Ildar Khanov: biography, personal life, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Ildar Khanov is a famous Russian sculptor and architect. A public figure from Tatarstan, who became 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 Staroe Arakchino near Kazan in 1940. His childhood fell on the hungry and difficult years of the Great Patriotic War.

Famine was raging in Tatarstan at that time. As a result, little Ildar even suffered clinical death. According to Ildar Khanov himself, after that he discovered in himself the gift of healing and clairvoyance.

After graduating from high school, the hero of our article entered the Kazan Art School, deciding that creativity would be his vocation. He continued his education at the Surikov Institute in the capital. At the same time, Khanov, who was not yet 30 years old, became a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR.

First works

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 GreatPatriotic 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.

Later, for several years, Ildar Khanov opened new compositions in Naberezhnye Chelny. In the 80s, such works of his as "The Tree of Life", "Guardian Angel", "Evolution" and "Awakening" appeared in this city. All of them were made either from sm alt or from concrete.

Solo exhibition

Already after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1993, Ildar Khanov opened his first solo exhibition in Naberezhnye Chelny. His biography has been associated with this city for many years.

At the opening day, the audience could see his original creative work. "Hiroshima-1" and "Hiroshima-2", "Bonfire of Humanity", "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 came to India and Tibet. Over time, Ildar Masnaveevich Khanov began to practice healing.

Temple of all religions

Ildar Khanov began to implement his most famous and large-scale project in 1994. The biography of the sculptor today is associated by many with the Temple of all religions.

According to the creator's intention, the temple was to becomean architectural symbol of all the world's religions and unite various civilizations and cultures under one roof. This was supposed to be a classic example of tolerance and tolerance for the faith and opinion of everyone around. Khanov got such ideas from Buddhism - one of the most calm and tolerant of the world's religions.

Features of the Temple of all religions

The temple that the Khans conceived had to be fundamentally different from any other sacred buildings. First, it was never supposed to hold any services. Also, there were no places for rituals.

Instead, it was planned to open an art gallery, hold exhibitions of contemporary painters and sculptors, organize master classes for everyone.

A concert hall was designed separately, in which poetic and musical creative evenings were to be held.

Khanov admitted that when he planned to build this Temple, he did not imagine that people of different religions would pray side by side in it. The temple was supposed to become only a symbol of all beliefs, a museum of all world religions. The author himself called it "an international center of spiritual unity".

Construction history

Khanov started building the Temple of All Religions in 1992. He continued to work until his death in 2013. After that, the work was continued by the sculptor's brother named Ilgiz, as well as his sister Flyura Galeeva.

Khanov himself told about the birth of the idea to build such a structure. First thoughts in this directionappeared in youth. Khanov discussed this idea with Roerich, who was also fascinated by Tibet and the magic of Buddhism. The well-known artist supported the initiatives of the young sculptor, but at that time there was no way 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 also because there was no blessing from higher powers.

Ildar Khanov, whose paintings were already well known and famous in the early 90s, says that he received a sign from above just in 1992. And I immediately decided to get to work. According to him, when he was meditating, an unfamiliar old man appeared to him, whom Khanov mistook for the Lord God. The elder ordered him to take a crowbar and a shovel in the yard and start digging from tomorrow morning.

The hero of our article unquestioningly obeyed. I dug for 10 hours without a break. When asked what he was doing, Khanov replied that he was building the Ecumenical Temple. He quickly found assistants, the work went faster.

In total there are 16 domes on the temple. One for each of the world's religions. This number, says Khanov, he also learned during a meditation session, when an angel appeared to him. Moreover, even Khanov himself can name only 12 religions to which the domes are dedicated. The remaining four are consigned to oblivion, they existed during the time of the sunken Atlantis and other civilizations that disappeared from the faceland.

People from all over the world help to equip the temple. For example, a Buddha statue was sent by the head of a large corporation from South Korea. And a high-ranking German politician promised to help Khanov buy a telescope (an observatory should appear in the central hall of the temple).

Composition of the complex

At the moment it is known that it will appear in 12 of the 16 halls planned in the temple. Ildar Khanov himself spoke about this. Sculptures of the master should decorate many of them.

Of course, there is room for the major modern religions that are popular today. An Orthodox church, a Jewish synagogue, a Muslim mosque, a pagoda and much more should coexist in the temple.

The full list of halls looks like this: a hall for Orthodoxy and Catholicism (they are planned to be combined together, referring to Christianity), a hall for Protestantism, Rosicrucians and Freemasons, Iranian, Maya, 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, a hall of Jesus Christ and a tea room. There is still plenty of work to do.

The interiors of existing halls are decorated with objects of arts and crafts and artworks of monumental painting.

Civil wife

Almost all his life and all the time the artist devoted his works, so he never started an official familyIldar Khanov. At the same time, his personal life was quite successful. He spent many years in a civil marriage with the famous art historian Rauza Sultanova, who always supported him in all endeavors.

In recent months, she has been concerned about returning to the people the work of her common-law spouse, who were seriously damaged during the fire in the Temple of All Religions. Moreover, the damage to them was caused not so much by fire as by water, which was used to extinguish the fire.

It is worth noting that this is not the first fire that happens in the temple. Prior to this, fire severely damaged the structures in 1998. In the recent fire, Khanov's works, which have never been exhibited anywhere, have suffered the most, but lay in storerooms. Basically, these were oil paintings made on cardboard. He wrote them as a student, but this does not make them any less valuable.

Parents' house suffered the most in the fire. Khanov's brother Ilgiz believes that it should be preserved in this form. Like a memory of a fire. The library, which burned down almost completely, suffered the most from the fire. It contained 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 fire, but it is quite possible to restore them. What is Khanov's civil wife doing at the moment, along with his brother and sister.

What did Ildar Khanov die of?

The famous sculptor and artist died in Moscow. He died on February 9, 2013. Ildar Khanovwas 72 years old. Officially, relatives report that death was due to a long illness. No other details of what kind of illness the hero of our article suffered from are known to the public.

His most important creation of his life, the Temple of all religions, is still unfinished, but the artist lived his life not in vain. The fact is that his business has found many successors who are striving to complete the construction begun by Khanov.

Works in the Temple are still going on. After their completion, we can say with confidence that it will be one of the most monumental structures in the world, uniting not only religions, but also the cultures of all the peoples of the world, living now and ever existing on Earth.