The Golden Monastery of the Buddha Shakyamuni

It can be said without exaggeration that one of the largest Buddhist temples in Russia and Europe, is located in the capital of the Republic of Kalmykia, the city of Elista. It was opened in December two thousand and five. For residents of Kalmykia, a new temple, is a symbol of the republic and a shrine for every inhabitant of Kalmykia. This khurul for them is like a statue of freedom for Americans.

The construction of the temple was conducted with a special scale, so it was not accidental that it was built in just nine months. After all, for the erection of the temple, fifty-two organizations were involved, and at the same time there were about a thousand people on the construction site. It was really a nationwide construction, in which both old and young participated. Those who did not participate directly in the construction, made charitable contributions, large and small.

As a result of such titanic works, a temple of fifty-six meters high was formed. It accommodates the largest Buddha statue in Europe — its height is nine meters. In addition, the temple has become one of the main attractions of the capital of Kalmykia.

This is a royal building in which prayers are performed, as well as various festive divine services and rituals. A special feature of the Khurul is that white stupas are installed in the fence around the building every five meters. In total, there are one hundred and eight of them in the fence.

The main gate of the temple is the southern gate. In total, for the entrance to the territory of Khurul, there are four gates that are installed in strict accordance with the sides of the world. Also on the territory of the «Golden Sacred Buddha of Shakyamuni» there are seventeen pagodas, where statues of the great Buddhist teachers of the monastery of Nalanda are installed. They are placed in such a way that the temple itself is in the center, and they surround it. The very same temple consists of seven levels, which have different purposes.