Okunevo Village

Okunevo is a village in the Muromtsevo district of Omsk Oblast, on the left bank of the Tara River, 25 km west of the district center of Muromtsevo and roughly 180 km from Omsk. Since the 1990s it has been known less for its history than for its reputation as a "place of power": neo-Hindu pilgrims, New Age followers and the merely curious come here, drawn by tales of five lakes and a temple said to have sunk underground.

History

The village was founded in 1770 and was originally called Rezino; it was renamed after its first settler. It has six streets — Mira (formerly Mogilnaya), Tsentralnaya (formerly Peschanaya), Lesnaya, Kirpichnaya (formerly Karabakh), Zelyonaya and Pridorozhnaya.

The area around Okunevo also interests archaeologists. According to one theory, a trade route linking Lake Baikal with Europe ran through the Omsk Irtysh region some four thousand years ago; five jade rings found here, along with jade beads from burials near Omsk, are seen as evidence of that route. Two burial grounds, a settlement and a cult site have been studied near the village, which researchers link to its position on the ancient border between steppe and taiga. The Okunevo VII burial ground on the left bank of the Tara was excavated by archaeologist V. I. Matyushchenko from 1985 to 2003; by the final season more than 3,500 square meters had been opened, 288 graves examined, and an early medieval kurgan found there turned out to have been looted long ago. In autumn 2022 a local resident found half of a vessel identical to one unearthed at the site; the find has not yet been published.

Legends and Accounts

The Omkar Shiva Dham ashram in Okunevo was registered in 1995, though talk of the place's unusual properties had begun already in 1991. According to legend, one of an Indian guru's disciples dreamed that a temple of Hanuman, the god Rama's helper, was sinking underground near the village; in 2000, soil surveys beneath Okunevo supposedly uncovered tunnels leading toward the temple. The name of the Tara River is interpreted as "savior" and linked to one of the incarnations of Shiva's wife.

On the Tara ridge above the village stand a chapel, a Hindu altar called a dhunya, a neo-pagan kolovrat and crosses of various faiths — a mix that locals and visitors alike describe as an example of peaceful coexistence between beliefs. Near the village, guides point out the "Witch's Circle," a geometrically even patch of trampled earth that, according to local accounts, no tractor will cross.

The best-known legend concerns the five lakes — Okunevo, Danilovo, Shchuchye, Shaitan and Potayonnoye — said to have formed when fragments of a meteorite fell here, their water supposedly endowed with healing properties. Lake Shaitan is called "dead" and "evil," and legend places the Hanuman temple beneath it. Writer Mikhail Rechkin, who popularized the legends of the Five Lakes, linked their imagery to the folk tale "The Little Humpbacked Horse."

Okunevo Today

Hindus, neo-pagans, Krishna devotees and Orthodox Christians live side by side in Okunevo today, and the Omkar Shiva Dham ashram still holds mantra chanting and meditation sessions. Linyovo, the largest of the five lakes, is nicknamed "the battery" by locals, who say swimming in it brings a surge of energy; its water and mud are considered good for skin conditions. Danilovo is known for its blue clay, used as a cosmetic treatment, while divers describe a pit on the lake bed overhung by old, moss-covered trees. The small Shchuchye lake is ringed by birch forest, and Potayonnoye is said, by legend, to reveal itself only to the worthy and only at certain times.

Guesthouses in the village offer group accommodation and themed rooms, along with a craft shop selling handmade souvenirs.

Getting There

Buses (including route 1461) and shared taxis run from Omsk to Okunevo; another option is to take a bus to Muromtsevo and continue by local transport. The road from Okunevo to the neighboring village of Cheplyarovo crosses private land and, as of 2026, is closed.