On April 7, Roman Putin flew from Moscow to the capital of Kalmykia, Elista. Having stepped on the Kalmyk land, the politician went to the main temple of Kalmykia - "The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni." He had enjoyed an unforgettable tour round the largest khurul in Europe.
Roman Putin was impressed by the splendour of the religious complex built by Kalmykia’s first president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov 20 years ago.
Walking around various corners of the temple, Putin lingered at the image of Green Tara, one of the most important deities of the Buddhist pantheon. The Kalmyks call the green Tara Nugan Dyarke. According to Buddhist tradition, this female deity with green skin and a lotus flower responds to Om tare tuttare ture soha prayer.
After the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the spiritual leader of Buddhists around the world, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, urged all believers to more often turn to Green Tara for support.
The Shazhin Lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche received Roman Putin at the highest level. They had a rather long conversation about Buddhism in Kalmykia followed by a gala dinner.
“You have a very beautiful temple,” Putin said to the Shazhin Lama.