Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume
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The Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume ("The Golden Abode of the Buddha
Sakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
", , ; ) is a
Gelug file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India) The Gelug (, also Geluk; 'virtuous' ...
Buddhist monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...
in
Elista Elista (, ;"Большой энциклопедический словарь", под ред. А. М. Прохорова. Москва и Санкт-Петербург, 1997, стр. 1402 , ''Elst'', )The approximate pronunciation of the Cyr ...
, the capital of the
Republic of Kalmykia Kalmykia, officially the Republic of Kalmykia,; , ''Khalmg Tanghch'' is a republic of Russia, located in the Volga region of European Russia. The republic is part of the Southern Federal District, and borders Dagestan to the south and Stavr ...
, a federal subject of the
Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. The temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Russia and Europe, and it contains the third largest Buddha statue in Europe — , with only the tall Miró Buddha in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and the tall Buddha in Lagan being bigger. It was opened on December 27, 2005, at the site of a former factory. More than 5,000 people attended the opening ceremony, including representatives of Tibetan Buddhist communities from
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
,
Volgograd Volgograd,. formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area of , with a population ...
and
Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...
. The
14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935; full spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, shortened as Tenzin Gyatso; ) is the incumbent Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. He served a ...
blessed the site of the future temple just before he left Elista during his November 2004 visit to the Republic and gave it its name on March 11, 2006. During the opening ceremony, the president of the Republic of Kalmykia
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov (born 5 April 1962) is a Russian oligarch, administrator and politician. He was President of the Republic of Kalmykia in the Russian Federation from 1993 to 2010, and was president of FIDE, the chess internat ...
dedicated the monastery to
Kalmyks Kalmyks (), archaically anglicised as Calmucks (), are the only Mongolic ethnic group living in Europe, residing in the easternmost part of the European Plain. This dry steppe area, west of the lower Volga River, known among the nomads as ...
who died during and after their sudden and forced exile to Siberia. The date corresponded with , the Kalmyk New Year (similar to
Galdan Namchot Galdan Namchot is a festival celebrated in Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia and many regions of Himalaya, particularly in Ladakh, India. It is to commemorate the birth as well as parinirvana (death) and the Buddhahood of Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419 AD), ...
), and the anniversary of the 1943 deportations (December 27, 1943).


Exterior of the monastery complex

Along the perimeter, the monastery () is surrounded by a fence with white suburgans alternating every five meters. In total, there are 108 suburgans around the
khurul image:Khoshotovsky Khurul 1812.jpg, Khosheutovsky khurul A khurul (; or ''hure'' or ''küriye'') is a Buddhist monastery (temple, abode) in Kalmyks, Kalmyk (Oirats, Mongol-Oirat) Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism. Some of the most famous Kalmyk khuruls ...
, representing 108 Buddhas. There are four entrances in the fence of the temple, located on the four cardinal points, symbolizing the four elements earth, fire, water, and wind. The southern gate is the main gate. A wish-fulfilling jewel, that grants wealth, can be found on both sides of the gate. The
khurul image:Khoshotovsky Khurul 1812.jpg, Khosheutovsky khurul A khurul (; or ''hure'' or ''küriye'') is a Buddhist monastery (temple, abode) in Kalmyks, Kalmyk (Oirats, Mongol-Oirat) Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism. Some of the most famous Kalmyk khuruls ...
is surrounded by 17
pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...
s with statues of the great Buddhist teachers of the Nalanda monastery. Those pagodas were added on the recommendation of the
14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935; full spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, shortened as Tenzin Gyatso; ) is the incumbent Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. He served a ...
. In addition, there are four large pagodas with
prayer wheel A prayer wheel, or mani wheel, is a cylindrical wheel (, ) for Buddhist recitation. The wheel is installed on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather, or coarse cotton. Prayer wheels are common in Tibet and areas where Tibetan culture ...
s () at the four corners of the complex. On the main square of the monastery complex, along the axis of the southern entrance, there is a statue of the White Elder Tsagan Aav (). The
eight auspicious symbols The Ashtamangala () is the sacred set of Eight Auspicious Signs ( zh, 八吉祥, ''bajixiang'') featured in a number of Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The symbols or "symbolic attributes" () are yidam and teaching too ...
of Buddhism decorate the facade of the monastery. The pediment of the facade is decorated with a sculpture of
Dharmachakra The dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र, ) or wheel of dharma is a symbol used in the Dharmic religions. It has a widespread use in Buddhism.John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel, ''The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art,'' p. ...
— the Wheel of Teaching. On the sides, there are two
fallow deer Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...
, the listeners of the first sermon of
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
. The entire architectural plan of the monastery has the shape of a
mandala A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...
.


Interior

The khurul consists of seven levels and has a total height of .
On the ground floor, there are a lobby with a shop for Buddhist accessories, a security post, a stand with announcements, the schedule of rituals and prayers, and Buddhist news, a Buddhist library, a museum of Buddhist history, and a conference hall, which are all open to the public. The library holds the 108 volumes of the
Kangyur The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a defined collection of sacred texts recognized by various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, comprising the Kangyur and the Tengyur. The ''Kangyur'' or ''Kanjur'' is Buddha's recorded teachings (or the 'Translation of ...
, the 213 volumes of the
Tengyur The Tengyur or ''Tanjur'' or ''Bstan-’gyur'' (Tibetan: "Translation of Teachings") is the collected commentaries by great buddhist masters on Buddha Shakyamuni's teachings. The Tengyur is included in the Tibetan Buddhist Canon, which consi ...
and the works of modern Buddhist philosophers. There are books in various languages, such as Kalmyk, Mongolian, Russian and English, among others. The collection of the museum includes relict texts, Gelug clothing items, archived photos, Buddhist art from the 12th-13th centuries, and Buddhist masks. The second level of the khurul houses a prayer hall () with a statue of the Buddha
Sakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
, sitting in an āsana position, by sculptor . Sacred objects are laid inside the statue — mantras, incense, valuables, handfuls of earth from all regions of the republic, and
plants Plants are the eukaryotes that form the kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with cyanobacteria to produce sugars f ...
and cereals growing on the territory of Kalmykia. The statue itself is covered with gold leaf and encrusted with diamonds.
On the third level, there are an exhibition hall with a collection of photos, rooms for monks, the administration, and offices for individual reception, where monks, a
Tibetan medicine Traditional Tibetan medicine or Sowa Rigpa is the Tibetan medical system developed in the 8th century under King Trisong Detsen that incorporated the best international medical practices of that time.Claude Arpi, ''Glimpses on the Tibet History' ...
doctor and astrologers receive believers (free of charge). During major Buddhist holidays, visitors can familiarize themselves with the exposition on the history of Buddhism and the national Kalmyk culture.
The fourth level consists of the office of the head of Buddhists of Kalmykia, Telo Tulku Rinpoche, and a guest room of the Head of the Republic of Kalmykia. There is also an open observation deck for walks of high teachers.
On the fifth level is the residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,
Tenzin Gyatso The 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935; full spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, shortened as Tenzin Gyatso; ) is the incumbent Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. He served a ...
. It includes a reception hall, an office and the private quarters of the Teacher, and rooms for members of his secretariat and assistants.
Utility rooms are located on the sixth floor. On the seventh level, there is a meditation room for special ceremonies, which can only be visited by clergy.


Environmental engagement

The
Republic of Kalmykia Kalmykia, officially the Republic of Kalmykia,; , ''Khalmg Tanghch'' is a republic of Russia, located in the Volga region of European Russia. The republic is part of the Southern Federal District, and borders Dagestan to the south and Stavr ...
, where the Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume is located, is one of Russia's hottest places and is holding the countrywide heat record of on July 12, 2010.
Desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...
is the main environmental problem of the republic and affects 80% of its territory. The Buddhist clergy of the khurul is involved in ecological projects to address the issue of land degradation. They promote ecological awareness and activities based on Buddhist religious theory and ideological values, and collaborate in ecological projects with other social and state organizations.


See also

*
Buddhism in Kalmykia The Kalmyks are the only Mongolic-speaking people of Europe whose national religion is Tibetan Buddhism. In 2016, 53.4% of the population surveyed identified themselves as Tibetan Buddhists. They live in Kalmykia, a federal subject of Russia ...
*
Buddhism in Russia Buddhism is considered to be one of Russia's traditional religions and is legally a part of Russian historical heritage. Historically, Buddhism was incorporated into Siberia in the early 17th century. Besides the historical monastic traditions ...
* Geden Sheddup Choikorling Monastery — 2nd biggest Buddhist monastery of Kalmykia


References


External links

* {{Russia topics 2005 establishments in Russia Religious buildings and structures completed in 2005 Buddhist monasteries in Russia Gelug monasteries Buddhism in Kalmykia Buildings and structures in Elista