi Republic is Mansi. For them, Manpupuner is a sacred place and is translated from the Mansi language, as "a small mountain of idols". Many people's legends and beliefs are connected with this mountain. One of them says that quaint rocks are evil warriors-giants who pursued beautiful Aim and were turned into stone idols by her brother Pygrychun.

But the mysterious formation of such unusual rocks is quite understandable from a scientific point of view. Many millions of years ago there was a continuous mountain massif on this territory. The weathering posts were composed of solid sericite-quartzite schists, while the surrounding rocks were lighter in texture and subject to erosion processes. Rain water, temperature changes and strong winds have led to the fact that the surrounding rocks collapsed, and the shale areas remained.

Several eco-routes have been laid on the territory of the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve, including the Manpupuner Plateau. In summer, the path to the plateau takes 5 days and includes water, car and foot areas, and in winter excursions on snowmobiles are possible. The mountain of idols does not leave any of the travelers indifferent. Someone, looking at quaint rocks, sees images of animals or fairy-tale characters, in the imagination of others there are the forces of nature or the spirits of ancient peoples who lived in this territory. And in winter, covered with a layer of snow and frost, the columns of weathering look even more mysterious.