Dordzhi talks about two kinds of amulets: When twins were born, especially if they were a boy and a girl, people performed a ritual aimed at separating them. It was done as follows: A mantra was scribbled on a piece of paper. The paper was folded and sewn into a small cloth bag, which served as an amulet. There were other amulets called ‘mirde’. We have one at home. In the past, people tried not to show their mirde amulets to others. Mirde amulets were kept in small silver boxes and hung around the neck. Mirde were brought to Kalmykia from Tibet and distributed among the temples. Temples gave them away on certain occasions such as when men were sent off to war.