On 21 May, a statue of Buddha, presented by the 14th Dalai Lama to the Golden Abode of the Buddha Shakyamuni, was delivered to the capital of Kalmykia. On 23 May, the gift of His Holiness will be installed in the centre of the temple on the most honourable place – near the main statue of the Buddha, as reported by the main khurul’s administrator.The statue is small in size, about 30 cm tall and is covered in gold paint. The statue is wrapped in a golden scarf.
It is made of metal and there are various substances inside, including special mantras and incense.
“The statue is valuable, first of all, because the Dalai Lama himself consecrated and presented it to the Kalmyk people. This is not his first gift to our republic, before that he gave us his monastic attire, which is also kept in the main Buddhist temple in Kalmykia. Therefore, in this way, he gives us his blessing,” said administrator.
Over the years of his activity, the Dalai Lama visited Kalmykia three times. As part of his last visit in 2004, he consecrated the construction site of the central khurul The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni, which was erected in a year with personal money from the First President of Kalmykia and donations from the people.
This Khurul is the largest Buddhist temple in Russia and Europe. For a great contribution to the development of Buddhism in Russia, the spiritual leader of the world’s Buddhists, the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded with the highest distinction of Kalmykia - the Order of the White Lotus.
