In southwestern Russia, near the Caspian Sea, there is one of the smallest republics in Russia: it is called Kalmykia, and you have probably never heard of it until now. But what is special about this region? What makes this little corner so unique is that Kalmykia is the only region in Europe where Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion . How is this possible on a continent dominated by Christianity for millennia? Keep reading this story about the Russian Empire, the Kalmuks, and the Soviet Union to find out.
The origins of Kalmykia and the persecution of its Buddhist inhabitants
The Calmuks are an ancient nomadic people originating from Mongolia who left from northwestern China to the northern Caucasus (now Russia) in the early 17th century . Like most Mongols, the Calmuks were predominantly Buddhist, and as the Calmuks became part of the Russian Empire, the government attempted to forcibly convert them not only to Orthodox Christianity but also to Russian culture.
Their lives were further complicated by the arrival of Russian and German settlers on their land, who with the support of the government seized the most fertile lands and left the Calmuks on the barren steppes. The herds suffered and the town became impoverished, becoming one of the most discriminated ethnic groups in Russia.
Another policy of the Russian government to rid the Kalmuks of their belief and culture was to limit contact with Tibet. The Calmuks are Tibetan Buddhists, or Lamaists as followers of this branch of Buddhism are sometimes called , and most of their clergy were trained in Tibet. The Russian Tsar eventually began to name the religious leader of the Calmuks the High Lama, thus further weakening Buddhism in this culture.
The failed return attempt to Mongolia
Disillusioned with the Russian government, the Kalmuks set out to return to their ancient homeland in Asia, but some 150,000 remained in Russian lands, and as punishment for the migration of her people, Queen Catherine the Great abolished her self-government and executed many of the Calmucan nobles.
Life in Soviet Russia was not going to be easier for the Calmuks. The famine struck their lands and their people, and because of this Mongolia offered to host the Calmuks, but the Soviet government refused . The Calmuks rebelled against the Soviet Union several times, due to anti-religious policies, and particularly because Stalin’s forced collectivization of agriculture meant that they had to abandon their nomadic lifestyle.
Kalmykia was occupied by German forces during World War II, and after the Red Army drove them out, the Calmuks were accused of collaborating with the Germans and were exiled to Siberia by Stalin .
Thousands of people died, and the Calmuks would not return to inhabited Russia until 1957 . In his absence, Kalmykia had been colonized by Russians and Ukrainians, and the very steppe they had used for their herds to graze was now home to industrial plants.
Kalmykia today
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Kalmykia chose to remain in the Russian Federation, and a 1992 Russian law recognized that the repression of the Calmuks was genuine genocide . Today, almost 75% of the population of Kalmykia are Calmuks and identify as Buddhists , by far the largest religious denomination within the region.
In addition, the Republic of Kalmykia attracts visitors who want to enjoy the interesting and exotic Buddhist temples and pagodas, whose architecture is clearly reminiscent of Asia. The most notable is the Temple of the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni , the largest Buddhist temple in Europe that contains a large statue of Buddha. They are also the local Museum and the Chess Museum.
