How Kalmyks became the most western Buddhists of Eurasia

Kalmyks are the main population of the Republic of Kalmykia, located in the south of the European part of Russia. Interestingly, they profess Buddhism and are the westernmost Buddhists of Eurasia, while the nearest territories, the population of which is also a follower of this religion, are thousands and thousands of kilometers. How did Buddhism penetrate so far to the west of Eurasia?

It turns out that the immediate relatives of the Kalmyks are Buryats and Mongols. They have similar languages, traditions and also profess Buddhism. Once the ancestors of the Kalmyks (Oirats) lived together with other kindred peoples in the territory of the Dzungar Khanate. In the middle of the XVI century, they, along with the Buryats and Mongols, adopted Buddhism, and in the same period they began to gradually separate from the rest of the Dzungar tribes and move to the west. At first they migrated to the interfluve of the Irtysh and Tobol, but Tatars and Russians lived there, because of the clashes with which they had to move on. And in the XVII century, the ancestors of the Kalmyks found themselves in the Caspian steppes and gained a foothold in these territories.

Scientists still argue about the reasons for such a long journey. A number of researchers believe that this happened as a result of conflicts in the Dzungarian kingdom itself, when its constituent peoples were divided into smaller groups and separated territorially. According to another version, the campaign to the west was an ambitious project of the Oirat nobility to restore the borders of the Mongol Empire, which was never realized.

But, having appeared on the territory of the Caspian lowland, where the interests of the Caucasian and Slavic peoples intersected, the Oirats won territory for a long time. And only after becoming part of the Russian Empire they finally formalized the area of ​​their residence and began to be called Kalmyks.

Finding themselves so far in the west, the Kalmyks brought with them their religion, which is so unusual for these places, Tibetan Buddhism. Today, about 30 temples and monasteries called Khuruls are located throughout Kalmykia. One of the most important temples of the "Golden Monastery of Buddha Shakyamuni" is located in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia. This is a very beautiful temple, inside of which is the largest Buddha statue in Russia and Europe, with a height of 9 meters. The territory adjacent to the temple is also decorated according to all the canons of Buddhist architecture. The temple hosts services, Tibetan language lessons and yoga.

Buddhism in Kalmykia is what unites the people living in it and recalls the history of their medieval migration. Among the diverse peoples living side by side with the Kalmyks, the descendants of the Dzungarian khans managed to incredibly preserve their culture and religion, such as they brought it from the East.

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