Pagoda of Seven Days

The red-and-gold pagoda stands in the centre of Elista on Lenin Square and has become the main symbol of the city. It was built in 2005, and the name comes from the seven tiers of roofing, which are linked with the seven days of the week and with the seven buddhas of the past. The structure is open: the lower tier is a belvedere on massive red columns with gilded capitals, above it rise diminishing roofs with dragon heads at the corners, and the whole thing is finished with a slender spire. Inside the belvedere is a large prayer wheel, presented by monks from India and consecrated by the 14th Dalai Lama; millions of rolled-up mantras are placed inside the wheel, and it is customary to walk around it clockwise. White stone spheres and a low fence with red posts are arranged around the perimeter of the platform. In the evening the structure is picked out with outline illumination, and the pagoda turns into a glowing silhouette visible from all over the square. The neighbouring of a Soviet square and Buddhist architecture explains well how Kalmykia is put together.

Address

Lenina Street, Elista

On the map