Temples, Stupas and Sacred Places
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In the pre-revolutionary period there were many Buddhist temples that served the needs of Kalmyk clans and settlements. However, during the anti-religious purges of the 1930s, all of them were destroyed, except for the Khosheutovskiy temple, which survived partly. It was not until 1989 that the first prayer house was opened on Gerasimenko street in Elista following the establishment of a Buddhist community. The first Buddhist temple Geden Sheddup Choikorling (locally known as Sakyusn Sume) was opened in 1996 on the outskirts of Elista, which marked the beginning of a period of active construction of religious buildings across Kalmykia. In 2005 Burkhan Bagshin Altan Sume (known as Central Khurul), the biggest temple not only in Kalmykia but in Europe, was opened in the centre of the capital city. Today Buddhist structures such as temples, prayer houses and stupas can be found in all settlements across Kalmykia. Among them, stupas present an interesting case. Not only are they built in large numbers in villages and around temples, but they also mark the places of destroyed temples and other sacred locations. The construction of stupas is usually initiated by Kalmyk clans and lineages (in such cases stupas are built in ancestral places in memory of ancestors) or representatives of Buddhist communities (in memory of famous lamas, legendary rulers, destroyed temples or notable historical events).
This video collection hosts stories about religious buildings of the past and the present.
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Item Open Access Konstantin Dzhimbinov, About the construction of the first Buddhist stupa in Moscow(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-09-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Terbish, BaasanjavItem Open Access Kanur Nadvidov, About a temple in Nayntakhn village(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-09-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, AntonItem Open Access Dordzhi-Tseren bagshi, about the Single Poplar Tree(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-11-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, AntonItem Open Access Boris Shurganov, About the temple in Malye Derbety(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-09-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Terbish, BaasanjavItem Open Access Boba Kokueva, About our clan's temple(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2018-11-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Korneev, Gennadiy; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, ArturItem Open Access Batr Mangaev, the symbolism of the stupa(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-11-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumov, Anton; Korneev, Gennadiy; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, ArturItem Open Access Batr Mangaev, Stupas in Kalmykia(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-11-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumov, Anton; Korneev, Gennadiy; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, ArturItem Open Access Batr Mangaev, About tsatsa and mird inside stupas(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-11-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumov, Anton; Korneev, Gennadiy; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, ArturItem Open Access The opening of a stupa in Ulan-Erge(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-08-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Churyumov, AntonThe video shows the opening ceremony of a Buddhist stupa of enlightenment in the village of Ulan-Erge in Yashkul rayon. Built by local people, the stupa’s aim is to unite people and improve their spiritual wellbeing. The ceremony was attended by villagers, dignitaries and monks. Following the speeches by the Shajin Lama, the 13th Kundeling Rinpoche and the elderly, the monks read prayers starting with ‘Itkl’ and performed two rituals to cleanse the place. Afterwards, the participants and guests walked around the stupa three times, receiving blessings from both the Shajin Lama and Kundeling Rinpoche. The ceremony was concluded with a concert.Item Open Access Ivan Ulyumdzhiev, about sacred places(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-08-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, AntonIvan talks about a sacred hill near the village of Uldyuchin. According to a local belief, a huge snake (the spiritual master of that place) lived inside that hill. Even in Soviet times people tried to walk around that hill, not over it. Old people left offering for the snake.Item Open Access Danil and Sergei Orusovs, About a stupa in the village of Protochnoe(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-10-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Churyumov, AntonSergei says that shortly before the construction of a stupa near the village of Protochnoye in Astrakhan region, one of the locals found an old coin on the ground. That person handed the coin over to the stupa builders so that it could be put at the foundation of the Buddhist structure. Whilst it was monks from the Central Temple in Elista who consecrated the place for the construction of the stupa, its opening ceremony was conducted by monks from the Liman Temple. This stupa is located on a hill between the villages of Protochnoe (formerly known as Bantir) and Dambur (which today ceased to exist).Item Open Access Olga Budzhalova, about a temple(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-04-22) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, AntonOlga says that the temple that belonged to her clan was destroyed by the Reds during the revolution. It was such a spacious temple that it could fit people from all the 13 Buzava stanitsas/villages around. All the objects inside the temple were looted, and the majority of the monks were imprisoned for ten years. Olga keeps a silver lamp that belonged to one of the monks. She also had an amulet, but it was stolen from her some time ago.Item Open Access Oleg Kalykov, about the Baga-Chonos Temple(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-05) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Churyumov, Anton; Sandzhiev, ArturOleg talks about the Baga-Chonos temple, its history and monks who served there: The new Baga-Chonos temple was built in 1999. It is a continuation of the historical Baga-Chonos temple which was built in 1778 by the descendants of Galzu-Basu zaisang with the permission of the Dalai Lama. The old temple was called Galdn-Rashi-Choiling. Being nomadic throughout its history, in 1904 the temple became stationary. When it was destroyed in 1930 the monks are believed to have buried the majority of the relics somewhere, and we are still searching for them to this day. The head of Russian Buddhists, Agvan Dorzhiev, came to the Baga-Chonos temple where he collected donations for the construction of a temple in St Petersburg. He also sent Kalmyk monks to study in Tibet. In the 17th century, here lived a monk called Kogshin-Zerge. When he was being cremated, it is said that three birds appeared from the fire. One family here keeps a tangka with his image. Our temple is known for famous monks who served here, including Badma Bovaev, Maani bagshi, Maral bagshi, Unzd gelyung, and Loora bagshi (who was abbot). Loora bagshi’s brother studied in Tibet. His clothings were handed over recently to the Central Temple in Elista. We have the paintings of all these monks in our temple. We also have a painting of Namka Kichikov. Although he served in the neighboring temple, our people went to see him. The Baga-Chonos temple belongs to the Nyingma school of Buddhism.Item Open Access Nikolai Khatuev, about a temple in Tsagan Nur(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-05) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumov, Anton; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, GennadiyNikolai says that the temple of Tashi Gomang was built in Tsagan-Nur in 1911, but was destroyed by the Soviets in the 1930s. Two statues of Buddha from that temple are today kept in the village of Tsagan-Nur. Nikolai wrote a poem about the temple. When the Soviets were pulling the temple apart, one Kalmyk man volunteered. He climbed to the roof only to fall down and break his legs. At that time Nikolai’s father, who later relayed this story to Nikolai, was about 13. He saw the sky turn red before the destruction of the temple. The local people salvaged whatever they could. Some took the relics with them to Siberia when the Kalmyks were deported.Item Open Access Nadezhda Tarancheeva, about my clan and the Lapin Temple(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-05) Terbish, Baasanjav; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, Artur; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, GennadiyNadezhda says the following: I was born in Iki-Derbet. I am from the Akhnud clan. I finished three classes in my village. My father, Pyurvenov Nyamin Erdniyevich, was a shepherd in a collective farm. Zaisang Lapin was an aristocrat in Bashanta. He built a temple in my village of Akhnud. The local history museum keeps files about that temple which was collected by Chultsumov Kozma Lavganovich in the 1970s. Before the deportation of the Kalmyks, Buddhist celebrations were held at that temple. During Urs Sar, according to my older brother, the monks used to take out Gandzhur texts from inside the temple and carry them outside. The temple was near a pond called ‘Zangta khurla khudg’. Afterwards, the temple was turned into a school. When we returned from exile, the building was converted into a brick factory. My cousin, Badma, a tractor driver, used to dig the ground around that temple. One day he began to drive in circles, and nobody could stop him. After he was finally stopped by my older brother Viktor Nikolaevich, Badma was taken to a hospital in Priyutnoe where the doctors could find nothing wrong with him. A former monk who served in that temple told Badma that he had disturbed the land and that if he wished to live he should quit the job. Badma’s mother sent him off to her relatives in the village of Baga-Tugtun where he got married and had children. The patron of our clan is the lama Tsongkapa whom we worship. When I was a child we were taught to appeal to Tsongkhapa and White Tara in our prayers.Item Open Access Mingiyan Lidzhiev, about our clan temple and its clergy(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-05) Terbish, Baasanjav; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, Artur; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, GennadiyMingiyan talks about his clan temple and the monks who served there: Near the village of Sharnut, we built a stupa next to which we erected a monument on which we inscribed the names of the monks who served in our clan temple in the 1930s. That temple was called Rashi-Choiling, and its abbot was Ochirov Erenzhen from the Jamba-Sharvakhin clan. The astrologer who served in the temple was Boldsha Basa. Other monks who worked there were Koonan Khar, Shepeling, Muchkan Luuzung, Manuna Tsyavdyr, Bukshan Badma and others. All in all, about 20 monks. In 1931, Ochirov Erenzhen was sent to prison in Kazakhstan. When the Kalmyks were exiled to Siberia, he came and found his relatives there. He was very old, but healthy. Boldsha Basa told his family that the Soviet government would not give him peace and that he wanted to die on his own terms. He lay down on the floor and asked two young boys to hold him by the shoulders and the legs. While the boys were holding him, he took a deep breath and passed away. In 1931 all monks were forcefully disrobed. 3 of the monks went in the direction of Abganer, but no one knows what happened to them. Inside the temple there was a large prayer drum. The communists cut the drum open, retrieved all the sacred texts and objects, and chucked all of them into the Oonta River. Two monks, inducing Fedkin Shogsha and my uncle Ochirov Dorzhi, managed to smuggle out several relics. They took these relics with them when the Kalmyks were exiled to Siberia. Fedkin Shogsha was buried along with his relics. Before his death, my uncle was holding a statue of Buddha and reading prayers. After the prayers he walked all day and looked healthy, but died in the evening. His relics were also buried with him.Item Open Access Ivan Tserenov, about the Cheerya Khurul(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-04) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Koldaev, Tseren; Bembeev, AleksandrIvan says that the Cheerya Khurul, a philosophical school, was built in Iki-Chonos in 1913. It had more than 100 students who were taught by teachers from Tibet, Buryatia and Mongolia. When the Soviets came to power, the building was put to another use and the monks were arrested. In 1997 the local people rebuilt the temple. People from other parts of Kalmykia, including Orgakin and Uldyuchin, also helped in the construction. Today the monk who conducts rituals at the the Cheerya Khurul is Tibetan.Item Open Access Evdokia Erdnieva, about our clan temple and its clergy(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-04) Terbish, Baasanjav; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, Artur; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, GennadiyEvdokia reminisces about her old clan temple and the monks that served there:Item Open Access Bembya Mitruev, about the architecture of temples in Kalmykia(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumov, Anton; Koldaev, Tseren; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, GennadiyBembya says that some temples in Kalmykia had Tibetan architectural influence. In Kalmykia, in one of the villages there stood a temple that resembled the mandala of Vajrabhairava. Many Kalmyk temples had symmetrical walls which is also known among other Mongolian groups. Kalmyks also had temples that had Russian influence. An example is the Khosheutovsky Temple, built in the likeness of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. There were also temples that had mixed architecture, i.e. Tibetan-Mongolian or Tibetan-Oirat, although Kalmyks did not have temples with Chinese architectural influence.Item Open Access Tseren Badaev, about a temple and monks in the past(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-11) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Churyumov, AntonTseren says that when he was 5 he remembers the temple in his village of Kyuktya being intact. Tseren used to go there with his parents and was impressed by its beauty. Before entering, people circled around the temple. After the Kalmyks were exiled, all villages in the vicinity were destroyed, although the village of Bolshaya Moga survived which was where many monks lived in the past. Meaning ‘big snake’, the village of Bolshaya Moga derives its name from the large snakes that lived in that area but did not harm people. The abbot of the temple in Kyuktya was Gaaden bagshi. His younger brother Namka was also a monk and practiced medicine. Other monks of the gelyung rank that served there were Gavdzhi Aava, Chyorig Ovgen, Denzen, and Dandryk Mangaev. Besides gelyungs, there were also monks of the getsul rank, including Bembya and Sarang. Tseren Badaev is Gaaden bagshi’s nephew. Gaaden bagshi himself lived in the village of Iki-Aryl. From there he was exiled to Siberia where he died. Gaaden bagshi received his monastic education in Mongolia. Namka was good at treating diseases of the internal organs. He did massages and made medicine from herbs. Gavdzhi Aava could also cure people, but by means of prayers. Many monks studied in Mongolia or Buryatia. In 1933 all monks were arrested, but Gaaden bagshi and Gavdzhi Aava survived prison. In the past, monks could save crops from drought and insects by merely reading prayers.
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