Kalmyk Buddhist rituals, holidays, and pilgrimage collection
Metadata
identifier
3a01bf00-4c2a-4f0e-9153-d4bee0a77f18
type
Collection
coverage
Kalmykia, Russian Federation
description
Videos from the Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project. The project is based at the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit, the University of Cambridge. Its principal output is a database of Kalmyk and Oirat cultural heritage in Russia and China. This collection includes a series of videos on “Buddhist Rituals, Holidays and Pilgrimage”. In Kalmykia all national holidays, including the Tsagan Sar, Ur Sar, and Zul, are celebrated both as national and religious holidays. On these days people hold celebrations at home and go to a temple. The ritual of calling in the Buddha Maitreya is another Buddhist holiday performed annually in the temples across Kalmykia. The Kalmyks also carry out various seasonal rituals, including gal tyalgn dedicated to ancestors, rituals to purify land, and others. Mandala offerings and tsam, both performed by visiting Tibetan monks, stand out among Buddhist rituals in terms of elaboration and grandeur. Tsam, which is a theatralized ritual involving deities from the Buddhist pantheon, has been performed only twice in Kalmykia. When it was staged the second time in September 2015 in Elista, the project team videotaped this rare and mysterious celebration, which we host in this video collection. Here you can also see videos of pilgrimages to sacred sites, including the Bogdo Mountain, the historical Khosheutovsky temple, and others.
Items

1798498. The Ritual of Calling Maitreya, Buddha of the Future
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

1941507. Batyr Elistaev, Mandala Offering
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

1941538. Batyr Elistaev, A Morning Prayer
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

1941904. Batyr Elistaev, About Buddhist Holidays
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

1941934. Batyr Elistaev, A Daily Prayer to Deity Protectors
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

2073088. Ritual to Purify Land for the Construction of a Stupa
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

2215149. Tsam
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

2250451. Pilgrimage to the Bogdo Uul Mountain
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

2265653. Worship of Land
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

2282129. Pilgrimage to the Khosheutovsky Temple
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

2301619. Celebration to Commemorate the Birth, Enlightenment and Death of the Buddha
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

2326816. Badma Narmaev, A Legend About the Bogdo Uul Mountain
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project
Bogdo Uul is situated near lake Baskunchak in Akhtubinsky rayon of Astrakhan’ oblast. There are several versions of the legend about the mountain.

2414251. Khargchin Koldzhieva, A Legend About the Bogdo Uul
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

2426836. Telo Tulku Rinpoche, About Pilgrimage to Holy Places
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project

2431619. Telo Tulku Rinpoche, About Buddhist Holidays
Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project
