Города и дорогиThe chief temple of Kalmykia and the largest Buddhist temple in Europe opened on 27 December 2005, on the Zul festival, on the site of a demolished concrete works. The ground was blessed by the fourteenth Dalai Lama during his visit to Elista in 2004.
Outside
The khurul stands on a high stylobate, with broad staircases up to the main entrance. The building is white, with gilded Tibetan-style roofs, red columns at the door and a relief band under the cornice; its total height with the spire is sixty-three metres. The grounds are ringed by a fence with prayer wheels, a hundred and eight stupas and seventeen white pagodas holding statues of Buddhist teachers.
The statue
Inside stands a nine-metre statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, covered in gold leaf and set with precious stones, the largest in Europe. It occupies the second level, the main prayer hall.
Seven levels
The first level holds a library, a museum of the history of Buddhism and a conference hall. Above are rooms for receiving the faithful, the residence of the head of Kalmykia's Buddhists, quarters prepared for the Dalai Lama, service rooms and, at the very top, a meditation room open only to clergy.
Walking round
The temple is circled clockwise, turning the prayer wheels. The fence has four gates facing the cardinal directions, but the custom is to enter by the southern one. Figures of the White Elder, revered in Kalmyk tradition, stand before the staircase. Entry is free, and shoes come off before the hall.
For the city it doubles as the main viewpoint over the steppe.
- Address
- Yuri Klykov Street 63, Elista
- Opening hours
- Daily, morning to evening; services on schedule
- Prices
- Free
On the map
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