Gorgeous Concubine Genepil

"They took her away at night. She did not wake us, only left a piece of sugar on our pillows. I still remember the joy of a sudden discovery of that rare delicacy in the morning," recalled 70-year-old Tserenkhand at the premiere of a film dicated to the tragic fate of her mother, the last wife of Bogdo Khaan. 

Young Genepil shared the throne with Bogdo Khaan less than a year but this was enough to sentence her 14 years later to death together with her parents. When Communist commissars took her to the execution she was only 33. 

Young and beautiful Genepil was separated from her newlywed husband to be taken to the Khaan's Palace and become a Queen.

Bogdo Khaan married for the first time after falling madly in love. Nothing could stop him, neither persuasions nor reminders about his title and the monastic vow. His mentors' hopes that his love will cool down with time did not realized. After five years the mentors, dedicated guardians of religious traditions, gave up - it was not good for the head of the Church to routinely slip away at night to his concubine.  

After her death the guardians decided to take the issue into own hands and picked up a 18-year-old girl from a noble family in Northern Mongolia, named Genepil. Even though she was recently married she was taken to the Khaan Place where she learned for the first time about her fate to marry again, but this time to old and deeply sick Bogdo Khaan. After his death she returned to her husband. 

Not much is known about Genepil. There is her only picture and a beautiful song. The song was first recorded by historician O.Purev from an old man who learned it, in his turn, from the royal clairvoyant B.Tserendemberel when kept in a prison cell together.

What was the purpose of the royal servant who made the young monk to memorise the song's words by heart? The song praising the pleasures of love with Genepil was prohibited for singing outside the palace. Perhaps, knowing about his upcoming death he wanted the song to survive and the people to know about the young woman's beauty? 

In any case, the young monk survived the purges and carried the song in his memory for almost six decades. However, he did not know the melody as the prison from which very few escaped was not definitely a place to sing.

And people now remember the beautiful young woman who entertained khaan and paid the price for being a royal.

Also read in History:
- Bogdo Khaan, the Rebel Monk
 

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