FIDE President met with the spiritual leader of Buddhists, Nobel Peace Prize laureate His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Dharamsala on August 24. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov asked His Holiness to consecrate the Central Buddhist Khurul (temple) in the capital of Kalmykia. Ilyumzhinov told about this on his Twitter account:The issue of organizing the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to Russia was again raised during the meeting of the Commission on the Harmonization of Interethnic and Interreligious Relations of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation on July 21.
On behalf of the Buddhist community of Kalmykia, the senior administrator of the main Buddhist temple in Kalmykia, a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation Yonten Gelyung (Sergey Kirishov) appealed with a request to assist in organizing a pastoral visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Russia.
Yonten Gelyung emphasized that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni, but the rite of consecration of the temple - a prerequisite for the Buddhist tradition - by the highest hierarch of Buddhism His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has not yet been held.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama consecrated the site for the construction of the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni in Elista during a visit to Kalmykia organized by Ilyumzhinov in 2004.
The central Khurul of Kalmykia has become one of the largest spiritual and educational centres for the development of Buddhism in Russia. The huge snow-white 56-metres’ high temple of the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni was built in just nine months.
The 14th Dalai Lama blessed the construction site. This temple is known as the largest in Europe, with the biggest statue of Buddha and the world’s only sculpture of 17 pandit scholars from the ancient Indian University of Nalanda. Built in 2005 with the blessing of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, at the personal expense of first President of Kalmykia, sixth FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and donations from the republic's residents, the temple has become the hallmark of the capital of the steppe region, Elista.
For all residents of Kalmykia, the visit of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama would be the most long-awaited gift. The Association of Buddhists of Kalmykia also sent letters to the President of the Russian Federation Putin and the Russian Foreign Ministry with a request to allow the pastoral visit of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to the Republic of Kalmykia after opening of the borders and establishment of regular flights.
