Ildar Khanov is a famous Russian sculptor and architect. A public figure from Tatarstan, famous for his project of the Temple of All Religions, which was built in Kazan.
Architect Biography
Ildar Khanov was born in the town of Old Arakchino near Kazan in 1940. His childhood fell on the hungry and difficult years of World War II.
Hunger at that time was raging fierce in Tatarstan. As a result, little Ildar even suffered a clinical death. As Ildar Khanov himself says, after that he discovered the gift of healing and clairvoyance.
After graduating from high school, the hero of our article entered the Kazan art school, deciding that his vocation would be creativity. He continued his education at the Moscow Institute of Surikov. At the same time, Khanov, who was not yet 30 years old, became a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR.
First work
The architect Ildar Khanov opened his first sculpture in his native Tatarstan. in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny. In 1975, his sculpture "Motherland" was installed, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. True, the opening of this monument was not without scandal. It turned out that the installation of the monument was not coordinated with the Central Committee of the Union of Artists.
Subsequently, for several years, Ildar Khanov opened new compositions in Naberezhnye Chelny. In the 80s, his works appeared in this city, such as The Tree of Life, Guardian Angel, Evolution, and Awakening. All of them were made of either smalt or concrete.
Personal exhibition
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1993, Ildar Khanov opened his first personal exhibition in Naberezhnye Chelny. His biography over the years has been associated with this city.
At the opening day, viewers were able to see his original creative work. Hiroshima-1 and Hiroshima-2, Bonfire of Mankind, Apocalypse, Mother's Share.
In his work, the influence of eastern philosophy was traced. He regularly visited holy places for Buddhists. He was fond of yoga, Chinese and Tibetan medicine, many times he came to India and Tibet. Over time, Ildar Masnaveevich Khanov began to practice healing.
Temple of All Religions
In 1994, Ildar Khanov began his most famous and large-scale project. Today, many sculptors associate the biography of the sculptor with the Temple of all religions.
According to the creator, the temple was to become an architectural symbol of all world religions and unite under one roof various civilizations and cultures. This was to become a classic example of tolerance and tolerance for faith and the opinion of everyone around. Khanov got such ideas in Buddhism - one of the most calm and tolerant of world religions.
Features of the Temple of all religions
The temple, which was conceived by Khanov, should have been fundamentally different from any other sacred buildings. Firstly, it was never intended to carry out any services. Also, there were no places for ceremonies.
Instead, it was planned to open an art gallery, hold exhibitions of modern painters and sculptors, organize master classes for everyone.
Separately, a concert hall was designed in which poetic and musical creative evenings were to be held.
Khanov admitted that when he planned to build this Temple, he did not assume that people of different religions would pray side by side in it. The temple was to become only a symbol of all beliefs, a museum of all world religions. The author himself called it "the international center of spiritual unity."
Construction history
Khanov began to erect the Temple of all religions in 1992. He continued to work until his death in 2013. After this, the case was continued by the brother of the sculptor named Ilgiz, as well as his sister, Flyura Galeeva.
About the birth of the idea to build such a building, Khanov himself spoke like this. The first thoughts in this direction appeared in his youth. The Khans discussed this idea with Roerich, who was also passionate about Tibet and the magic of Buddhism. The famous artist supported the undertakings of the young sculptor, but at that time it was not possible to implement such a project in the Soviet Union.
Many foreign world leaders became interested in the idea. In particular, Jawaharlal Nehru and Fidel Castro. They even offered to build such a temple each in their own country. But Khanov was firmly convinced that he should appear on the land of his ancestors. The artist did not dare to start work because there was no blessing of higher powers.
Ildar Khanov, whose paintings in the early 90s were already well known and famous, says that he received a mark from above just in 1992. And immediately decided to get to work. According to him, when he was meditating, an unfamiliar old man appeared to him, whom Khanov took for the Lord God. The elder ordered him to take a crowbar and a shovel in the yard and start digging tomorrow morning.
The hero of our article obediently obeyed. I dug 10 hours without a break. When asked what he was doing, Khanov replied that he was building the Ecumenical Church. He quickly found assistants, work went faster.
In total, the temple has 16 domes. One for each of the world religions. This number, Khanov claims, he also recognized during a meditation session when an angel appeared to him. Moreover, even Khanov himself can name only 12 religions, which are dedicated to poppies. The remaining four are oblivious; they existed during the time of the sunken Atlantis and other civilizations that disappeared from the face of the earth.
To equip the temple help people from all over the world. For example, a Buddha statue was sent by the head of a large corporation from South Korea. A high-ranking German politician promised to help Khanov acquire a telescope (an observatory should appear in the central hall of the temple).
The composition of the complex
It is currently known that it will appear in 12 of the 16 halls planned in the temple. Ildar Khanov himself spoke about this. The sculptures of the master should adorn many of them.
Of course, the place is given to the main modern religions that are popular today. In the temple, an Orthodox church, a Jewish synagogue, a Muslim mosque, a pagoda and much more should adjoin.
The full list of halls looks like this: a hall for Orthodoxy and Catholicism (they are planned to be united together, referring to Christianity), a hall of Protestantism, Rosicrucians and Masons, Iranian, Mayan, Egyptian, Indonesian, Tibetan, Chinese Tao, Indian Vedas, Japanese Zen Buddhism and even the alien mind hall.
At the moment, the work on the construction of the temple is not finished. Catholic and Egyptian halls have already been built, there is an art gallery, a theater hall, the hall of Jesus Christ and a tea room. There is still no end to work.
The interiors of existing halls are decorated with objects of decorative art and artworks of monumental painting.
Common law wife
Almost all his life and all the time the artist devoted his works, so Ildar Khanov never started an official family. At the same time, his personal life was quite successful. He spent many years in a civil marriage with the famous art critic Rauza Sultanova, who always supported him in all endeavors.
In recent months, she has been preoccupied with returning to the work of her common-law spouse, who were seriously injured during the fire in the Temple of All Religions. Moreover, the damage was caused not so much by the fire as by the water that was used to extinguish the fire.
It is worth noting that this is not the first fire that occurs in the temple. Prior to this, fire severely damaged structures in 1998. In a recent fire, the works of Khanov, who were never exhibited anywhere, but lay in storage rooms, were most affected. Basically, these were oil works made on cardboard. He wrote them in his student years, but from this they do not become less valuable.
Most of all, the parent house was damaged in the fire. Khanova’s brother Ilgiz believes that it must be preserved in this form. Like a memory of a fire. The library suffered the most from the fire, which burned down almost completely. It had unique publications on art, as well as world spiritual practices.
Most of the halls of the Temple of All Religions survived. But the domes and the roof were damaged by the fire, but it is quite possible to restore them. What is currently engaged in the civil wife of Khanov, along with his brother and sister.
What did Ildar Khanov die from?
The famous sculptor and artist died in Moscow. He died on February 9, 2013. Ildar Khanov was 72 years old. Officially, relatives report that death occurred as a result of a prolonged illness. The public does not know any other details of exactly what kind of ailment the hero of our article suffered.
His most important creation of all life, the Temple of all religions, is still incomplete, but the artist has lived his life not in vain. The fact is that his case has found many followers who seek to complete the construction started by Khanov.
Work in the Temple continues to this day. After their completion, we can confidently say that it will be one of the most monumental buildings in the world, combining not only religions, but also the cultures of all the peoples of the world living now and have ever existed on Earth.