Amur Pillars
Amur Pillars are bizarre stone remnants rising on the left bank, in the lower reaches of the Amur River. Picturesque pillars from 12 to 70 meters high have the status of a natural monument of regional significance. They stand on several slopes and the top of one of the spurs of the Chayatyn ridge – a hillside, which rises to a height of 885.8 meters. Amur Pillars attract travelers with beautiful legends and unusual shape. They offer an excellent view of the Amur valley and the vast expanses of the Khabarovsk taiga. Many remains have their own names – Dog, Crown, White Church, Chinese Wall, Bowl and Shaman Stone.
Video: Amur Pillars
General Information
Most scientists believe that the Amur Pillars came about as a result of weathering. Soft rocks under the influence of strong winds, rain and the sun gradually collapsed, while the harder ones – quartz and feldspar – were held together by natural erosion. There is also an opinion that the Amur Pillars could have been formed 170 million years ago, thanks to an underground volcano. The stone giants were squeezed out of the ground by accumulated gases.
.The first mentions of the remains date back to the beginning of the last century. In the 1970s and 1980s, climbers and groups of sports tourists began to climb to the tops of the hard-to-reach high pillars. To date, the highest of all White Church has been conquered from different sides, including negative slopes.
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Now from the left bank of the Amur River, opposite the village of Nizhnetambovskoye, good trails are laid to the famous remains, and every year many tourists and locals rush to the Amur Pillars. The main trails lead to the Shaman Stone complex.
To most of the pillars there are no well-trodden paths, and travelers get there very rarely. Some low remains are not visible at all because of the crowns of trees, so it is not easy to find them. Such Amur Pillars include the long Chinese Wall, the upper stones of which are very similar to ancient loopholes.
.Шаман-камень
From the side of ships traveling along the Amur River, the silhouette of a high remnant, something resembling the spire of a high-rise building, is clearly visible. The shaman-stone rises above the taiga forest like a skyscraper above low-rise buildings, and attracts the attention of all who see it.
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Next to it is another remnant, called Adzi. According to an ancient legend preserved by the Nanai, the daughter of the local shaman Adzi fell in love with a young hunter. Despite her requests, her father did not allow his daughter to marry. Then the girl and the young man decided to go against parental will and ran away. The angry shaman turned into a bear and chased after them.
.When the bear caught up with the fugitives, a fight ensued. The girl loved both her father and the young man, and could not let trouble happen. She turned to the good spirits and asked them to stop time. Since then, the Amur Pillars – Shaman Stone, Adzi and Hunter and Dog – have stood still on the slope of the green hillside.
.Shaman-stone has a height of about 60 meters. Near the base of the remnant can be seen hollowed out in the stone altars, which were most likely used by shamans. Curiously, these altars are oriented to the sides of the world. There is a belief among locals that the Shaman Stone has healing powers, so people go to it to ask for health or mental strength.
.Safety precautions
Traveling to the picturesque Amur Pillars requires preparation and physical fitness. It is not an easy excursion route. In the taiga of the Khabarovsk region it is easy to get lost, so tourists need good maps and the ability to navigate on the ground. In summer, there are a lot of bites in the taiga forest. Because of this, travelers are recommended to wear fully covering the body dense cotton clothing, best of all – encephalitic suits or storm jackets, as well as to use repellents and mosquito nets.
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There are bears in the taiga. They do not attack tourists. However, you should be careful on the route and try not to leave the group alone.
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How to get there
Amur Pillars rise on the left bank of the Amur River, near the village of Nizhnetambovskoye, 134 km from the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. In Nizhnetambovskoye it is necessary to cross to the left bank of the river. You can do it by agreement with local residents – by boat. The path to the remnants is laid along the valley of the left tributary of the Amur. It runs along the water itself and then turns to the hills. At the places of river crossings there are usually logs.
.Off-road vehicles to the poles can also drive along the left bank of the Amur. True, this variant of the path is suitable for real fans of extreme travel. The fact is that the old logging roads are often blocked by fallen trees, and they have to be cut through every 100-200 meters. In addition, during the fire season it can be quite difficult to get a pass to drive through protected natural areas.
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